(Pocket-lint) – Apple sees its future in both devices and the services that go with them. That much has been clear for some time now and, what has also become clear over the last two years is that Apple is keen to launch paid-for versions of existing services like Apple News+.
The latest information resurrects the rumour that we will see an extension of its Apple Podcasts service, probably called Apple Podcasts+. This has surely been in the works for some time – certainly rumours suggested this as far back as 2019 – and at that stage it certainly sounded like the intention with the service was to invest in original podcasts in the same way that Spotify has done.
Apple still dominates the podcast market, but Spotify made no secret of its intention to grow podcasts and has invested big money in original and exclusive content such as Joe Rogan and the Michelle Obama podcast which appear to have paid off. Certainly, it feels like Spotify has momentum in the market as it now offers podcasters a full set of services to handle and promote their podcasts. And through its – very annoying in our mind – promotion of podcasts on the home screen, it’s good for discoverability.
The landscape has shifted slightly in recent months, because any Podcasts+ service would almost certainly be included in Apple’s Apple One full-fat subscription service that includes Fitness+ and News+ among other services.
Writing by Dan Grabham.
