subscription Archives - Gizmochina

Philips Hue Sync TV subscription: Is it really worth paying just to sync lights with your TV?

Sean — Thu, 09 Jan 2025 14:00:57 +0000

Philips Hue just announced an expansion to its subscription service. The Philips Hue Sync TV app subscription was initially supported on Samsung smart TVs (Tizen) but it’s now also arriving on LG (WebOS) branded smart TVs. So let’s see whether the subscription is worth it or just an unnecessary way of monetization.

Philips Hue Sync TV subscription

Philips Hue Sync TV Subscription: What does it offer?

Philips Hue’s popular Hue Sync TV app is expanding beyond Samsung TV. To recall, it allows users to synchronize up to 10 Hue lights with the movies or games they have running on their TV. This creates a more immersive ambient lighting effect without needing an external bridge or box. While this was limited to Samsung, LG is also receiving support for this app starting in Spring 2025.

So how do you get it?

Well, this is where the first issue starts. People who own an LG WebOS powered smart TV do get access to this subscription, but the app will basically have you spend around $130. For $100, the pretty lighting is already quite expensive.

If you don’t want to pay outright, you can also opt for the $3 monthly subscription service. This is identical to the service model offered via Samsung TVs. John Smith, Business Leader Philips Hue at Signify stated that they are “making it easier than ever for our users to enjoy immersive entertainment lighting direct from their TV”, however, this doesn’t really make sense to me.

The Nitpick

Philips Hue as a brand is known for smart home products especially smart lighting products like smart LED lights and others. These gadgets by design are meant to offer an additional layer of intuitive control or customizability over traditional lighting. While individual interaction is still there, the advantages of these smart IoTs only shine when paired together. Asking your customers to pay for a feature like this just makes it unnecessary monetization.

So who is it for?

Not everybody has the time, patience, or know-how to set up their own hub for light controls. Most people just want a quick and efficient solution to improve the aesthetic of their homes. In that regard, Philips Hue is most definitely offering a good answer.

The subscription isn’t surprising either considering the amount of subscription services that are in the market right now. This ranges from your new cars, apps, streaming platforms, and whatnot.

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Snap announces new Snapchat+ subscription service that costs $4 per month

Jeet — Thu, 30 Jun 2022 08:07:05 +0000

Snap has announced that the company is rolling out its subscription plan costing $3.99 per month for the social media platform Snapchat. The service, which is called Snapchat+, gives access to some exclusive and pre-release features.

The development comes at a time when the company’s primary source of revenue have been impacted and the company has given a disappointing sales outlook for the current quarter a couple of months back.

Although the new subscription service is a part of the company’s strategy of a new revenue stream, Jacob Andreou, Snapchat’s senior vice president of products doesn’t expect it to become the primary revenue source for the company.

Currenlty, Snapchat+ includes pre-release, experimental and exclusive features such as pining close friend as a BFF and customizing the app’s icon. The company says that it is intended for the “most passionate members” of Snapchat.

It is now available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

There are other social media platforms that have introduced subscription services. Last year, Twitter announced the Blue subscription for ad-free access to the platform, costing $2.99 per month. Recently, Telegram introduced a new Telegram Premium service.

Netflix could launch ad-supported plan and password sharing fees this year

Jeet — Wed, 11 May 2022 07:23:48 +0000

Netflix, one of the leading media streaming platforms globally, had long said that its service would not include advertisements, but that is about to change as the company recently said that it will roll out a cheaper ad-supported plan.

While the new plan was said to be rolled out over the next year or two, it appears that the company is planning to offer it sooner. In an internal memo, it is said that the ad-supported plan will be released later this year.

As per the report in The New York Times, the company’s executives have told in an internal note that the cheaper ad-supported plan will be rolled out in the last quarter of this year.

During the same timeframe, the company could also introduce extra fees for the subscribers who are sharing a password to their Netflix account with other people who do not reside at the same address.

It was noted in the memo that every major streaming platform apart from Apple TV+ offers a low-cost plan with advertisements, including Hulu, HBO Max, Peacock, and others.

The company recently revealed that there are more than 222 million households who are paid subscribers of Netflix but it also claimed that about 100 million households are using the service with someone else’s account.

Greg Peters, CFO of Netflix, said that the company isn’t trying to shut down password sharing but it is going to ask users to pay a bit more to share accounts. It’s noteworthy that the company is testing extra fees for account sharing in Peru, Chile, and Costa Rica.

These new developments for the streaming giant come after its subscriber numbers fell for the first time. The company reported that last quarter, it lost 200,000 members, mainly due to the shutdown of its business in Russia. It is also expecting to lose another two million users this quarter.

Apple iPhone hardware subscription could cost around $35 per month

Jeet — Mon, 04 Apr 2022 12:50:36 +0000

Apple has been focusing more on the services side of the business and selling more subscriptions. The company has introduced several subscription services in recent years and now the tech giant could be coming up with a hardware subscription offer.

If the recent reports are anything to go by, then Apple is planning to offer its iPhone as a subscription service where the users will need to pay a monthly fee instead of buying the smartphone by paying the full price upfront.

Now, Mark Gurman of Bloomberg says that the subscription fee for the iPhone 13 could be $35 per month while the 13 Pro could cost $45 per month. The top-end model, iPhone 13 Pro Max, is expected to cost $50 per month.

There’s a possibility that the program may include some other services from the company such as the Apple One or Apple Care.

The company has an Apple Upgrade program where the user pays a monthly amount for the Apple iPhone and at the end of the term of 24 months, the user owns the device. Unlike that, in the hardware subscription, the user won’t own the iPhone as it will just be like monthly rent for the iPhone.

It’s pretty clear that the Cupertino-based technology giant is looking to earn more revenue and the subscription service fits that model as it would enable the brand to generate recurring revenue from the users.

Apple has not yet officially announced this subscription program for the iPhone but the reports indicate that the company could announce it by the end of this year or next year.

Instagram’s OnlyFans-like paid subscription model goes official

Sean — Thu, 20 Jan 2022 08:44:21 +0000

Instagram is testing a new business model in the US. The company has started a new subscription based service that will let its American users subscribe to a small number of creators and influencers on its platform.

In a recent blogpost, the Facebook owned brand announced that it began testing the new subscription model earlier this week. Furthermore, new creators will also be included in this program in the arriving weeks. As the name suggests, ‘fans’ will be able to pay a monthly fee to access the subscriber only content from known influencers and creators. This includes the Exclusive Lives and Stories as well. Back in November 2021, we had covered a report that talked about this new subscriber only feature, and now, it seems that the company has made it official.

Notably, these subscribers will also get a purple badge by their username that signals their status to the creator they are subscribed too. Talking about the pricing, the tiers have range of 0.99 US Dollars to 99.99 US Dollars a month. Although, the creators can select the price point for their subscriptions. Addressing the elephant in the room, this new model is quite similar to another popular website called OnlyFans. However, there is one aspect that sets it apart from OF.

According to Co-head of product Ashley Yuki told TechCrunch (Via TheVerge) that Instagram will not be taking a cut from the creators’ subscription revenues. Although, this will only be in effect “until at least 2023.” As of right now, there are 10 creators that are a part of the early test, which includes basketball player Sedona Prince, Olympian Jordan Chiles, and astrologer Aliza Kelly. CEO of Meta, Mark Zuckerberg also added that “I’m excited to keep building tools for creators to make a living doing creative work and to put these tools in more creators’ hands soon.”

Toyota wants you to pay monthly fees to use smart features on your cars

Sean — Mon, 13 Dec 2021 10:21:04 +0000

Toyota is making you pay to use features that are on your car. The company is moving to a paid monthly subscription pack, which starts with you paying to use the remote car start feature from the key fobs.

Toyota bZ4X electric SUV

The new subscription format is from the Japanese automobile maker’s new Connected Services (Via TheVerge). This would have the company offers its customers the option to buy one of these new services after buying a new Toyota car. The service includes Remote Connect, which lets users remotely start their cars directly from the key fob. In other words, we might be seeing a shift in the automobile industry as ‘smart features’ could new be offered under new monthly subscription plans.

At the moment, the company is offering free trials of Remote Control, although, the length of that trial depends on the audio package that is included with the vehicle. To make matters more complicated, only a few Toyota models currently support the Audio Plus or Premium Audio packages that lets you access the free trial. But regardless, we can confirm that the subscription model is official with $8/month or $80/year plans. Notably, Tesla also offers a similar subscription offering with its paid OTA (Over the Air) upgrades allowing users to activate certain features that are already built into the car, but are locked behind a paywall.

This includes paying to enable “Rear Heated Seats.” Although, Tesla usually takes a one time payment for these features rather than having you pay monthly. So while this might not be common with vehicles right now, the future of smart cars with paid DLCs (Downloadable Content) might not be far off. Meaning, one day you’ll be paying the car company every month for small smart features that are already built into your cars. With automobile giant Toyota adopting this business model, we can soon expect other brands to also launch similar models with their upcoming smart cars as well.

Apple Fitness+ subscription service is now available in 15 more countries

Jeet — Fri, 05 Nov 2021 00:39:44 +0000

Apple Fitness+, a new service from the Cupertino-based technology giant that offers a home-based workout program through Apple Watch, has been available in the United States for about nine months.

Now, the company has confirmed that it is expanding the service by making it available in 15 more countries. These new countries include Austria, Brazil, Colombia, France, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates.

Prior to this expansion, along with the US, the service was also available in the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand.

The service features 11 different exercises with dozens of classes and many instructors to help everyone. The classes range from 5 minutes to 45 minutes. Every week, there are new workouts and videos, which means that the catalog keeps growing, allowing users more options to choose from.

Apple Fitness+ also includes Time to Walk, Guided Meditations, and more. With the launch of iOS and iPadOS 15.1, tvOS 15.1, and watchOS 8.1, the service can also be used with SharePlay, letting friends and family workout together over FaceTime.

Do note that to use this service, users need Apple Watch Series 3 or later. The service costs around $10 per month but users can also opt for the Apple One Premier subscription that already includes access to Apple Fitness+ along with a few other services from Apple which can also be shared with up to six family members.

Google Pixel Pass subscription bundle starts at $45 per month

Jeet — Wed, 20 Oct 2021 01:59:26 +0000

As we recently reported, along with the Pixel 6 series smartphones, Google has also launched a new subscription service named Google Pixel Pass. This new offering includes a combination of hardware and services from the tech giant.

The Pixel Pass is being made available in two different plans — $45 per month and $55 per month, depending on the smartphone that you choose to get.

Those who subscribe to the Pixel Pass will be getting either the Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro smartphone. The company is also promising to upgrade the smartphone after two years but the device needs to be financed through Google.

Not just that, along with the new device, the company is also bundling other key Google services, including YouTube Premium, Google Play Pass, and Google One with a 200GB cloud storage plan that usually costs $3 per month.

Google is bundling services worth around $20 with the plan and $25 or $35 monthly for the phone payments and an additional $5 per month for the protection plan. Thus, the users will be getting a modest discount when purchasing the $45/month or $55/month Pixel Pass subscription plan.

It’s noteworthy that this is available only if the customer buys it directly from Google. Also, it appears that the program is currently limited to users in the United States.

Google has just launched its latest flagship smartphones in the market — Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, for the starting price of $599 and $899 respectively. Both the devices are now up for pre-order and will start shipping from 28th October.

Google’s Pixel Pass could bundle Pixel 6, Google Fi, YouTube Premium, and more

Jeet — Tue, 12 Oct 2021 00:39:39 +0000

After unveiling its next-generation Pixel 6 series flagship smartphones a few weeks back, Google has officially confirmed that the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro will be officially launched on 19th October, powered by the company’s new Tensor chipset.

Now, according to the latest report, the search engine giant is also gearing up to launch a new subscription service named “Pixel Pass” which will be bundling several Google services under one bill.

Brandon Lee of This Is Tech Today reveals in a tweet that the upcoming Pixel Pass is a “monthly subscription that addresses users’ mobile needs end-to-end.” It is a bundle of several Google services, which includes the following:

Pixel device financing
YouTube Premium/YouTube Music
Google One storage
Play Pass
Google Fi mobile network service
Preferred Care/Device Protection

This means that with the new “Pixel Pass” bundle, the customer can purchase a Pixel smartphone from the Google Fi or Google Store with a financing option. It would also include the option of Google’s Preferred Care or Device Protection plans for an extended warranty. If the previous subscription offering for Google’s devices is to go by, then some of these services could be an optional part of the bundle.

It remains to be seen if the services offered as a part of the Pixel Pass bundle by Google will just unite them under a single bill or offer some sort of discount. However, it’s highly likely that there will be some kind of discount for bundling the services together. It is also yet to be confirmed if the subscription will be limited to the new Pixel 6 lineup or will be available with other Pixel devices as well.

Tesla launches Full Self-Driving subscription package that costs $199 per month

Jeet — Mon, 19 Jul 2021 04:57:07 +0000

Tesla, one of the leading electric car manufacturers, has officially launched its Full Self-Driving (FSD) subscription which costs $199 per month. Those who previously bought the Enhanced Autopilot package will get it for $99 as the package is now discontinued.

The company is currently selling the Full Self-Driving package for a one-time payment of $10,000 but those who don’t want to pay such a large sum of money upfront can now opt for the monthly subscription plan.

The Full Self-Driving package currently includes several automated driver-assist features, including Navigate on Autopilot, Auto Lane Change, Autopark, Summon, Full Self-Driving Computer, and Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control.

Tesla notes that FSD is not the same as fully driverless technology, and adds that “the currently enabled features require active driver supervision and do not make the vehicle autonomous.” Ultimately, the company hopes to deliver a true full self-driving system but people buying the package can only hope and wait for Tesla to achieve that goal.

It’s noteworthy that the new subscription plan requires version 3.0 of the FSD hardware, and upgrading to that will cost $1,500. That hardware — containing a new, more powerful chip — has been standard in Tesla cars since mid-2019.

Twitter acquires news startup Scroll to beef up its subscription offering

Jeet — Wed, 05 May 2021 08:14:48 +0000

Twitter has announced that it is acquiring Scroll, a subscription service that offers an ad-free news reading experience to its users. The development comes at a time when Twitter is planning to build its own subscription offerings.

The company has not revealed the financial terms related to this deal but Twitter has confirmed that it will be bringing the entire Scroll team, which consists of 13 people.

The upcoming premium subscription offering from Twitter will include access to Scroll, newsletter service Revue that it acquired a couple of months ago, as well as some other services from the company itself.

Commenting on this acquisition, Tony Haile, CEO of Scroll said in a blog post: “Twitter exists to serve the public conversation. Journalism is the mitochondria of that conversation. It initiates, energizes and informs. It converts and confounds perspectives. At its best, it helps us stand in one another’s shoes and understand each other’s common humanity.”

With this acquisition, Scroll will no longer accept new sign-ups but the service will continue to work as usual for the existing users. However, the company’s other offering, Nuzeel, which sends daily emails of top stories shared by people in user’s Twitter feed, is shutting down on 6th May. Twitter says that it will bring the core elements of Nuzzel directly to Twitter but the timeline for that is not yet revealed.

When subscribers use Scroll through Twitter, a portion of their subscription revenue will go to support the publishers and the writers creating the content, explains Twitter in an announcement. The service of scroll currently works across several sites, including The Atlantic, The Verge, USA Today, The Sacramento Bee, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and The Daily Beast, among others.

Earlier this year, Twitter revealed its plans to offer subscriptions to diversify its revenue stream. The upcoming offering, named “Super Follow” is a creator-focused subscription that would give paid subscribers access to an expanded array of perks, like exclusive content, subscriber-only newsletters, deals, badges, paywalled media, and more. With this offering, it plans to double its revenue from $3.7 billion in 2020 to $7.5 million in 2023.

Disney+ is Now Live in India, features Movies from Marvel, Pixar and more

Sean — Wed, 11 Mar 2020 08:45:23 +0000

Earlier than what was previously announced, Disney+ is now live in India. The launch arrives about 18 days early and is under the rebranded Hotstar name, namely Disney+ Hotstar. The Disney+ originals will aim to bring content from cinema industry giants like Marvel, Pixar, and even National Geographic.

Disney+

The streaming service has just gone live earlier today (11th March 2020) and brings a large selection of movies and series to choose from. The catalog offered has big names in Marvel’s superhero franchises and Pixar’s all time classic animations as well. In addition to this, kids show, documentaries and classic cartoons are also available. A few notable movies include Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange and Pixar’s A Bug’s Life and Cars 3. National Geographic’s Oscar winning documentary Free Solo can also be found here.

However, the list doesn’t stop there. Since its an online streaming platform, it is bound to also have exclusives as well, similar to Netflix or Amazon Prime. For those interested, Here’s the list of originals that can only be found in Disney+ Hotstar:

The Mandalorian

Diary of a Future President: Season 1
Disney Family Sundays: Season 1
Disney’s Fairy Tale Weddings: Season 2
Encore!: Season 1
Forky Asks a Question: Season 1
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: Season 1
Lady and the Tramp (2019)
Lamp Life
The Mandalorian: Season 1
Marvel’s Hero Project: Season 1, ongoing
Noelle
One Day at Disney
One Day at Disney: Season 1, ongoing
Pick of the Litter: Season 1
Pixar in Real Life: Season 1, ongoing
Shop Class: Season 1, ongoing
Short Circuit: Season 1
SparkShorts: Season 1
Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made
Togo
The World According to Jeff Goldblum: Season 1

(Via)

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