Apple has issued a press release announcing that Aple Music, iTunes Movies, and iBooks are now available for customers in China. Apple says that Apple Music will launch in China with quite the selection of music, including some Chinese artists:
Launching with millions of songs in its catalog, Apple Music in China features music from artists including Eason Chan, Li Ronghao, JJ Lin and G.E.M., as well as a wide range of international artists including Taylor Swift, Ed Sheehan and many more.
Additionally, Chinese customers will get access to a number of movies from both Hollywood and Chinese studios through the iTunes store. Finally, customers in China will be able to check out both free and paid books with iBooks.
This move comes as Apple is increasingly trying to expand its presence in China. The country was among the launch countries for the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, which most likely played a part in the 13 million units sold in its first 3 days — a new record for iPhone sales.
Press Release:
Apple Brings Apple Music, iTunes Movies & iBooks to Customers in China Starting Today
BEIJING ― September 30, 2015 ― Apple® today announced that Apple Music™, iTunes® Movies and iBooks® are now available to customers in China. Apple Music combines an extensive and diverse music library with the knowledge of world-class music experts who have programmed playlists and radio stations just for you. Launching with millions of songs in its catalog, Apple Music in China features music from artists including Eason Chan, Li Ronghao, JJ Lin and G.E.M., as well as a wide range of international artists including Taylor Swift, Ed Sheehan and many more. Fans can also rent or purchase movies from a great selection of Chinese studios as well as Hollywood blockbusters on the iTunes Store®, in addition to enjoying paid and free books from the iBooks Store℠. For the first time, customers in China will have access to Apple's entertainment ecosystem with music, movies and books right at their fingertips.
"Customers in China love the App Store and have made it our largest market in the world for app downloads," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. "One of the top requests has been more great content and we're thrilled to bring music, movies and books to China, curated by a local team of experts."
Apple Music
Apple Music is a single, intuitive app that combines the best ways to enjoy music — all in one place. You can stream any Apple Music song, playlist or album, and download it for future offline listening. Our world class music experts have programmed an abundance of playlists for any genre or activity, in addition to creating hand-crafted radio stations powered by Apple Music's extensive music catalog. Apple Music also offers an invaluable way for artists to connect with fans. Through Connect, artists can share lyrics, backstage photos, videos or even release their latest song directly to fans from their iPhone®. Apple Music in China features an incredible selection of local and international music from all the major and many independent labels, with more music being added regularly. Customers can enjoy Apple Music on their iPhone, iPad®, iPod touch®, Mac®, PC and Android phones.*
iTunes Movies
Through the iTunes Store, customers can rent or purchase movies, with most titles available in stunning HD, and enjoy the ultimate movie experience from any device, wherever and whenever they want. Check out recent blockbusters such as "Jurassic World," "Furious 7," and "Avengers: Age of Ultron," as well as movies from local studios including Bona, Huayi Brothers and 1905. With iTunes Extras®, customers can also experience special features such as behind-the-scenes footage. As a token of appreciation, the recent Chinese hit, "The Taking of Tiger Mountain," will be offered for free to all customers in China for a limited time.
iBooks
The iBooks Store offers customers a wide selection of both paid and free Chinese language books from top local publishers, including "Big Head Son & Little Head Dad" by Zheng Chunhua, "The Family Belongings of Chinese People" by Ma Hongjie, and for the first time in China, Stephenie Meyer's "Twilight" series will be available in a digital format. Purchased books are available anytime on customers' Apple devices.
With iCloud®, all of your iTunes purchases can be accessed from your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac or PC regardless of which device you used to make the purchase. iCloud also remembers where you are in your favorite movies or books no matter which device you're viewing them on.
Pricing & Availability
Starting on September 30, music fans in China are invited to a three-month trial membership of Apple Music, after which a 10 RMB/month subscription fee will apply. There will also be a family plan providing service for up to six family members available for just 15 RMB/month. Apple Music requires initial sign up. At the end of the trial period, the membership will automatically renew and payment method will be charged on a monthly basis until auto-renewal is turned off in account settings. Family plan requires iCloud Family Sharing. Visit https://www.imore.com/e?link=https%3A%2F%2Fapple.sjv.io%2Fc%2F221109%2F473657%2F7613%3FsubId1%3DUUimUdUnU34238%26subId2%3Ddim%26u%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.apple.com%252Fcn%252Ffamily-sharing%252F%26ourl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.apple.com%252Fcn%252Ficloud%252Ffamily-sharing%252F%253Fafid%253Dp239%25257C159229%2526cid%253Daos-us-aff-ir%2526subId1%253DUUimUdUnU34238%2526subId2%253Ddim&token=H6hhdVMo for more information.
Movies on iTunes will be available starting at 5 RMB for rental in HD and 18 RMB to buy new releases in HD. Paid iBooks start at 0.5 RMB.
*Apple Music will be coming to Android phones this fall.
Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, the Mac and Apple Watch. Apple's three software platforms — iOS, OS X and watchOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. Apple's 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it.
