As Apple raises the price for its Apple TV+ and Apple Music subscription service, so does the concern of some students who are already on a tight budget.
Apple TV+ will now cost $6.99 per month for new and current subscribers, up from its previous $4.99 per month price.
The monthly cost of Apple Music’s individual plan increases from $9.99 to $10.99. The family plan, which provides access to up to six accounts, will cost $2 more per month, or $16.99, instead of $14.99.
The cost of the Apple One bundle, which includes Apple Music and Apple TV+ as well as Apple Arcade and iCloud with 50 gigabytes of storage, has gone up by $2 from $14.95 to $16.95 per month for the individual plan.
The Apple TV+, Apple Music, Apple Arcade, iCloud+ with up to 2 terabytes of storage, Apple News+, and Apple Fitness+ are included in the premier plan, which went from $29.95 to $32.95 per month. It also offers up to six accounts.
Apple announced the reason behind the increase in its Apple TV+ subscription is the extensive selection of award-winning series, feature films and more offered to subscribers since its debut three years ago.
The change in Apple Music results from an increase in licensing costs, meaning that artists and songwriters will earn more money for streaming their music.
A win for artists and songwriters is looking like a loss for Apple as long-time supporters of the company, like Nya Wimes, are discouraged by this new change.
“I use Apple products, but I’m trying to move out of the Apple ecosystem. Their Apple Music subscription price rise during inflation only makes me want to stop supporting them even more,” Wimes, a 21-year-old Santa Fe College student, said.
There is still hope for students who can only afford to add so many dollars to their list of expenses. Unidays is a discount website founded in 2011 that is free for students worldwide. It offers a student rate of $5.99 per month if you sign up for an Apple Music subscription through the website, which includes creating an account and verifying you’re a college student using your student email account. The site also gives students access to an Apple TV+ subscription for free.
Some students use sites like Unidays and aren’t worried about the cost, like Terry Cue, a 20-year-old subscriber to Apple Music.
“I’m not worried about the subscription going up a few dollars. I always have used a student’s discount through Unidays and encourage all students to do the same,” Cue said.