Apple unveils its first credit card along with new game, TV and news services
Apple has unveiled its own Apple Card credit card at an event in California, along with a radical reinvention of its Apple News service and its Apple TV app.
Apple introduced Apple Card, a credit card designed to be used with iPhone, in partnership with Goldman Sachs.
It comes with a laser-etched titanium card with no numbers on it.
It’s part of a broader shift that sees the company moving into services such as TV and magazines as opposed to tech hardware.
With Apple Card, users sign up on iPhone, then they can use a virtual version of Apple Card via the Apple Wallet app to pay wherever Apple Pay is accepted.
The Apple Pay app shows off a list of transactions, shows when payments are due, and allows users to get help via live chat.
Apple’s Vice President for Apple Pay Jennifer Bailey said that the card will work with Apple’s wallet app – with card owners earning 2% cashback on all purchases, or 3% on purchases from Apple.
The Apple Wallet app will also have new features to help consumers track their spending, Bailey said.
It’s issued via Mastercard via Goldman Sachs, and will come with a physical card which earns 1% on all purchases.
The physical card is laser etched titanium, with no card number and no CVV on the rear – so it’s less vulnerable to thieves (the information is available only via the app).
It’s to launch in the US in summer.
Apple TV
Apple launched a new version of its Apple TV app, which it billed as a ‘new TV experience’ – an on-demand, ad-free streaming service.
The app, titled Apple TV Channels, offers servies including HBO, Showtime and CBS built into one Apple app.
Users are offered personalised recommendations, and can swipe left to ‘channel surf’.
The service will launch via a software update this May.
‘We designed a new TV experience where you can pay for only the channels you want, all in one app, with the password you already have,” said Apple’s Peter Stern.
‘Watch everything on demand and ad-free. Download your shows to take with you anywhere. Enjoy the highest quality picture and sound available.’
The streamlined app will allow users to watch various TV subscriptions in one place – although Netflix is not working with the tech giant.
The service also includes programmes commissioned by Apple.
‘We designed a new TV experience where you can pay for only the channels you want, all in one app, with the password you already have,’ said Apple’s Peter Stern.
‘Watch everything on demand and ad-free. Download your shows to take with you anywhere. Enjoy the highest quality picture and sound available.
‘No more bouncing around from app to app.’
For the first time, the Apple TV service will also be available via Samsung smart TVs, the company confirmed.
The TV app will come to Macs later this year.
Apple News
Apple announced it was bringing magazines to Apple News, a new service called Apple News+, which will deliver 300 magazines on entertainment, fashion, news and politics.
The subscription service will cost $9.99 a month, the company said, saying it was ‘The best way to read magazines on your device.’
We’re committed to supporting quality journalism, and with Apple News+, we want to celebrate the great work being done by magazines and news outlets,” said Lauren Kern, editor-in-chief of Apple News. “We think the breadth and quality of publications within Apple News+ will encourage more people to discover stories and titles they may never have come across before.”
The magazines include titles such as The Atlantic, Better Homes & Gardens, Bon Appétit, Condé Nast Traveler, ELLE, Rolling Stone, Vogue and Runner’s World.
The service also includes premium digital subscriptions such as The Skimm, and major American newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times and Washington Post.
The service has been designed so that Apple doesn’t ‘see’ what readers are looking at, and the data is not available to advertisers, Apple said.
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The service will cost $9.99 per month, Apple said – claiming that the content would cost up to $8,000 per month on paper.
‘We think Apple News + is going to be great for customers and great for publishers,’ said Cook.
Apple News is now the number one news app, what Cook described as ‘an essential daily destination for millions of people’.
Apple Arcade
Apple also launched a gaming service called Apple Arcade, which it billed as the world’s first subscription service for mobile, desktop and living room.
Apple Arcade allows users to download games from the App Store free, as part of a subscription service.
Users can play the games across iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV, and every game is playable offline, the company promised.
The service will launch in 150 countries in autumn, the company revealed, with pricing yet to be confirmed.
