Apple Music: The Original Killer App

Our look at Apple News last week prompted us to look back at what is arguably Apple’s original killer app: music. First with iTunes and then the streaming Apple Music service - each sought to make a mobile device, first an iPod and now an iPhone, indispensable to users. 

We see Apple Music has served that purpose rather well. In the past five years, Apple Music has grown among Apple device owners, and held its own relative to competing services.

As of the most recent twelve-month period ending in March 2024, 40% of Apple device buyers report using Apple Music. This includes owners of iPhone, iPad, and Mac computers (Chart 1). Penetration increased from 34% in 2020, three years after its introduction as a stand-alone streaming service and shortly after Apple discontinued iTunes.