Blog: Apple

Read our latest daily deep dives, hot takes, and exciting updates about the entertainment world. Check out the latest insight from your favourite analyst, or search by coverage areas - music, entertainment and fandom, creator economy and social.

The medium is no longer the message – the messenger is now, too

Cover image for The medium is no longer the message – the messenger is now, too

Rutger Rosenborg

4 Apr 2025

Key takeaways from this blog: Podcasts now rival traditional media in influence, especially around current events, thanks to their strong personalities, flexibility, and direct audience engagement The success of top podcasts is driven by hosts, not media networks — charisma, connection, and commentary often matter more than institutional credibility Traditional media must adapt by embracing engaging, personality-led formats without sacrificing editorial integrity, to remain competitive in the on-demand content era A quick scan of the podcast charts on Spotify , Apple , and even YouTube reveals a striking trend: Current events are dominating podcasting right now, at least at the top.

min read

A model for a new music streaming industry

Cover image for A model for a new music streaming industry

Mark Mulligan

18 Mar 2025

Business Strategy

The music industry is approaching a pivot point. On the one hand, things look positive: we have UMG’s Streaming 2.0 , artist centric licensing, the impending launch of supremium and expanded rights revenue hitting $4.

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As Big Tech courts everyone, niche platforms must understand podcast purists

Cover image for As Big Tech courts everyone, niche platforms must understand podcast purists

Rutger Rosenborg

10 Sep 2024

As boundaries fall, borders blur, and digital goods and services are increasingly decoupled from per-unit value, the mass consumer will turn to low-friction applications that do everything and offer everything.

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Apple’s podcast accessibility play — too little, too late?

Cover image for Apple’s podcast accessibility play — too little, too late?

Rutger Rosenborg

28 Aug 2024

On Aug. 22, Bloomberg ’s Ashley Carman described how Apple lost its lead in podcasts , pointing to the platform’s lack of video adoption as the likely culprit. YouTube, meanwhile, has climbed to the top precisely because of its strength in video.

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Platoon just quietly raised the bar for songwriter services

Cover image for Platoon just quietly raised the bar for songwriter services

Tatiana Cirisano

11 Jul 2024

Business Strategy

Over the past few months, singer-songwriter RAYE has been using her spotlight to campaign for fairer pay for songwriters — advocating for them to receive royalty points on master recordings, per diems for studio time, and more.

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Why video creation tools must go niche to survive AI streamliners like Apple Intelligence

Cover image for Why video creation tools must go niche to survive AI streamliners like Apple Intelligence

Ben Woods

11 Jun 2024

Amid the flurry of recent generative AI announcements, Apple had been strangely quiet. This changed on Monday (June 11, 2024) when it announced Apple Intelligence at its WWDC24 developer conference. In short, Apple Intelligence is a suite of consumer-focused tools embedded into Apple products to enhance productivity and enable creativity.

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Amazon opens the IP tap for its Audible to Prime Video pipeline — your move, Apple

Cover image for Amazon opens the IP tap for its Audible to Prime Video pipeline — your move, Apple

Rutger Rosenborg

2 May 2024

subscription video on demand

Streaming video

Marvel proved that spinning out intellectual property (IP) from comic books to movie franchises could be incredibly lucrative. With the growth of video games, this transmedia strategy has expanded to streaming video on demand (SVOD) with successes like The Last of Us on HBO Max and, most recently, Fallout on Amazon Prime Video.

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What podcast slowdown? 1.2 billion people will be listening by 2030

Cover image for What podcast slowdown? 1.2 billion people will be listening by 2030

Rutger Rosenborg

11 Apr 2024

spotify podcasts

Is podcasting slowing or growing? Both, as it turns out. With marketing and advertising budget cuts contributing to layoffs and cancellations at major podcasting players like Spotify and NPR, 2023 was an uncertain time for the podcast industry.

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Why the era of spatial computing will need its entertainment moment

Cover image for Why the era of spatial computing will need its entertainment moment

Tim Mulligan

11 Jan 2024

spatial computing

On Monday, Apple announced the February 2ndlaunch date for the Vision Pro. For those unfamiliar with this hybrid augmented reality virtual reality device, it is, in the words of the press release : “A revolutionary spatial computer that transforms how people work, collaborate, connect, relive memories, and enjoy entertainment.

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Predicting what happens next in video….

Cover image for Predicting what happens next in video….

Tim Mulligan

19 Dec 2023

2024 predictions

video predictions

If 2023 was the year of consolidation in video, 2024 is poised to be one of experimentation and disruption. First up, the lag in content output as a result of this year’s writers and actors strikes left significant gaps in new content.

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Spatial computing meets capability reality as Apple drives its format innovation rollout

Cover image for Spatial computing meets capability reality as Apple drives its format innovation rollout

Tim Mulligan

6 Jul 2023

spatial computing

Reports are emerging that Apple is being forced to make major production forecast cuts to its Vision Pro spatial computing headset as a result of design complexities (due to lack of OEM partner capacity to meet Apple’s exacting tech requirements).

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When innovation offers compelling reasons, entertainment consumption follows

Cover image for When innovation offers compelling reasons, entertainment consumption follows

Tim Mulligan

8 Jun 2023

On Monday, Apple unveiled the Vision Pro, a VR device positioned as a blended VR and augmented reality (AR) experience. With true AR still on the horizon, the Vison Pro uses an ultra-high-resolution display system that packs 23 million pixels across two displays to digitally replicate the user’s field of vision.

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Apple’s Vision Pro may (finally) be VR’s turning point, but where is it going?

Cover image for Apple’s Vision Pro may (finally) be VR’s turning point, but where is it going?

Hanna Kahlert

7 Jun 2023

Virtual Reality has been ‘just around the corner’ for more than a decade. Any day now, it would seem, it must finally have its moment. So far it has been held back by high cost, little to offer on the headsets, and somewhat janky lag and resolution tendencies.

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BBC signals radio’s shift to the podcast market

Cover image for BBC signals radio’s shift to the podcast market

Annie Langston

31 May 2023

The BBC has traditionally stuck to public programming for its radio arm. However, BBC Radio is now shifting some of its programming to BBC Studios, meaning it can now be offered for global distribution on major podcast platforms, like Spotify.

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Telly’s challenge to the smartphone opens a new front in the second screen wars

Cover image for Telly’s challenge to the smartphone opens a new front in the second screen wars

Ben Woods

24 May 2023

Rarely does a new product manage to redefine its market. In 2007, the launch of the iPhone caused a seismic shift when Apple transformed the mobile phone from a device for calls and texts to an entertainment hub with the computing power of a small laptop.

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Live services: Is the success of the few clouding the strategic judgement of the many?

Cover image for Live services: Is the success of the few clouding the strategic judgement of the many?

Perry Gresham

19 May 2023

microtransactions

EA are heavily committed to the live service model, with their earnings release for financial year ending March 2023 putting their share of games revenues from full game purchases at just 26%, meaning that 74% came from live services and other revenue sources.

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Meta’s VR push should focus on the reality of the average consumer

Cover image for Meta’s VR push should focus on the reality of the average consumer

Ben Woods

25 Apr 2023

virtual reality

The tipping point for virtual reality headsets remains elusive. Last year’s market hype around the metaverse suggested widespread adoption was within reach, only for Sony to reportedly dial down its production plans for the PlayStation VR2.

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Three podcast market trends to watch in 2023

Cover image for Three podcast market trends to watch in 2023

Annie Langston

18 Jan 2023

listener experience

format blurring

All of entertainment is facing new challenges in the recession. Both creators and platforms are doing everything they can to keep audiences as entertainment spending is at risk. While audio platforms have already seen notable cuts to programming, podcasts are exploring new ways to expand the format to new audiences.

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How AI narration could transform Apple Books’ creator economy

Cover image for How AI narration could transform Apple Books’ creator economy

Annie Langston

11 Jan 2023

artificial intelligence

It is a new year for the audio world and Apple is attempting to expand audiobook creation. Apple Books launched its “digital narration” feature which allows authors to publish audiobook versions of their work using AI-generated voices, and is specifically geared towards independent authors and small publishers.

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Podcasts wrapped 2022: Top shows put Apple and Spotify’s strategies on display

Cover image for Podcasts wrapped 2022: Top shows put Apple and Spotify’s strategies on display

Annie Langston

14 Dec 2022

This year podcasts also received the “wrapped” treatment that has been given to music. Both Spotify and Apple released their top shows of 2022, inadvertently highlighting their different podcasting strategies.

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