苹果(Apple)正在大举进军内容市场，利用其著名的围墙式应用生态系统从离散内容购买转向订阅模式。
这一切都始于Apple Music，但现在Apple Arcade和Apple TV+加入了订阅服务的首次尝试。这构成了苹果未来商业模式的三个关键支柱。
在我们等待Apple TV+证明其价值的同时，看看其他两项Apple订阅服务的时机已经成熟，看看是否值得一试。
Apple Music Brings The (Curated) Groove ($10.00/month)
苹果(Apple)一直是数字音乐市场的先驱。你甚至可以说 iPod 和 iTunes 拯救了音乐行业，而当时看起来整个事情都可能会崩溃。
因此，他们的第一个适当的订阅服务专注于公司建立的令人惊叹的数字音乐基础设施也就不足为奇了。
有什么优惠？(What’s On Offer?)
一个庞大的音乐库，建立在Apple以久经考验的交付平台上。您每月支付 10 美元起的费用，但还为经过验证的学生提供负担得起的家庭计划和便宜的选择。
令人惊讶的是，您还可以在 Android 设备上使用 Apple Music(use Apple Music on an Android device)。这是Apple(Apple)仅有的两个Android应用程序之一，另一个是帮助您迁移到 iPhone 的实用程序。iOS 和Android版本对我们来说都完美无缺，但由于Android硬件的可变性，您的里程可能会有所不同。
Apple Music 与比赛(Apple Music vs The Competition)
Apple Music面临着很多竞争。在美国，人们会想到Spotify和Pandora 。在国际(Internationally)上，最大的竞争是YouTube Music。与这些其他服务相比，Apple Music肯定有一些缺点。(Apple Music)
它缺乏Spotify(Spotify)和Pandora背后的惊人技术，无法分析你对音乐的品味，并为尝试新曲调提出很好的建议。它也没有YouTube Music提供的大量艺术家和歌曲。此外，只需 12 美元，YouTube Music包括YouTube Premium，可以访问独家内容并从服务中完全删除广告。
不过，Apple Music 的优势在于其出色的界面、大量有关音乐本身的优质信息，以及任何音乐流媒体服务中最好的人工管理。精选的播放列表特别关注细节，这是目前没有算法可以匹配的。
遗憾的是，我们搜索的许多不太主流的艺术家都失踪了，或者唱片不完整。
值得这个价吗？(Is It Worth The Money?)
就其本身而言，Apple Music物有所值。但是，很难证明它特别针对YouTube Music是合理的。即使使用YouTube提供的纯音乐产品（也需要 10 美元），您仍然可以获得更多真实的音乐。另一方面，YouTube Music充斥着垃圾内容。
因此，如果您想要白手套的定制体验，Apple Music是您的不二之选。如果您想获得最大的收益，最好到别处寻找。
Apple Arcade Lets the Games Begin ($4.99/month)
如果您已升级到 iOS13，您会在App Store中找到一个新的“Arcade”标签。点击它会将您带到订阅请求。如果您激活订阅，您将可以访问一组游戏，这些游戏可以像任何其他应用程序一样下载到您的设备并离线玩，只要您的订阅处于活动状态。
本质上，它就像Netflix，但用于游戏。
有什么优惠？(What’s On Offer?)
最终，超过100款独家游戏。至少，手机和平板电脑独有。一些游戏，例如Cat Quest II和Stranded Sails，也可以在主机上使用。
该库将每月更新，并添加更多标题。不同的流派、风格和生产价值混合在一起。这些游戏是由人类精心策划的，所以你不会在这里找到任何铲子。事实上，Apple Arcade拥有一些我们在任何平台上见过的最有创意、最漂亮和最具创新性的游戏。
Apple Arcade还为有意义的游戏提供完整的游戏手柄支持。这包括传统的MFi 控制器(MFi controllers)和Sony DualShock 4和Xbox One手柄。只要(Just)确保您获得这些主流控制器的兼容版本即可。某些型号的DS4无法使用，只有与 Windows 兼容的Xbox控制器(Xbox)蓝牙(Bluetooth)型号才能与 iOS 设备完美配合。
我们使用这些游戏手柄测试的所有Apple Arcade游戏在开发时都清楚地考虑到了它们，这些附加功能将您的 iPad、Apple TV和 iPhone 变成了合适的游戏设备。
当前选择的突出标题包括：
- 海角号 2
- 猫探索二
- 朝圣者
- 各种日常生活
- Shantae和七个海妖
我们在 iPad Pro 9.7(Pro 9.7)上试用了这些游戏，大屏幕带来了美妙的体验。有些游戏在 iPhone 上的翻译效果可能不太好，您可能需要购买一个游戏手柄手机支架以使其完全舒适。
Apple Arcade 与竞争对手(Apple Arcade vs The Competition)
Android用户可以选择使用Google Play Pass ，它以与(Google Play Pass)Apple Arcade相同的价格提供 350 款游戏。在撰写本文时， Play Pass(Play Pass)仅限美国，并且没有Apple Arcade提供的那种独家策划游戏。
有许多精彩的游戏和AAA端口构成了产品的一部分，但它受到Android 移动(Android Mobile)游戏的整体状态的影响。甚至在Apple Arcade之前，iOS 游戏玩家就首先获得了最好的游戏，而且往往是独占游戏。
值得这个价吗？(Is It Worth The Money?)
Apple Arcade可能是目前游戏行业最划算的交易之一。订阅费中包含的许多游戏在(Many)Nintendo Switch等平台上的价格为 20 美元或更多。对于重玩价值有限的游戏，这让Apple Arcade成为了更好的选择。
作为手机游戏产品，情况会更好。Apple Arcade 只提供优质游戏而没有任何应用内购买的政策使其在一般移动游戏市场上遥遥领先经验。
所以，简而言之，很难想象有更好的方式来花 5 美元购买一个月的娱乐活动！
A Hands-On Look At Apple Music & Apple Arcade
Apple is getting into the content markеt in a big way, taking advantage of its famоusly walled-garden aрр ecosystem to pivot from discrete content purchases to the subscription model.
It all started with Apple Music, but that first attempt at a subscription service is now being joined by Apple Arcade and Apple TV+. This forms three key pillars of Apple’s business model heading into the future.
While we wait for Apple TV+ to prove its worth, the time is ripe to look at the other two Apple subscription services and see if the juice is worth the squeeze.
Apple Music Brings The (Curated) Groove ($10.00/month)
Apple has always been a pioneer in the digital music market. You might go as far as to say that the iPod and iTunes saved the music industry when it looked like the whole thing might crash.
So it’s no surprise that their first proper subscription service focused on the amazing digital music infrastructure the company has built.
What’s On Offer?
A sizable library of music built on the proven delivery platform Apple is known for. You pay a monthly fee which starts at $10 but also offers an affordable family plan and a cheap option for verified students.
Amazingly, you can also use Apple Music on an Android device. This is one of only two Android apps by Apple, the other being a utility to help you migrate to an iPhone. Both iOS and Android versions worked flawlessly for us, but thanks to the variability of Android hardware, your mileage may vary.
Apple Music vs The Competition
There’s plenty of competition for Apple Music to contend with. In the US, Spotify and Pandora come to mind. Internationally, the biggest competition is YouTube Music. Apple Music definitely has some downsides compared to these other services.
It lacks the amazing technology behind Spotify and Pandora that analyzes your taste in music and makes great suggestions for new tunes to try. It also doesn’t have the sheer volume of artists and songs on offer by YouTube Music. Additionally, for just $12, YouTube Music includes YouTube Premium, with access to exclusive content and the total removal of adverts from the service.
In Apple Music’s favor though is a great interface, plenty of quality information about the music itself, and the best human curation of any music streaming service. The curated playlists in particular show an attention to detail that no algorithm can currently match.
It’s just a pity that many of the less mainstream artists we searched for are missing or have incomplete discographies.
Is It Worth The Money?
Taken by itself, Apple Music is worth the asking price. However, it’s very hard to justify it against YouTube Music in particular. Even with the music-only offering from YouTube (which also costs $10) you still get far more actual music. On the other hand, YouTube Music is flooded with junk content.
So if you want the white-glove, bespoke experience, Apple Music is the way to go. If you want the most bang for your buck, it’s better to look elsewhere.
Apple Arcade Lets the Games Begin ($4.99/month)
If you’ve upgraded to iOS13 you’ll find a new “Arcade” tab in the App Store. Tapping on it will take you to a subscription request. If you activate the subscription you’ll get access to a set of games that can be downloaded to your device just like any other app and played offline, for as long as your subscription is active.
Essentially, it’s like Netflix, but for games.
What’s On Offer?
Eventually, more than 100 exclusive games. At least, exclusive to mobile phones and tablets. Some titles, such as Cat Quest II and Stranded Sails, are also available on consoles.
The library will be updated every month, with more titles added. There’s a great mix of different genres, styles, and production values. The games are carefully curated by human beings, so you won’t find any shovelware here. In fact, Apple Arcade has some of the most creative, beautiful, and innovative games we’ve seen on any platform.
Apple Arcade also offers full gamepad support for games where it makes sense to have it. That includes traditional MFi controllers and Sony DualShock 4 and Xbox One pads. Just make sure you get compatible versions of these mainstream controllers. Some models of DS4 don’t work and only the Windows-compatible Bluetooth models of Xbox controller can play nice with iOS devices.
All the Apple Arcade games we tested with these gamepads were clearly developed with them in mind and these additional features turn your iPad, Apple TV, and iPhone into a proper gaming device.
Standout titles from the current selection include:
- Oceanhorn 2
- Cat Quest II
- Pilgrims
- Various Daylife
- Shantae and the Seven Sirens
We tried out these games on an iPad Pro 9.7 and the large screen made for a fantastic experience. Some games might translate less well to the iPhone and you may want to invest in a gamepad phone mount to make it completely comfortable.
Apple Arcade vs The Competition
Android users have the option of going for Google Play Pass, which offers 350 games for the same price as Apple Arcade. Play Pass is US-only at the time of writing and does not have the sort of exclusive curated games Apple Arcade offers.
There are many wonderful games and AAA ports that makeup part of the offering, but it suffers from the overall state of Android Mobile gaming. Even before Apple Arcade, iOS gamers got the best titles first and often exclusively.
Is It Worth The Money?
Apple Arcade is probably one of the best deals in the gaming industry right now. Many of the titles included in the subscription fee cost $20 or more on platforms like the Nintendo Switch. For games with limited replay value, that makes Apple Arcade a much better deal.
As a mobile games offering, things are even better. Apple Arcade’s policy of only having premium games without any in-app purchases whatsoever elevates it head and shoulders above the general mobile gaming market, which is flooded with free-to-play titles that are geared more towards extracting money from your wallet than being fun experiences.
So, in short, it’s hard to imagine a better way to spend five bucks on a month’s worth of entertainment!
