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                    Apple TV and Peacock Bundle Feels Wrong

   Adam Engst

   In a press release, [1]Apple writes:

     Apple and NBCUniversal today announced the launch of the Apple TV
     and Peacock Bundle, available beginning October 20. '¦ Customers in
     the U.S. can save over 30 percent by subscribing to the Apple TV and
     Peacock Premium bundle for $14.99 per month, or Apple TV and Peacock
     Premium Plus for $19.99 per month, through either app or website.
     Apple One subscribers on the Family and Premier plans can subscribe
     to Peacock Premium Plus and receive a 35 percent discount ' the
     first benefit of its kind for Apple's all-in-one subscription
     bundle.

   This bundle gives me a slightly queasy feeling'it's like finding a
   coupon book while unboxing a MacBook Air or seeing SALE! stickers on an
   Apple Store window. Apple's brand is built on the pursuit of
   excellence'in user experience, industrial design, hardware performance,
   and reliability, among other areas'all of which justify its
   self-contained ecosystem and premium prices. The discount math
   calculations involved in evaluating the Apple TV-Peacock bundle come
   across as transactional in a way that recalls the cable era, rather
   than Apple One's internal bundling. Pairing with a rival service for a
   percent-off deal feels less 'Think Different' than 'Think Discount.'

   As far as I know, Apple has never offered a cross-service subscription
   bundle like this before. I can't say it's necessarily a bad business
   move, but I do feel that it diminishes Apple's brand message. I can't
   see anything so special about Peacock to explain why'if this bundle
   proves financially successful'we wouldn't see future bundles with
   Disney+, Paramount+, Prime Video, and so on. Bundling may save users
   money, but it makes Apple look more like it's[2]selling sugar water'to
   borrow Steve Jobs's jab at Pepsi while luring John Sculley to
   Apple'than changing the world.

   [3]Read original article

References

   1. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/10/apple-and-nbcuniversal-introduce-the-apple-tv-and-peacock-bundle/
   2. https://folklore.org/Bouncing_Pepsis.html?sort=date#:~:text=would%20you%20rather%20sell%20sugar%20water%20to%20kids%20for%20the%20rest%20of%20your%20life%2C%20or%20would%20you%20like%20a%20chance%20to%20change%20the%20world%3F
   3. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2025/10/apple-and-nbcuniversal-introduce-the-apple-tv-and-peacock-bundle/

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