Apple Targeting 100 Million Subscribers for Streaming Music Service
Apple has an ambitious goal to sign up 100 million subscribers for its upcoming streaming music service known as Apple Music, according to The Associated Press. A subscriber base that large would trump competing services such as Spotify, Pandora, Deezer and others, which had a collective 41 million paid U.S. subscribers in 2014 per the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
Apple Music is widely expected to be a rebranded and improved version of Beats Music, which the Cupertino-based company acquired for $3 billion last year alongside the Beats Electronics headphones and speakers division. The much-rumored streaming service will reportedly cost $10 per month, with a three-month free trial period, and focus on exclusive content and human curated playlists.
Beats Music had 303,000 U.S. subscribers as of December, trailing market leader Spotify's 4.7 million U.S. subscribers by a significant margin. Nevertheless, Apple previously said it has over 800 million users with iTunes accounts to its advantage and will reportedly present those users with the option to purchase an Apple Music subscription instead when downloading songs and albums through the iTunes Store.
Apple is expected to unveil its new streaming music service at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference today in San Francisco. During the opening keynote at 10 AM Pacific, CEO Tim Cook and other executives should reveal several details about the service alongside other announcements about iOS 9, OS X 10.11, Apple Pay and more. MacRumors will be providing live coverage of the event as it unfolds.
Popular Stories
While the iOS 26.3 Release Candidate is now available ahead of a public release, the first iOS 26.4 beta is likely still at least a week away. Following beta testing, iOS 26.4 will likely be released to the general public in March or April.
Below, we have recapped known or rumored iOS 26.3 and iOS 26.4 features so far.
iOS 26.3
iPhone to Android Transfer Tool
iOS 26.3 makes it easier...
Apple recently acquired Israeli startup Q.ai for close to $2 billion, according to Financial Times sources. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone maker Beats in 2014.
This is also the largest known Apple acquisition since the company purchased Intel's smartphone modem business and patents for $1 billion in 2019....
In 2022, Apple introduced a new Apple Home architecture that is "more reliable and efficient," and the deadline to upgrade and avoid issues is fast approaching.
In an email this week, Apple gave customers a final reminder to upgrade their Home app by February 10, 2026. Apple says users who do not upgrade may experience issues with accessories and automations, or lose access to their smart...
Apple turns 50 this year, and its CEO Tim Cook has promised to celebrate the milestone. The big day falls on April 1, 2026.
"I've been unusually reflective lately about Apple because we have been working on what do we do to mark this moment," Cook told employees today, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. "When you really stop and pause and think about the last 50 years, it makes your heart ...
New M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models are slated to launch in the near future, according to information shared with MacRumors by an Apple Premium Reseller.
Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos.
The third-party Apple retailer said that MacBook Pro stock is very low currently because there is an imminent new product introduction. Apple typically coordinates supply with...
