Apple rolled out four new service offerings in an unprecedented event at the Steve Jobs Theatre on its new campus in Cupertino March 25th. Two were entirely new offerings (Apple Arcade and Apple Card), while the other two built on existing efforts (Apple TV+ and Apple News+).
What was most interesting about the event to me is the core service principles Apple unveiled as part of the event. I cannot recall a firm explicitly stating how it intends to design and market all of its future service products. In fact, Apple was very explicit about this. For three of the four new service offerings it debuted, the slide above was shown to the audience.
Easy to use and Attention to detail should come as no surprise. These principles have been in Apple’s DNA from the very beginning. Private and secure, though nonchalantly placed in the middle of the list, is a philosophical differentiator that Apple has been repeating over and over again. Expert curation is a more recent trend in Apple service products. It’s News app bucks the machine learning trend and features articles actually chosen by real-live human beings. Personalized, of course, recalls the intimacy we enjoy with the customized experiences of products like iPhone. Finally, Family Sharing, builds on Apple’s earlier innovation of allowing family members to share access to apps, music, movies, and books.
So why did Apple only share the slide during three of the product announcements and not all four? The slide may not necessarily have been conspicuously absent, but there were good reasons why the presenters couldn’t show it. The slide was not shown during the Apple Card announcement because at least two of Apple’s principles are missing from the product (for now): Expert curation and Family sharing. This begs the question: could Apple add them?
Family sharing seems an easy one for Apple to address. As of now, the Apple Card is intended for single users. You get the card and only you can use it. It may not necessarily need to be this way though. Based on all of the innovative features Apple is bringing to the credit card experience, having functionality where you could share your card with other family members would be an interesting addition. Imagine your daughter is attending a concert with friends and you wanted to give her some spending money for the show. You could share your card and put a spending cap on her purchases for the evening and she could also request more funds a la Screen Time. At the very least, sharing a card between spouses should be a no-brainer.
Expert curation is more difficult to envision. But if Apple branched out from its current plans to offer immediate Apple Cash percentage rebates for purchases and instead offered rewards that were custom tailored, er curated, for the card holder, that could be an interesting development in the credit card industry.
Apple’s four new service offerings seem interesting, but I’m most impressed with how Apple has articulated its vision for its service products.