Windows works well with Apple as new level of Netflix meets skepticism
It’s Sunday again, which means it’s time for us to name the winners and losers of this week in tech.
A large number of new products have been released this week, from the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 and Surface Studio 2+ to the beginner-friendly Sony ZV-1F vlogging camera and even the long-awaited Meta Quest Pro.
On top of that, on October 11 and 12, Amazon held its first-ever Prime Early Access Sale, inviting Prime members to make a deal outside of their regular Prime Day and Black Friday events.
However, only one of these companies was named our winner – and not for the reason stated above. Scroll down to find out more about our winner as well as who lost this week…
Winner: Microsoft
Our winner is Microsoft, but not necessarily for the reasons you might expect. While we’re certainly excited about the new Surface laptops, it’s actually the latest Windows 11 updates that made Microsoft our winner this week.
In particular, being an iPhone user with a Windows laptop will become much easier.
Starting in November, Windows users will be able to access photos and videos on their iPhones from the Photos app on their PC. This is possible thanks to the new integration with iCloud and the Photos app in Windows 11.
All you have to do is download the iCloud for Windows app from the Microsoft Store and use it to sync your iCloud photos.
The Apple TV and Apple Music apps will also be coming to the Microsoft Store later this year, meaning you’ll soon be able to stream your playlists and access Apple TV Plus content right from your Windows computer.
One of the biggest issues many users have when choosing an iPhone or Windows PC is that they can easily find themselves in an ecosystem with many features that are exclusive to one platform or another.
These Windows 11 updates should help break down some of those barriers, making it easier for users to choose the devices they really need and not be limited to those that match their existing phone or PC.
Loser: Netflix
On Thursday, Netflix finally introduced the long-awaited tier of ad-supported streaming: basic ad-supported.
“Basic with Ads” (or “Basic with Ads” for short) is a new low-cost plan for those who don’t mind watching ads to drop a couple of pounds from their account every month.
Basic with Ads subscribers will have access to (mostly) the same 720p content and resolution as the Basic plan, but without the download feature for offline viewing and “limited” movies and TV shows due to licensing restrictions.
Of course, the biggest difference between this plan and the other three tiers is that users will have to view ads in order to watch the content.
Netflix will run four to five commercials per hour before and during series and movies. These ads will be 15 or 30 seconds long and will target different countries and genres.
So how much exactly will users save? Netflix with ads here in the UK is £4.99 per month – £2 more than the basic version, which currently costs £6.99 per month.
Despite this, many Netflix subscribers are taking this promise of a lower price with a grain of salt, as seen in the comments under Netflix. official announcement on twitter.
The issue here isn’t that Netflix is bringing ads into the mix – in fact, for those who don’t mind watching a few commercials an hour, that’s not a bad deal at all – but that Netflix has been consistently raising prices over the past few years.
Earlier this year, the Basic plan (which includes everything Basic with Ads does and more) cost just £5.99 a month. This means that users who subscribed to this tier in early 2022 will now pay £1 less to lose offline streaming. as well as deal with ads.
That’s not even to mention the recent price hikes on the Standard and Premium plans, the latter of which went from £11.99 per month to £15.99 from March 2021 to March 2022.
If Netflix continues to raise prices at this rate, it may not be long before users pay the current base or even standard price for this new ad-supported tier.
Of course, Netflix could very well keep the price of “Basic Tier with Ads” at £4.99 going forward. However, given the recent price increase, it’s easy to see why this tier’s cost might be met with some skepticism by its most loyal subscribers.
