into the new Apple Fitness+ app, allowing
users to stay fit listening to their favourite
musicians, creating workout playlists. It’s this
tie-up and integration of the ecosystem that will
push more users to experience Apple Music and
make the switch from rival platforms to enjoy
the cross-platform benefits.
One of the big questions that remain is whether
Apple will eventually lower the walls and offer
a free version of its music streaming platform.
After all, that’s why Spotify continues to
dominate - although Apple has more paying
subscribers than Spotify in the United States, the
European brand ultimately has a wider audience
because of its free tier. Users can choose to pay
for ad-free music and download their favourite
tracks, or they can settle for a free version of the
service and listen to advertisements between
their preferred playlists. It’s been suggested
several times that Apple could adopt a similar
approach - after all, the firm has lowered the
boundaries a number of times and now offers
services like Apple Pages and iCloud free for
everyone, but analysts worry it will muddy the
waters and make it harder to push people to pay.
Without counting the three-month trial period,
Apple doesn’t offer a non-paid level of Apple
Music right now, but its growth in key markets