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Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz »

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chuckb84
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Location: New Mexico

Re: Too Many Monthly Digital Subscriptions - Time for Apple One?

Post by chuckb84 »

I just dumped Youtube TV, because I started out paying $49/month and they keep raising the price and adding channels that I don't care about. You might look at Sling TV as a cheaper alternative. Personally, I just dumped streaming network TV altogether, as there are so alternatives.

Aside from that, Apple One might be good, if I cut my Wa. Post and NYT subscriptions. However, I am not clear on how much of the content from those sources is actually available through News+.
bloom2708
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Re: Too Many Monthly Digital Subscriptions - Time for Apple One?

Post by bloom2708 »

Interesting. We have Music + iCloud backup ($14.99 + $2.99)

We received a free year of Apple TV+ with the purchase of a MacBook Air. That is covered for a year. Not sure there is enough content to do solo.

We gave up You Tube TV. I liked it, but not $65 worth of like. Funny, we tolerated $40, then $50 worth of like. $15 broke the chain.

Netflix has to stay and my wife likes Philo (Hallmark movies). Hulu I do month to month. It is probably the least used service at time.

I could see this being a good bundle deal if you are in the Apple Ecosystem and already use some of the services.
SwampDonkey
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Re: Too Many Monthly Digital Subscriptions - Time for Apple One?

Post by SwampDonkey »

My family will be subscribing. We were already paying $15/month for the music subscription and we have been very happy with it. For only $5 more per month we can get:

Apple Music
Apple TV+
Apple Arcade
200 GB of iCloud storage

This is an easy decision for us.

I'm really curious how well they execute their Apple Fitness+ (only on the $30/month premier service). If it's legit, their subscriber base could grow hugely.
Point
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Re: Too Many Monthly Digital Subscriptions - Time for Apple One?

Post by Point »

We will be cutting over to the bundle. We use several parts today. It will save money overall. Have dropped Netflix. Will keep amazon service for now. Haven't used Hulu for years.
atikovi
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Re: Too Many Monthly Digital Subscriptions - Time for Apple One?

Post by atikovi »

weltschmerz wrote: Tue Sep 15, 2020 2:55 pm YouTube TV - $65
Netflix - $13
Apple Music (family plan) - $15
Apple iCloud 200GB - $3
New York Times - $15
Yoga Studio app - $70/year ($6/month)

TOTAL = $117
I'm paying $125 for TV, internet and 2 phone lines with Verizon FIOS if you want a comparison. That seems a lot to pay just for entertainment and storage.
JS-Elcano
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Re: Too Many Monthly Digital Subscriptions - Time for Apple One?

Post by JS-Elcano »

That's interesting. I had not heard about this package before.

Here's what I use ($55 per month, which includes price for Amazon Prime membership):

Sling TV ---> $30 + $5 for News Extra (price has been stable over the last 2 years)
Apple 2 TB storage ---> $9.99 (I have Macbooks, iPad, iPhone, so it's totally worth it to me)
Amazon Video ---> included in Prime ($10)
drummerboy
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Re: Too Many Monthly Digital Subscriptions - Time for Apple One?

Post by drummerboy »

I dropped YouTube TV. The AppleOne bundle makes sense (with Fitness) for my family. I'm already paying for the 2TB storage tier and AppleMusic Family. Apple News+ does not have the New York Times, but it does have the Washington Post and the WSJ.

We now use the Channels app on our AppleTV and iPad. We use an HD Homerun tuner for over-the-air broadcasts. That gets me all my local networks (NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox, PBS, CW). I actually use their DVR software and my Synology NAS does the recording. It's slick and the upfront cost was $90. Done. Yes, I have no ESPN, but I don't need to see that many sports.

I get Disney+, HULU and ESPN+ with my Verizon cellular plan.
HBO Max comes with our AT&T Fiber Internet service.
We have Amazon Prime. We are using Netflix less and less.

We have more content available to us than we could ever hope to consume.
CycloRista
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Re: Too Many Monthly Digital Subscriptions - Time for Apple One?

Post by CycloRista »

Unfortunately, all of the providers jack up the monthly cost after you get hooked.

The only one from the OP's list that I have comes "free" with a NY Times Sunday only paper subscription.
Jags4186
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Re: Too Many Monthly Digital Subscriptions - Time for Apple One?

Post by Jags4186 »

We have the following:

Amazon Prime: $119/yr
Hulu: $1.99/mo for 12 month promotion
Apple iCloud $0.99 plans x2 (this is the biggest joke, Apple just annoys you with “your iCloud storage is full” messages until you agree to give them $0.99/mo)
NYTimes: $4/mo promo
HBO Max: mooch
Netflix: mooch

I wouldn’t pay for more than one service at a time...I’d probably just switch back and forth depending when a show comes out, binge it over a month, then drop.

No interest in a paid music service. Everything I could ever want to listen to I either own or is free on YouTube.

So, in other words, no I won’t be signing up :happy
JS-Elcano
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Re: Too Many Monthly Digital Subscriptions - Time for Apple One?

Post by JS-Elcano »

How does Apple TV+ work? I don't have a TV, would this still work on a laptop or a monitor? :confused
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batpot
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Re: Too Many Monthly Digital Subscriptions - Time for Apple One?

Post by batpot »

weltschmerz wrote: Tue Sep 15, 2020 2:55 pm I see that Apple is now offering a new digital bundle called "Apple One" for all of their digital subscriptions. This prompted me to take a look at all the current monthly subscriptions I have. Here is what I currently pay every month:

YouTube TV - $65
Netflix - $13
Apple Music (family plan) - $15
Apple iCloud 200GB - $3
New York Times - $15
Yoga Studio app - $70/year ($6/month)

TOTAL = $117

YouTube TV is great to have, so that one is staying, but all the other services ($52 worth) look like they can be replaced by the the new Apple One bundle. There is a Premier tier for $30/month, which includes:

Apple Music
Apple TV+
Apple Arcade
Apple iCloud 2TB
Apple News+
Apple Fitness+

Seems like this might be a good switch to make, plus I like the idea of simplicity. I'm sure the TV+ is not as good as Netflix, but perhaps it will get better over time. Also, News+ is not as good as the New York Times, but it does include the LA Times and many other newspapers and magazines. I won't use the Arcade, but the Fitness+ could be very useful for Yoga and other types of exercise. And 2TB of cloud storage would be great.

What do you think? Are you considering Apple One?
Apples:Oranges

You're replacing:
YouTube TV - $65
Netflix - $13
New York Times - $15
Yoga Studio app - $70/year ($6/month)

With:
Apple News, TV, and Fitness...+

Apple TV is just a streaming service, similar to Netflix, but cheaper, with a lot less content. And originals I've never heard of. No live or network TV (e.g. ESPN) that you get w/ YouTube TV.
I have no idea what Apple News or Apple Fitness are, but undoubtedly the content is going to be different from what you have now.

A better comparison:
Given that Apple Music is $15/mo, Apple TV is $5, and iCloud is $3, you're paying $7/mo for News and Fitness.

So if the Fitness content is equivalent to Yoga Studio, you're paying an extra buck for News.

You're simplifying the billing, but giving up a lot of content.

That being said, most people would be doing themselves a huge service to get rid of live TV (and all its ads), and replace it with doing something that makes you healthier.
JS-Elcano wrote: Tue Sep 15, 2020 9:22 pm How does Apple TV+ work? I don't have a TV, would this still work on a laptop or a monitor? :confused
Ya, it's an app or a website, just like Netflix, Hulu, etc.
csm
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Re: Too Many Monthly Digital Subscriptions - Time for Apple One?

Post by csm »

We currently have Apple Music ($15), Apple News+ ($10), and 2 x $2.99 iCloud for a total of $31 a month, so we will be switching to the Apple Premium service for $30 which will give us all of that, plus bigger cloud storage, Apple TV+, Arcade and Fitness.

We had tried Apple TV+ with a free subscription previously, and wouldn't pay for it on its own, but as part of a bundle for less than we're paying now, we'll take it. We also tried Arcade for a month and found a couple of the pattern / coloring games to be relaxing, but we didn't use them enough to pay separately for it. So it could be fun to have that for no additional cost for an occasional distraction.

It won't change anything with our other subscriptions (Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu), all of which we use frequently. We do not subscribe to any service (cable or otherwise) for traditional live TV but infrequently tune in to live TV via an antennae. We also catch daily news via commercial-free Youtube (not youtube TV).
rich126
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Re: Too Many Monthly Digital Subscriptions - Time for Apple One?

Post by rich126 »

While I'm a big Apple supporter in some things and love their computers and iPad. the TV portion hasn't been very good IMO. I had an early Apple TV device and gave that up a while ago and currently get a free subscription (from an ipad purchase) and it isn't anything I would pay for. The Apple One doesn't strike me as anything I need but YMMV.
----------------------------- | If you think something is important and it doesn't involve the health of someone, think again. Life goes too fast, enjoy it and be nice.
Topic Author
weltschmerz
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Joined: Thu Jul 30, 2009 9:17 pm

Post by weltschmerz »

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drummerboy
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Re: Too Many Monthly Digital Subscriptions - Time for Apple One?

Post by drummerboy »

weltschmerz wrote: Wed Sep 16, 2020 2:32 pm
I didn't realize News+ includes the WaPo and WSJ, that greatly increases the appeal to me.
I was incorrect. Here’s what is included in Apple News+ : “ Along with more than 300 magazines, Apple News+ includes paywalled subscription content from the following newspapers: The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and Toronto Star.”
egrets
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Re: Too Many Monthly Digital Subscriptions - Time for Apple One?

Post by egrets »

weltschmerz wrote: Tue Sep 15, 2020 2:55 pm New York Times - $15
The nytimes charges me $8 a month.
Dottie57
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Re: Too Many Monthly Digital Subscriptions - Time for Apple One?

Post by Dottie57 »

I love Apple products. But Apple One is not for me. I like netflix and with Amazon prime I get video along with the free shipping I purchased it for. There won’t be a change in My household.
Dottie57
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Re: Too Many Monthly Digital Subscriptions - Time for Apple One?

Post by Dottie57 »

drummerboy wrote: Wed Sep 16, 2020 2:48 pm
weltschmerz wrote: Wed Sep 16, 2020 2:32 pm
I didn't realize News+ includes the WaPo and WSJ, that greatly increases the appeal to me.
I was incorrect. Here’s what is included in Apple News+ : “ Along with more than 300 magazines, Apple News+ includes paywalled subscription content from the following newspapers: The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and Toronto Star.”
But you only get **some** of the content from the newspapers.
onourway
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Re: Too Many Monthly Digital Subscriptions - Time for Apple One?

Post by onourway »

egrets wrote: Wed Sep 16, 2020 3:59 pm
weltschmerz wrote: Tue Sep 15, 2020 2:55 pm New York Times - $15
The nytimes charges me $8 a month.
We pay the same, but in our case that's the education discount.
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CardinalRule
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Re: Too Many Monthly Digital Subscriptions - Time for Apple One?

Post by CardinalRule »

Dottie57 wrote: Wed Sep 16, 2020 4:07 pm
drummerboy wrote: Wed Sep 16, 2020 2:48 pm
weltschmerz wrote: Wed Sep 16, 2020 2:32 pm
I didn't realize News+ includes the WaPo and WSJ, that greatly increases the appeal to me.
I was incorrect. Here’s what is included in Apple News+ : “ Along with more than 300 magazines, Apple News+ includes paywalled subscription content from the following newspapers: The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, and Toronto Star.”
But you only get **some** of the content from the newspapers.
Yep, definitely limited. I do enjoy the full access to magazines though (I was a subscriber to Texture before Apple acquired it).

As for the One bundle, we would probably get it were we not so fond of Amazon Music Unlimited and how well it integrates with all the Echo smart speakers in the house. Besides News+, we subscribe to Amazon Prime, Netflix, and the New York Times and WSJ digital editions. Also the 200GB iCloud storage plan. The $19.99 for the WSJ is the one I most hate paying, because it is so expensive. Maybe it is time to call and cancel, to get a better deal. :wink:
egrets
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Location: Rhode Island

Re: Too Many Monthly Digital Subscriptions - Time for Apple One?

Post by egrets »

onourway wrote: Wed Sep 16, 2020 6:33 pm
egrets wrote: Wed Sep 16, 2020 3:59 pm
weltschmerz wrote: Tue Sep 15, 2020 2:55 pm New York Times - $15
The nytimes charges me $8 a month.
We pay the same, but in our case that's the education discount.
I'm not a teacher. Perhaps I signed up during a sale.
brajalle
Posts: 363
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Re: Too Many Monthly Digital Subscriptions - Time for Apple One?

Post by brajalle »

Our setup-

Hulu - Free (Sprint)
Netflix - Shared (family - use sometimes - I add a gift card to the sub)
CBS - $5/mo (average, they often run 50% off if you "cancel" & free months)
Amazon Prime - Free (family - don't use much)
PlutoTV - Free
Spideroak (unlimited cloud storage) - $125/yr ($10.42/mo)
WashPost - Free (gov)
Pandora Family - $15/mo (family uses too)
Youtube Fitness videos/books - Free
Local library - Free (has Hoopla/Libby/Overdrive/etc)

We have access to HBO and Disney+ from family, but don't use them much.

I'm not sure we'd pay continuously for some of these even if we had to. I have enjoyed the WashPost content more than I expected, but aside from the cloud storage and pandora, I question the subscription prices of the other stuff vs impact on our life. It is sometimes cheaper to buy physical&rip or buy digital than it is to pay for streaming with how my wife watches stuff. Other times it may only make sense to subscribe for a month or two a year. Ironically, I do wish I'd purchased the Criterion streaming when it was initially offered & discounted - it was only $10/yr ($1/mo) price difference, but somehow it matters in my mind. We were an initial subscriber to what used to be DirectTV Now - we liked that at the price point it was offered, but they steadily added channels we don't like and prices skyrocketed. This also turned us off to *everything* AT&T. If we ever wanted actual TV, we'd use a thin Sling package or use an antenna + DVR box.

I think CBS has the right idea - charge a competitive price for the lazy monthly subscribers but offer enough promos/etc to people like me to get more out yearly than they would otherwise. I've certainly remained subscribed for longer periods with them because of the free months and 50% off when cancelling. Logically I really know I should just binge watch the Star Trek content 1-2 months a year, but I remain subscribed. Our next move in the media consumption space is going to eventually be a trip to New York to become members of some public libraries there for digital ebook access.

For anyone consuming this, you can sometimes get gift cards discounted from various places. You can also potentially get fuel points from a grocery store or such - we get about 16% off minimum ourselves on this stuff - with some specials it can be ~50%.
yolli71
Posts: 451
Joined: Fri May 20, 2011 9:53 am

Re: Too Many Monthly Digital Subscriptions - Time for Apple One?

Post by yolli71 »

weltschmerz wrote: Tue Sep 15, 2020 2:55 pm I see that Apple is now offering a new digital bundle called "Apple One" for all of their digital subscriptions. This prompted me to take a look at all the current monthly subscriptions I have. Here is what I currently pay every month:

YouTube TV - $65
Netflix - $13
Apple Music (family plan) - $15
Apple iCloud 200GB - $3
New York Times - $15
Yoga Studio app - $70/year ($6/month)

TOTAL = $117

YouTube TV is great to have, so that one is staying, but all the other services ($52 worth) look like they can be replaced by the the new Apple One bundle. There is a Premier tier for $30/month, which includes:

Apple Music
Apple TV+
Apple Arcade
Apple iCloud 2TB
Apple News+
Apple Fitness+

Seems like this might be a good switch to make, plus I like the idea of simplicity. I'm sure the TV+ is not as good as Netflix, but perhaps it will get better over time. Also, News+ is not as good as the New York Times, but it does include the LA Times and many other newspapers and magazines. I won't use the Arcade, but the Fitness+ could be very useful for Yoga and other types of exercise. And 2TB of cloud storage would be great.

What do you think? Are you considering Apple One?
I looked at the Apple One family package for $20/mo. and was intrigued, but I decided against it. I already pay $150/mo. for:

YouTube TV - $65
Netflix - $16
Amazon Prime Video, Unlimited Music, and 1 TB cloud - $18
Sirius XM (for the car) - $6
HBO - $15
Showtime - $11
Hulu/Disney/ESPN+ - $19

If I got Apple One it would just add to my costs as I wouldn't want to replace anything except for the Amazon Music and cloud space, but I didn't see the benefit in that. I don't care about Arcade and I just haven't seen enough programming from Apple to make me want to get TV+ yet (though that could change one day). If anything, I probably need to cut down on my options but doing so would make someone in the family unhappy (either me, the wife, or the kids), so we have all of them! :oops:
stan1
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Re: Too Many Monthly Digital Subscriptions - Time for Apple One?

Post by stan1 »

We have paid Netflix, Amazon Prime, Microsoft 365, Dropbox, iTunes, and $0.99 Apple storage. Have tried to neck down but each is a little better in different areas than others.
Topic Author
weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz »

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