Apple Books+ could launch later this year

The rumor: Apple may be launching an audiobooks subscription service later this year, according to The Economist (not yet tracked, via 9to5Mac).

  • The new report suggests that Apple could be expanding their services empire to audiobooks sometime in 2022…but not additional details were provided by The Economist
  • Apple’s services currently include Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, iCloud+, Apple News+ and Apple Fitness+

Our take: This seems like a pretty logical next step for Apple considering that they already own and operate the Apple Books platform. Sounds like an Audible competitor to me…

‘Apple Podcasts+’ may debut at April 20 event

The rumor: Apple’s premium podcast subscription service is launching tomorrow, according to Peter Kafka (not yet tracked).

  • Kafka says that Apple will launch a paid subscription service for podcasts at their April 20 event
  • There have previously been rumblings of Apple stepping up their podcast plan, but no one has called a potential launch date until now

Our take: I have no idea who Kafka is, but considering he’s an executive editor at Recode and verified on Twitter, I assume there is some weight behind this. I just don’t know how much.