Apple CEO Tim Cook said on Tuesday (July 21) that millions of people are using Apple Music, the company’s new music subscription service, and Beats 1, the global Internet radio station.
In introductory remarks during Apple’s quarterly earnings call, Cook said the company is “thrilled about the response” to Apple Music, the new streaming service that launched in over 100 countries on June 30. While excluding details, Cook said only that “millions and millions” of consumers are already experiencing the Apple Music subscription service through the three-month trial period. He did not say how many people are actually paying to subscribe to the service.
Cook added that “millions of listeners are listening to Beats 1 and over 15,000 artists have signed up to Connect, Apple Music’s faux-social feature. Beats 1 is a free Internet radio service included in the Apple Music app. Consisting of music played by on-air personalities, such as former Radio 1 DJ Zane Lowe, Beats 1 has received rave reviews from critics and early adopters.
The company posted quarterly revenue of $49.6 billion, up 33 percent from the prior-year period, and quarterly net profit of $10.7 billion, up from $7.7 billion last year. The revenue growth was the company’s fastest growth rate in three years. Apple attributed the successful quarter to record third-quarter sales of iPhone, strong Mac sales, record revenue from services and the successful launch of Apple Watch. iPhone revenue grew 59 percent year over year.
Speaking about Apple Watch, Cook said feedback has been “incredibly positive” and Apple has been happy with usage rates. His tone contrasted with the skepticism portrayed in the media in recent days. A July 20 New York Timesarticle detailed many app developers’ hesitance about the watch, while an article at TechCrunch on Tuesday provided an overview of analysts’ low estimates for Apple Watch sales in the quarter.
