SERVICES: APPLE VENTURES INTO NEWS, GAMING, AND FINANCE

As well as lifting the lid on a new television subscription service, staring the likes of Oprah and Jennifer Aniston, Apple used its March keynote to announce an array of subscription products, like a premium news service and a cross-platform gaming product. Today, we take a closer look at the new services and consider Apple’s changing strategy for revenue growth.

NEXT-LEVEL HARDWARE ON THE DOWNLOW

Before Tim Cook and Co hit the stage at the Steve Jobs Theater on Monday (March 25), the company surprised the world by introducing a bunch of new hardware throughout the week prior on the Apple.com store. Apple typically uses its March Special Event to showcase new hardware, like iPads and HomePods, but this year the firm wanted to keep the stage clear for its services-centric event, dropping incremental updates to the iMac, iPad, and AirPods.

First came the iPad refresh on Monday (March 18), with a fifth-generation iPad mini which now features an upgraded A12 Bionic processor, Apple Pencil support, and an advanced Retina display panel. Visually, , whilst a resurrected 10.5-inch iPad Air bridges the gap between the new iPad Pro and the entry-level iPad, offering a True Tone display, A12 Bionic processor, an 8-megapixel rear camera, and a tapered body design with bezels at the top