There might be an awful lot of fuss being made about Apple Arcade right now, but the company’s real focus remains on its television division.
Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass have both launched in the past week and thus begins yet another video game war. This war could well be the most significant one on the mobile platform to date. If iOS and Android users sign up to their respective subscription services in droves, then the way in which we game on phones will (potentially) be changed forever.
There’s a lot of hype surrounding Apple Arcade, in particular. The service includes 100 titles upon launch, features recognizable characters in some of its games such as Frogger, Sonic, and Rayman, and has even offered up a one-month free trial so we can figure out whether the service is worth the asking price of $4.99.
However, a much more appealing free trial being offered on the Apple TV side of things has made it pretty clear that Apple doesn’t actually care that much about gaming. As reported on its own site, Apple revealed that anyone who buys an iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, iPod touch or Mac will get an entire year of Apple TV+ for free. When released on November 1, 2019, Apple TV+ will cost the same per month as Apple Arcade.
Since both services cost the same, we’re not entirely sure why one can be offered up for free for a whole year while the other one can’t. We understand that giving both away for free for 12 months might be asking a little much, but why not give consumers the option? If we purchased a new iPhone and were faced with the choice of Apple Arcade for a year or Apple TV+, we would opt for the former.
While we appreciate Apple Arcade and have enjoyed what we have seen of it so far, the above shows that Apple is far more concerned with other avenues. With Disney+ about to launch, it’s now or never when it comes to companies offering TV and movie streaming services.
