Apple has raised the price of Apple Music and some Apple One plans in Australia, and signed Ford up to use Apple Maps in a future electric vehicle.
Apple Music and Apple One are more expensive here
An individual Apple Music subscription now costs $14.99 a month, up from $12.99, and the Family plan is $23.99, up from $19.99. The increases have also hit the top two Apple One bundles: Family is now $34.95 a month, up from $31.95, and Premier is $52.95, up from $49.95. The Individual Apple One plan is unchanged at $24.95. New subscribers are already paying the new rates; existing subscribers will see the increase on their next bill.
The move follows earlier price rises on Macs, iPads and Apple TV hardware. iCloud+ prices in Australia have not changed. Family Sharing on an Apple Music Family plan still covers up to six people, so the higher Family rate is the one most households will notice. If you are on a Music or Apple One plan, it is worth checking the next charge so it does not come as a surprise.
Apple Maps will power Ford’s next EVs
Apple and Ford announced that Apple Maps will be built into Ford’s upcoming Universal Electric Vehicle platform, due in 2027, using a new MapKit for Automotive software kit. Drivers will get turn-by-turn directions, real-time traffic, search and EV routing, including battery preconditioning. Ford also plans to use road-level Maps data as it develops the next version of BlueCruise, its hands-free highway driving system.
Apple says the kit lets carmakers embed and customise Maps, and that it will not collect location and activity from the car’s map in a way that can be tied back to an individual. This is a 2027 feature, and Ford has not said which markets, including Australia, will get it first. Other carmakers will be able to use the same MapKit for Automotive tools if they choose to.
Every Mac may be refreshed over two years
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reported that Apple plans to overhaul its entire Mac lineup with 11 new models over the next two years, as Mac sales go through a third straight year of growth, helped by demand for machines that can run heavier on-device AI work. That is a plan, not a schedule for any one model, but it fits with the desktop updates already expected later this year.
A new upgrade program is coming, in the US
Gurman also reported that Apple and Klarna will launch a leasing program called Apple Upgrade in the United States on Tuesday, 28 July, covering most iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch models, and winding down the existing iPhone Upgrade Program. There is no indication it will be available in Australia at launch.
What to watch next week
Apple Upgrade is due to go live in the US on Tuesday, and Apple reports quarterly results on Thursday, 30 July — Tim Cook’s last earnings call as CEO before John Ternus takes over in September.
