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Apple’s rumored magazine subscription service could also launch on Macs

Chuong Nguyen
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Macbook Air (2018) Review
Riley Young/Digital Trends

Apple has scheduled a major press event at its Cupertino, California, headquarters on March 25, and the company is widely expected to unveil a new magazine subscription service. While the magazine subscription is originally believed to arrive on the iOS platform for iPhone and iPad owners as part of the Apple News app, there is evidence that Apple is also working to include MacOS in the mix, allowing subscribers to also read the latest magazines on their computers.

Developer Steve Troughton-Smith, who is currently running the latest MacOS 10.14.4 beta, captured a screenshot of a notification on his Mac showing that a new magazine issue — in this case, the latest copy of Bon Appetit — is available. Hints of Apple’s magazine subscription, which is believed to be part of the Apple News app, also appeared on the latest betas of iOS 12.2, according to 9to5 Mac.

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According to Troughton-Smith, the code in the beta suggests that once a new magazine issue is available, users will be able to download the magazine, as a PDF copy for offline reading. This will be good news for frequent travelers who want to catch up with their latest magazines but may not have access to Wi-Fi or cellular data.

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Apple has been rumored to be working bringing a digital magazine subscription service for some time. In 2018, the company acquired Texture, which offered an all-access pass to popular magazine titles like Time, People, National Geographic, and The New Yorker for a flat $10 fee. Texture paid publishers based on the amount of time customers spend with the content, though Apple may be changing the way it will pay developers as part of the new subscription plan offered through Apple News.

Most recently, there have been reports that Apple intends to keep 50 percent of the revenues generated from the Apple News Magazine subscription, splitting the remaining amount with publishers. Though some publishers have balked at the high-revenue sharing rate with Apple, it’s reported that Apple was able to sign a few publishers. Popular magazine categories that Apple intends on delivering with the subscription include automotive, entertainment, business and finance, crafts and hobby, fashion and style, food and cooking, health and fitness, home and gardening, parenting, men’s and women’s lifestyle, news and politics, science, technology, sports, and travel.

In addition to rolling out a new magazine subscription service for Apple News on iOS and MacOS, Apple is also believed to be working on its own video streaming subscription service that would compete against Netflix and other over-the-top streaming services. It’s unclear if Apple’s streaming video subscription plans will be ready in time by March 25.

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Chuong Nguyen
Chuong Nguyen
Computing Writer
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