Apple new music streaming platform, Apple Music, has been unveiled at the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). The announcement comes as no surprise for most analysts, who had been expecting Apple to make the announcement at this year's WWDC following the Cupertino giant's acquisition of the Beats brand last year.
The new service will compete directly with similar services including Spotify and Pandora, and builds upon Apple's existing iTunes platform for music downloads and iTunes Radio streaming.
In a star-studded launch, which featured music megastar Drake, Apple revealed many details about the music streaming service, which will cost users US $9.99 to subscribe to (there is also a family sharing plan for US $14.99, to allow up to six family members to share - Australian pricing has yet to be revealed). The new service, available as part of a new all-in-one app, focuses on social connectivity, as well as relying on curated streams produced by stars including Drake, and Pharrell. There will also be full integration with Siri, and Apple will also launch a new global radio station called Beats 1.
And showing Apple's ambition to go head to head with the other streaming giants, the Apple Music app will also be made available on Android. The app will be available on June 30 for iOS devices, Mac and PCs, with the Android and Apple TV versions coming "in the spring".
While there won't be an ad-supported free version of the service, like what Spotify offers, users will be offered a free three-month trial when signing up to the service.
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