- Apple launched a new party-planning app on Tuesday called Apple Invites.
- Partiful, a startup with a similar function, had a swift response that suggested Apple had copied its product.
- Apple Invites is available now, with full capabilities accessible to iCloud+ subscribers.
Apple isn’t always first to a party — and when it does show up, the existing competition isn’t always happy to see it.
That appears to be the case with Apple Invites, a new app released on Tuesday from the iPhone giant. The party-planning app is meant to be an easy way for iPhone owners to create virtual party invitations and send them to their contacts.
Partiful, a startup founded in 2020 with a similar app, was quick to respond to Apple’s entrance into the space with a cheeky response.
“just reviewing the apple developer guidelines,” Partiful captioned a image posted to X showing Apple’s guidelines on “copycats” in app development.
“Don’t simply copy the latest popular app on the App Store, or make some minor changes to another app’s name or UI and pass it off as your own,” Apple said in its developer guidelines.
Partiful now finds itself in a similar position to other apps and products faced with competing directly against the deep-pocketed company.
Apple, which has talked about entering new categories with the philosophy of being “not first, but best,” has launched multiple apps and features over the years that compete directly against third-party offerings available in its App Store — a move that some have dubbed as getting “Sherlocked.”
Neither Apple nor Partiful immediately responded to a request for comment from Business Insider.
In Partiful’s app, you can create virtual invitations using pictures, videos, and GIFs and send them out to people from your contacts or those who attended the same events in the past. Google named Partiful its “best app” of 2024.
There’s also a multimedia element to Apple Invites thanks to the integration of Apple Music and Shared Albums for attendees to collaborate on.
Apple’s latest app could also help drive its recurring revenue, as a subscription to iCloud+ is required to unlock the full feature set. While subscribers can create events on the platform, those who don’t pay for iCloud+ can only RSVP — not host their own parties. Non-iPhone owners can still RSVP to Apple Invites.
Apple’s iCloud+ plans start at $0.99 a month and go up to $59. Apple’s Services category, which includes subscriptions, has been a big talking point in earnings calls for the tech giant and has grown considerably under Tim Cook’s tenure as CEO.
Apple’s Services revenue most recently grew 14% year over year to reach a record $26.3 billion in the holiday quarter.
Read the full article here
