12 months after Apple launched their music streaming service the Company has been forced into a redesign as sales slow.
Insiders are claiming that Apple is planning “sweeping changes” to the service in response to the “tepid reviews” Apple Music has received so far.
It’s said that Apple will unveil its newly revamped Apple Music at the company’s annual Worldwide Developer Conference in June.
The changes are tipped to include:
Altering the UI of Apple Music to make it more intuitive
Better integration of streaming and downloading businesses
Expansion of online radio service
Bloomberg claims its source for the information as “people familiar with the product”, and notes that: “The changes will be accompanied by a marketing blitz to lure more customers to the $10-per-month streaming service.”
Colin Gillis, an industry analyst, was quoted as saying:
“When it comes to software, Apple performs with less elegance than it does when it comes to hardware. Apple Music is underwhelming. They have subscribers because of their platform. If you have that kind of subscriber base, you should have millions of subscribers.”
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Several reviewers have critisised the clunky My Music section, issues with playlists and the offline mode, and an “overwhelming” app UI.
The new look of Apple Music is said to be headed up by Apple content head Robert Kondrk, and Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor. Jone Ive, Apple’s chief of design, is also reported as having had “input”, as well as Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior VP of services.
Apple Music launched to the public on June 30, 2015, and now serves over 13 million subscribers globally. That’s well short of Spotify’s 75 million active users, 30 million of which are paying subscribers.
Alongside an Apple Music relaunch, Apple is expected to announce a new version of Mac OS, iOS 10, a new tvOS update, and possibly the Apple Watch 2 at this year’s WWDC.
