“Google Launches Its Answer to Apple Arcade - Motley Fool” plus 1 more |
| Google Launches Its Answer to Apple Arcade - Motley Fool Posted: 23 Sep 2019 02:30 PM PDT Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOG) (NASDAQ:GOOGL) has been testing a competitor to Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) Arcade, the subscription mobile gaming service that the Cupertino tech giant launched last week for $5 per month. Apple Arcade gives subscribers access to a catalog of over 100 premium games that have no ads or in-app purchases, and the company is offering a one-month free trial to get users on board. Alphabet's offering, called Google Play Pass, is officially launching today. There are some notable differences between Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass. It's not just gamesFor starters, Google Play Pass includes more than just games. Various other non-gaming apps like AccuWeather and Pic Stitch will be included in the service, with the total library consisting of over 350 games and apps at launch. More games and apps will be added to the collection on a monthly basis, much like Apple Arcade. The content will be accessible from Android devices, as well as laptops and tablets running Chrome OS that have the Google Play Store.  Google Play Pass. Image source: Google. Both Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass can be shared within a family. Each user within a family will access the service individually, so each person's activity will not affect others. Google is offering a 10-day free trial and running a launch promotion offering a year's worth of service for $2 per month. There's no mention of exclusive titles, so Google is really just bundling some of the most popular cross-platform games and apps on Android into a subscription service. Google Play Pass is a different service than Stadia, the $10-per-month cloud-based game-streaming platform that Google detailed earlier this year. Stadia, which launches in November, is positioned more as a competitor to high-end game consoles and PCs. Android monetization is weaker than iOSGoogle is being more aggressive than Apple because it knows that it's coming from behind. While Android is expected to grab an estimated 87% market share of the global smartphone market this year, according to recent estimates from IDC, the platform lags iOS in terms of monetization.  Apple Arcade. Image source: Apple. A separate App Annie report this summer estimated that Google Play represents just 36% of mobile consumer spending even though the storefront accounts for 72% of downloads. The flip side of those metrics: iOS grabs 64% of mobile consumer spending with just 28% of downloads. Apple has invested an estimated $500 million into funding Apple Arcade titles, many of which are exclusive to iOS. Google is throwing (presumably less) money at trying to compete with Apple Arcade, hoping to improve monetization on its platform using the same model.  |
| Google Fi gets a cheaper “unlimited” plan, bundled cloud storage - Ars Technica Posted: 17 Sep 2019 10:38 AM PDT  Google Fi, Google's MVNO (Mobile Virtual Network Operator) cellular service, is launching a second plan for users today. Besides the original pay-per-megabyte plan with unlimited calls and text, Google Fi is now launching a full blown "Unlimited" plan (with throttling after 22GB) for $70, and it comes with 100GB of cloud storage thanks to a bundled "Google One" membership. In 2018, Google Fi introduced "Bill Protection," a tweak to the pay-per-MB plan that capped monthly bills at $80, making it an "unlimited" plan that throttled after 15GB. This new $70 plan is $10 cheaper and comes with more unthrottled data, and the bundled 100GB of Google One storage saves you another $2 a month. Google One is a monthly subscription service that gives you more storage for your Google account. Free Google accounts get 15GB across Gmail, Drive, and Google Photos, and Google One allows you to purchase anywhere from 100GB to 30TB of online storage. The new Fi plan supports Google's family bundling, too. The unlimited plan is $70 a month for a single person, $60 a month each for two accounts ($120 total), $50 each for three accounts ($150 total) and $45 each for four accounts or more ( $180 total). With this plan, you'll get 22GB of unthrottled data and 100GB of storage per person, not shared across the whole family, which sounds like a good deal. So there are two Fi plans now, the new "Unlimited" and the older "Flexible" plan:  The two Fi plans. There are two classes of device support for Fi. Phones that are "Designed for Fi" (here's a compatibility list) let you combine service from Sprint, T-Mobile, and US Cellular into one big super network and get an always-on VPN. In the past year, Fi was expanded to work with non-Fi phones, but instead of switching between three services, you just get T-Mobile service with the Fi pricing and services intact. The Fi Store is also offering 50% off Pixel 3s right now to "celebrate" the new unlimited plan. This also works out to be a clearance sale, since the Pixel 4 is right around the corner.  |
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