Audible Rolls Out a More Affordable Standard Plan for Listeners


Amazon’s audiobook platform Audible is expanding its subscription lineup with the launch of a new Standard membership plan, the company announced Tuesday. It’s a lower-priced option designed for listeners who want access to audiobooks and podcasts without paying for the company’s premium tier. 

In the US, the Standard plan costs $9 per month and includes one audiobook selection, which remains available as long as the membership is active. The plan also includes unlimited listening from a curated library, which Audible says includes a selection of Audible Originals and nearly 200 popular titles previously available on Wondery Plus.

By comparison, Audible’s Premium Plus plan starts at $15 per month and includes a monthly credit that can be used to purchase any audiobook in Audible’s catalog. Those purchased titles remain in a user’s library even if they cancel their membership. 

The launch comes as audiobook services face growing competition from both streaming subscriptions and library-based apps. Spotify’s Premium plans include a set amount of audiobook listening time each month (Spotify currently advertises 15 hours per month for eligible Premium subscribers), while apps like Libby allow audiobook borrowing through participating public libraries at no cost. 

Audible, which Amazon acquired in 2008, remains one of the largest audiobook platforms and has spent years building out exclusive productions and original audio content, alongside its paid audiobook storefront. In recent years, the company has also experimented with different pricing tiers and subscription perks as it competes with other streaming-style services.

Audible says the new Standard plan is available immediately in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany and France, with additional markets planned later.





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Apple is scaling back and rethinking its ambitious plans to introduce an AI-powered health coach, according to a Bloomberg report by Mark Gurman citing anonymous sources privy to the company’s plans.

The project, known inside Apple as Mulberry, was first reported last year, with the company expected to roll together health-related AI features as a coach or assistant. But now, Bloomberg reports, that project will be broken down into individual features introduced over time, as it has done with tools such as the sleep apnea and hearing tests added to Apple Watch and Apple AirPods.

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A representative for Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bloomberg’s sources point to a change in leadership over Apple’s health technology. Veteran services head Eddy Cue is overseeing those projects and addressing pressure from competitors pushing into the health space, including Oura and Peloton as well as tech giants like Google and OpenAI, which just launched ChatGPT Health.

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET’s parent company, filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in April, alleging that it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

Apple was also said to have built a studio for a revamped health services app that would have included virtual and video wellness instructions, and integration with existing health tools and Apple devices. It is likely that some of that content and software will still be released publicly, just not in one package, according to Bloomberg.





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