It’s 4/20 and Apple’s big iMac and iPad Pro launch event was a total trip. The new Mac desktop comes in a rainbow of colors, and the M1 processor in the latest tablet will blow you away. And there’s AirTag too, at long last.
Grab some snacks and get ready to find out what the new products mean for Apple users and for the company’s future.
An investigation into the alleged “sexist” Apple Card has concluded with New York’s Department of Financial Services saying Tuesday that it has found no evidence of unlawful discrimination.
The investigation was launched in late 2019. Laws stop algorithms from determining treatment based on things like age, creed, race, color, sex, sexual orientation, and more.
Apple launched its Apple Card credit card back in 2019 but, so far, it’s only been available to customers in the United States.
That may soon change, however, with eagle-eyed Apple watchers spotting that Apple has been granted two trademark applications in Canada, covering both Apple Card and Apple Cash.
Apple Card holders might soon be able to share access with their family. Users of the credit card will reportedly be able to give their spouse or children access to a pre-established amount of money.
It’s now possible to apply for Apple Card in your web browser on almost any device … so long as you live in the United States. The new online form gives new customers an alternative to the Wallet app.
Nike offers a bonus for new users of Apple’s credit card. Sign up for an Apple Card, buy $75 or more from Nike in the first 30 days, and get $75 in Daily Cash.
Plus, Nike offers unlimited 3% back at Nike when Apple Card with Apple Pay is used.
The same day that Apple unveiled the Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE, the company expanded its 0% Apple Card financing service to cover its line of smartwatches.
Apple launched its 0% Apple Card financing option for iPhone back in December. This June, it expanded it to cover Mac, iPad, AirPods Pro, AirPods, and Apple Pencil — although Apple Watch was strangely MIA.
Samsung’s answer to Apple Card is here, but the two won’t be battling it out for customers just yet. While Apple Card remains a U.S. exclusive, Samsung Pay Card on Tuesday made its debut in the U.K.
Samsung’s product has some neat advantages over Apple’s, like the ability to link multiple cards together. It’s the result of a partnership between Samsung, MasterCard, and British fintech company Curve.
Paying for your Apple Online Store purchases is easier than ever if you’re an Apple Card user. Starting Tuesday, Apple added the ability the pay for items with a dedicated one-click Apple Card option.
To pay with Apple Card, simply select the Apple Card option when you’re ask to complete your purchase.
Use your Apple Card to buy soup, sandwiches or more at Panera, and you’ll earn 3% Daily Cash back. The usual percentage is 1%.
Other businesses offer this same 3% cash back bonus, but Panera is the first restaurant. And there are locations in almost every U.S. state.
Mobeewave helps handsets act like little cash registers. Apple reportedly purchased this company, which could lead to iPhones able to easily receive money from credit cards with just a tap.
As Apple’s services division grows in importance, the company’s newest services — Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+ and Apple Card — are failing to bring in significant revenue, according to a new report.
Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman writes that, while services likely will increase yet again when Apple announces its Q3 earnings this week, most of these gains will come from older services like the App Store.
Apple opened a website Thursday that lets Apple Card users see their balances, pay their monthly bills and more. Until today, cardholders could only do these tasks on an iPhone or iPad.
Apple is giving out a free $50 to any new Apple Card users who use their fancy credit card to sign up to an Apple subscription service like Apple Music, Apple News+ or Apple TV+, or to spend money in the App Store.
The sign-up deal runs through the end of July. It applies to customers who are spending money on one of Apple’s services using their Apple-branded credit card for the first time.
The novel coronavirus continues to hurt the U.S. economy, with unemployment about 13%. With so many out of work, or earning far less than they usually do, Apple and Goldman Sachs are offering to let people people struggling financially because of the COVID-19 pandemic skip their July Apple Card payment without being hit with interest fees.
Apple and Goldman Sachs are reportedly giving a second chance to people whose Apple Card applications were rejected. The “Path to Apple Card” program explains why they were denied, and gives users a chance to fix the problems.
Fill up your car’s tank at Exxon or Mobil gas stations, pay with Apple Pay and Apple Card, and you’ll get 3% in Daily Cash.
This offer starts Monday, just in time for the July 4 holiday.
Apple has expanded its 0% Apple Card financing option for products, including the Mac, iPad, AirPods Pro, AirPods, and Apple Pencil. (No Apple Watch, though!)
The company previously launched a 0% Apple Card financing option for iPhone in December. However, this is the first time that Apple has expanded this to cover other Apple products. Tim Cook suggested that Apple would be expanding the program during Apple’s most recent earnings call.
Apple Card users could soon be offered interest-free payment plans for iPad, Mac, AirPods, and more, one report claims.
Sources say Apple is planning to roll out the new service, which will make many of its pricey products more accessible, in the coming weeks. Users will be able to spread the cost of their purchase over as many as 12 months.
The Walgreens drugstore chain offers a nice bonus for new users of Apple’s credit card. Sign up for an Apple Card, spend $50 or more at Walgreens in the first 30 days, and get $50 in Daily Cash.
Apple and Goldman Sachs might cut you some slack on your credit card bill if you lost your job during the COVID-19 pandemic. Users of the Apple Card were notified today that they can apply to skip their May payment without interest charges being added.
A concept artist created an answer for anyone dubious about the usefulness of augmented reality. His video demonstrates how AR could give an Apple Card user their balance and recent transactions with only a glance.
Watch the full concept video now:
Huawei unveiled its own credit card April 8, just a year after the debut of the Apple Card. That might be a coincidence if the Chinese company didn’t have a long history of copying Apple.
Some Apple Card users received a surprise APR rate drop this week thanks to the two recent interest rate cuts made by the U.S. Federal Reserve in March. The Apple Card’s base APR decreased by 2% for many Apple Card holders, bringing a little extra credit relief during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Apple updated its privacy policy on Apple Card this week in order to share more data with its card partner Goldman Sachs.
The larger data set is still be anonymized and will reportedly be used to allow Goldman Sachs to create a new credit assignment model so that more people are able to get approval for Apple Card.