5 ways Apple can up its game in services

“Twelve years after the first iPhone arrived, smartphones are a mature product category. As a result, people don’t feel the need to upgrade their current iPhones – or other smartphones – as often as they used to,” Michael Grothaus writes for FastCompmay. “In order to continue its growth for the immediate future – short of breakthrough new hardware like AR glasses or a car – Apple will have to grow its subscription-based products, or create new ones. In essence, Apple needs to become a services company on the scale of Netflix, Spotify, and Dropbox.”
“If Apple really wants to become a services company of significance, it needs to up its game,” Grothaus writes.

Apple Must Rethink Its Video Content Strategy: The worst-kept secret in Hollywood is that later this year Apple is going to launch a video streaming service to compete with Netflix and Hulu. However, the company may be getting off to a wrong start before the service even launches. If rumors are to be believed, it is planning to launch a ‘family friendly’ streaming service. That means no original content with sex, too much violence, or heavy-hitting subjects… That would leave Apple’s service feeling like it’s the place to go if you want plain vanilla, middle-of-the-road, prime-time network programming. And we already have basic TV for that.

MacDailyNews Take: Those are old rumors. More recently,
Apple is reportedly close to inking deal for Richard Gere to star in remake of Israeli series ‘Nevelot’.
There’s nothing like two vets going on a millennial killing spree to nuke the idea that Apple is only pursuing milquetoast family fare. — MacDailyNews, December 6, 2018

It Should Become A Leading News Platform
It Needs To Make Icloud Pricing More Appealing
It Ought To Bring iMessage To Android
It Could Turn The Iphone Into A Service: Apple could scrap the current iPhone Upgrade Program altogether in favor of launching a true iPhone subscription service. Imagine a flat $30 monthly fee for the latest Apple flagship–and you get a new flagship every year?

Much more in the full article – recommended – here.
MacDailyNews Take: As for 2-5: Yup, yup, yup, and yup.
As per “Messages for Android,” Apple needs to finally do this. We know the product exists already, it’s just not released. Appel need to get over their fear that Messages is the only thing keeping iPhone users from defecting to Android. If it already existed on Android, it’d be much easier for Android settlers to finally upgrade to real iPhones, too! Plus services like Apple Pay Cash would gain users exponentially! Do it, Apple.
SEE ALSO:
Why Apple should release Messages for Android – April 30, 2018
Imagining an Apple All Access plan: What if Apple offered iPhone, iCloud, Apple Music, and more all for a single monthly fee? – August 29, 2018
A bundled media subscription would be good news for Apple users and for Apple itself – June 29, 2018
Apple reportedly considering subscription bundle of Apple Music, News and original video content – June 28, 2018
Apple is building a media platform like we’ve never seen before – June 27, 2018
Here’s how much Apple could make from streaming – June 27, 2018
Apple’s next $10 billion frontier is content creation – June 25, 2018
Apple intends to beat Netflix on price with standalone subscription to original content – June 19, 2018
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Fred Mertz” and “Bill” for the heads up.]