Tag: Apple card

Round Up Of The Apple Event Held On 25 March

Cupertino based tech titan, Apple held an event on the 25th of March where it announced four brand new subscription services. The list of newly announced services includes Apple TV Plus, Apple Arcade, Apple Card and Apple News Plus.

Apple Arcade

Apple Arcade is the company’s take on a gaming service which spans across the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV and Mac computers. The paid subscription will initially provide access to over 100 gaming titles which will sprout further over time. Noteworthy, it even allows the user to play games in offline mode. This is a significant aspect as its direct competitor, the newly launched Google Stadia lacks support for this notable feature. The service will roll out in autumn this year and its pricing details are yet to be revealed. Exceptionally, family members can also share the subscription across different devices without an additional cost.

Apple Card

Apple card is a virtual credit card service which is developed for iPhone users and is an extension of the Apple Pay and Wallet services. The service is intended towards lowering interest rates, removing unnecessary fees and simplifying the process of applications in obtaining a credit card. According to the company, the service will simplify the use of existing digital payment mediums to a great extent.

Notably, it is just a credit card service and not a banking service. Apple has partnered with Goldman Sachs and MasterCard that handle its financial end. As previously mentioned, the user can directly sign up for a card right from the iPhone which is generated in minutes, unlike conventional service which can take days. Reportedly, the service makes use of machine learning which can precisely reflect the spending patterns of the user and also offer rewards in cash. Distinctly, the service will not charge late fees from the however, its functioning is unclear as of now.

Apple News Plus

As the name suggests, it is a news service from Apple that again requires a paid subscription. It showcases the content in a user-friendly and elegant manner which is enriched with photographs, animations and typography optimised for Apple devices including iPhone, iPad and Mac. The news service incorporates content from over 300 established newspapers, magazines and digital publishers some of which include Vogue, WSJ, GQ, Traveller, Wired and The New Yorker. The service is currently limited to the US and Canada where the users can subscribe it at a monthly fee of $ 9.99 and $ 12.99 respectively. Admirably, six members of a family can share one Apple News Plus subscription.

Apple TV Plus

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Apple TV Plus is the company’s attempt at a video streaming service which will take on the likes of Netflix and Amazon Prime. The service is set to launch in over 100 countries which will roll out in Q4 of 2019. According to the company, around 30 original projects are currently in the works which will be exclusive to the platform. Additionally, content from renowned channels including HBO, Showtime, CBS All Access will also be available on the streaming service. Like the Apple Arcade, its price is also currently unavailable.

In addition to the Apple Plus subscription service, the company has also released an all-new Apple TV application which has a completely redesigned interface. The new version of the application is designed to serve on-demand digital content, without advertisement with the option of offline downloads. The new Apple TV app is now available for the Apple TV and iOS devices. While its support for third-party smart TVs from LG, Sony, Samsung and Vizio will be available some.

March 26, 2019
Apple Launches Apple News Plus And Apple Card

Apple’s Show Time Event saw the company launching its news subscription service, called Apple News Plus with a collection of over 300 magazines. The service aims to provide a high quality curated news experience, which forms the basis of any News application. With a premium catalogue of magazines such as the National Geographic, the Vogue, and the New Yorker, Apple News Plus launched the service in the US and Canada on March 25. In addition, the company also launched its own credit card application, known as the Apple Card, the much-awaited Apple TV+ Streaming service and the Apple Arcade, which is a game subscription service.

About Apple News Plus

The application will be rolled out in an update for Apple devices and will bring forth a wide variety of stories and news for its users. Making the Apple News service more “premium” was Apple’s goal all along, as showcased by beautiful magazine covers in neat and impressive layouts in the application. Some magazine covers are intricately and vividly designed, others are animated and some sport a bold typography style to make a premium statement.

Apple claims that it won’t track what its users read on the News Plus application, nor will it allow advertisers to track them without their consent. With more than 5 billion articles read on the Apple News app every month, the company wants its users to make the best use of its premium news plus app rather than relying on social media networks for news that may be adulterated.

Subscription Plans And Availability

Similar to other mainstream subscription services, Apple News Plus aims to provide paid readable content from different magazines to its premium users, who will pay a monthly fee. One of the many news sources that Apple partnered with is the Wall Street Journal, which will cater general news to the company so that Apple can do the same for its users. The News Plus subscription service will be priced at $9.99 per month for users in the United States, whereas Canadian users will have to pay $12.99 per month for the same. A welcoming piece of information is the fact that up to six members of a family can share the subscription. Furthermore, the service offers its users a free month of trial before they decide whether to pay for the premium News curation or not. First seeing the light of Canada and the US, Apple News Plus will be launched in the UK and Australia later this year.

Apple Card

As mentioned before, Apple also unveiled its new credit card app, known as the Apple Card. The company clearly states that it is not just similar to a bank or online banking services, rather, the Apple card users will help its users be a part of a well-balanced financial life. Based on a simplicity factor that provides transparency and privacy at the same time, the Apple Card is designed specifically for the iPhone and will integrate directly with the Apple Wallet card.

Features

One of the many defining features of the Apple Card is the elimination of any transactional charges while using it. The app will encourage users to pay lesser interest and provide them with the lowest interest rate in the market. Moreover, the Card has a very attractive rewards program which gives back a percentage of every purchase made via the card. The rewards are stored as cash on the customers’ Apple Cash card, which can be used for making other transactions. A user will get 2% cashback on every payment made via the card, while a 3% cashback will be earned for every purchase made directly from Apple. Noteworthy, any purchase made via the physical card will earn just 1 percent cash back.

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Mastercard will handle all aspects of payment processing for Apple. Rumours surrounding the Apple card have been rendered true, as the company has partnered with Goldman Sachs for the card. A unique card number will be generated on the user’s iPhone and will be stored securely on the device itself. Similar to the Apple News Service, the company won’t track the contents of the purchase made by the users, or any in-depth details of the same. Clearly, Apple is focusing on the privacy end here, which a lot of customers are skeptical about these days.

March 26, 2019