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Apple is Launching a News Subscription Service Powered by Texture Acquisition

Apple will integrate Texture into this new service.

Asif Khan

April 17, 2018 9:55 AM

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Apple recently acquired long-running digital magazine service Texture, and it appears they are wasting no time integrating the platform into their service offerings. Bloomberg reports that Apple is planning to launch a subscription news service powered by some of the work done at Texture. Apple acquired Texture just last month and apparently has already let twenty employees go as they work to assimilate the company.

Texture offers a digital subscription to over 200 magazines for $9.99/month. The remaining Texture employees will now work at the Apple News division as the Cupertino tech behemoth hopes to disrupt another industry with a subscription service. Apple's $3 billion Beats acquisition has really beared fruit in the form of huge Apple Music subscriber growth and the company's services revenue segment passed $30 billion in fiscal 2017.

Apple's fastest growing revenue segment is now their services division so it makes sense for them to attempt to grab some of the low-hanging fruit in the form of news subscriptions. The company sells iCloud storage and Apple Music subscriptions, but also rakes in services revenue from iTunes, App Store, and Apple Pay transactions. Apple News would be just one more source of revenue for the company's fastest growing business segment.

While Apple did let twenty Texture employees go shortly after the acquisition, close to eighty people remain and they will now be focused on growing Apple News with the knowledge and technology they bring from their experience growing a digital magazine subscription service. 

Is an Apple News subscription service something you would pay for? Let us know in the comments section. In case you missed it, check out our article about how Apple forgot about Dre with their recent HomePod launch. Apple's stock also carries a "buy rating" in our Game Trader stock ratings.

Asif Khan

CEO/EIC/EIEIO

Asif Khan is the CEO, EIC, and majority shareholder of Shacknews. He began his career in video game journalism as a freelancer in 2001 for Tendobox.com. Asif is a CPA and was formerly an investment adviser representative. After much success in his own personal investments, he retired from his day job in financial services and is currently focused on new private investments. His favorite PC game of all time is Duke Nukem 3D, and he is an unapologetic fan of most things Nintendo. Asif first frequented the Shack when it was sCary's Shugashack to find all things Quake. When he is not immersed in investments or gaming he is a purveyor of fine electronic music. Asif also has an irrational love of Cleveland sports.