Apple CEO John Ternus used his first earnings call as chief executive on Nov. 2 to preview a new limit on some of the company’s artificial intelligence features.
“There’s going to be some usage limits on features that rely on server side models,” he said, naming Siri AI and intelligent photo editing, which run on Apple’s servers rather than on your device.
He added that “anyone who needs greater capacity will be able to purchase expanded access in the future,” according to a transcript of the call.
Apple has not said what expanded access will cost or where the limits will fall. What it did share is how well subscriptions are working for the company: Chief Financial Officer Kevan Parekh said Apple now has more than 1.5 billion paid subscriptions.
A new paid tier is easier to absorb if you are not already paying for things you do not use. These moves can trim what you send Apple each month before any AI charge arrives.
1. See every Apple charge in one list
On an iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then tap Subscriptions. Apple’s instructions show that each active plan appears there with a Cancel Subscription button. If a plan shows an expiration message in red, it is already canceled.
Two blind spots can hide a charge. A subscription billed through your wireless carrier or another company has to be canceled with that company, and a family member’s subscription can be canceled only by that family member.
Searching your email for “receipt from Apple” can turn up charges tied to an Apple Account you forgot about.
2. Share instead of doubling up
Two people in one household can end up paying twice for the same service. With Family Sharing, the organizer and up to five family members can share eligible subscriptions, including iCloud+, Apple Music, Apple TV, Apple Arcade, Apple News+ and Apple Fitness+, Apple says.
Most eligible plans share automatically once the group is set up, but iCloud+ must be shared separately, and an individual or student Apple Music plan must be upgraded to a family plan first.
Sharing iCloud+ storage does not mean sharing your files. Apple says family members cannot see one another’s photos, files or documents.
3. Pay for the storage you use
In the U.S., iCloud+ costs 99 cents a month for 50 GB, $2.99 for 200 GB, $9.99 for 2 TB, $29.99 for 6 TB and $59.99 for 12 TB. Dropping from the 2 TB plan to 200 GB saves $84 a year if your photos and backups fit.
Check how much you are using in the iCloud section of Settings before you change plans. Deleting backups of devices you no longer own and duplicate videos can free up space.
4. Recheck the bundle math
Apple raised the price of Apple TV to $14.99 a month from $12.99 in August and the Apple One Individual bundle to $21.95 from $19.95.
A bundle saves money only if you would otherwise pay for most of what is inside it. If you watch one show a year on Apple TV, subscribing for the months you need and canceling in between may cost less, the same approach that works for trimming a pile of streaming services.
Free trials count too. Apple advises canceling at least 24 hours before a trial ends to avoid the first charge.
5. Ask for your money back
If a renewal or purchase slipped through, sign in at reportaproblem.apple.com, choose “Request a refund,” pick a reason and select the item, according to Apple.
The company says to expect an update within 24 to 48 hours, and an approved refund may take longer to reach your card. Pending charges cannot be refunded until the receipt arrives.
The phone already in your pocket
Not every AI feature runs on Apple’s servers. Of features handled on the device itself, Parekh said, “it’s very, very efficient. No real costs associated with that.”
Apple has not said how much use the limits will allow, so it makes sense to wait until you actually hit one before paying for more.
Hardware is getting pricier too. Ternus called memory pricing “unprecedented” and said Apple raised prices on many products, including Mac and iPad in June and iPhone in September.
Shoppers have seen electronics costs climb at other retailers, too. Folding Apple’s charges into a budget system you will keep using makes it easier to see the next increase coming.
Add a Comment