Apple has been increasingly focused on generating recurring monthly income with its various subscription plans, and a rumored Google Pixel Pass could potentially point the way to the ultimate subscription for hardcore Apple fans.
Apple currently has two key subscriptions aimed at its most dedicated fans…
First, the iPhone Upgrade Program. While technically a renewable loan, the way Apple has it set up, it’s effectively a monthly subscription plan for those who want a new iPhone either every year or every other year. It also includes AppleCare+ to provide an extended warranty on the phone.
Second, the Apple One plan. This is a monthly subscription to multiple Apple services. The bottom-tier option covers Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, and 50GB of iCloud storage; the top-tier adds Apple News+ and Fitness+, and boosts iCloud storage to 2TB.
Google’s Pixel Pass appears to effectively combine the Mountain View company’s equivalent offerings into a single subscription.
Google seems poised to announce a new subscription bundle called “Pixel Pass,” which would combine a new Pixel device with an extended warranty and premium subscriptions for several Google services. The unconfirmed bundle has been detailed in a leaked image published by Brandon Lee. It’s unclear how much Pixel Pass would cost, but the documents suggest it will be sold via Google Fi and the Google Store alongside the purchase of a Pixel device […]
From the documents, it seems Pixel Pass will combine up to four subscriptions: YouTube Premium or YouTube Music, Google One, Play Pass, and Google Fi. These services cover video and music streaming, cloud storage, an app subscription bundle, and mobile network coverage. There’s no mention of Google Stadia, the search giant’s cloud game streaming service.
The leak suggests that the extended device warranty will function similarly to Google’s existing Preferred Care or Device Protection services, which offer protection against accidental and mechanical breakdown damage.
Lee points to the similarity to Apple’s programs.
Given that many of the most loyal iPhone customers already opt for both the iPhone Upgrade Program and the Premier tier Apple One subscription, it strikes me that the Cupertino company could usefully offer a single subscription for both. Ideally this would include an additional discount, of course, but even without it, it might prove appealing just for the simplicity of signing up to only one program.
iPhone Premier Program, perhaps?
What’s your view? Would you be interested in an iPhone Premier subscription, combining the iPhone Upgrade Program and Apple One Premier? Please take our poll, and share your thoughts in the comments.
Photo: Daniel Romero/Unsplash
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