Are You Getting An Apple Card? (2 Viewers)

[Robert Crawford]

More people still use Google Maps than Apple Maps. More people still use Spotify than Apple Music. The iPhone redefined the smartphone, but then Samsung came to more than double Apple's market share. I'll grant you the iPad in the tablet space. For movies and TV shows, I'll take Vudu over iTunes any day of the week. Likewise, I'd rather have a Roku than an AppleTV.

Apple's strengths are: 1) unparalleled branding; 2) an intuitive user experience; and 3) a closed ecosystem where the various pieces are designed to work together seamlessly.

But the closed ecosystem is also a severe limitation. I don't like iTunes for TV and movies, because I need Apple hardware to watch the content

Underneath the branding and user experience, though, the fundamentals are not much different than Apple's competitors.

The Apple Card will look slick as hell, and the app and web portal will be clean and stylish and easy to navigate. But at the end of the day, it will still just be a credit card. If Apple moves into other finance products, the same will be true of those too.

I have both Roku and AppleTV 4K units in each of my three HT setups in my home. Without a doubt, the AppleTV device is my preferred choice to watch movie or a TV show. IMO, iTunes movies and shows look and sound better than Vudu, the majority of the time.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Apple Card: A cheat sheet
Apple Card, Apple's first entry into the credit card market, is now available. Here's what business pros need to know about Apple Card.


https://www.techrepublic.com/article/apple-card-a-cheat-sheet/

Reading through this, the Amazon Prime VISA I have does virtually everything that this supposed "breakthrough" card from Apple does, except the rewards are for different things (and some with higher reward percentages on the Amazon side). Apple's no late fee seems like a trap, too, since it may encourage people to pay late and be charged additional interest.

As some of us have been saying, it's just another rewards card - - this one targeted towards Apple customers.

 

[Cranston37+]

Apple warns not to keep its credit card by leather, denim, or loose change.

Oh my...

https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/22/tech/apple-card-discoloration-trnd/index.html

 

[dpippel]

Won't be long before you'll be able to buy a case for it.

 

[Cranston37+]

"Apple warns not to keep its credit card by leather, denim, or loose change."

"Apple also advises against placing the card in a wallet slot that already has a different credit card, so it doesn't get scratched. And the company says customers should not store their Apple Card in a pocket or bag with loose change, keys or other potentially abrasive objects."

So basically Apple has made a credit card... let me repeat that... a credit card, that should not go in your wallet, pocket, or purse.

 

[DaveF]

Round Up:

“Michael Tsai - Blog - Storing Your Apple Card Wrong”
https://mjtsai.com/blog/2019/08/22/storing-your-apple-card-wrong/

 

[Malcolm R]

Yep, don't touch it, breathe on it, look at it funny, or god forbid let it slum with the other rando cards in your wallet or purse. Just frame it, hang it on the wall, and gaze at it lovingly.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Yep, don't touch it, breathe on it, look at it funny, or god forbid let it slum with the other rando cards in your wallet or purse. Just frame it, hang it on the wall, and gaze at it lovingly.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

"Apple warns not to keep its credit card by leather, denim, or loose change."

"Apple also advises against placing the card in a wallet slot that already has a different credit card, so it doesn't get scratched. And the company says customers should not store their Apple Card in a pocket or bag with loose change, keys or other potentially abrasive objects."

So basically Apple has made a credit card... let me repeat that... a credit card, that should not go in your wallet, pocket, or purse.

Okay, @Sam Posten , I'll admit it -- this is truly innovative. A credit card that people cannot take with them. It helps people from spending too much money, since their credit card is at home, hung in a frame on the wall. Brilliant!

 

[dpippel]

Another wrinkle - you can't store the Apple Card in an iPhone credit card case because it prevents the phone from charging wirelessly! HAHAHAHA!!!

https://www.cultofmac.com/645056/apple-card-wireless-charging-iphone-wallet-case/

 

[Ronald Epstein]

WOAH!

https://appleinsider.com/articles/1...card-shows-signs-of-wear-after-just-one-month

 

[Patrick_S]

Who cares about the card’s durability, shouldn’t you be using Apple Pay anyways?

It’s not like this card has any prestige factor like an AMX Black card so whipping it won’t be impressing anyone.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I’m supposed to be impressed by an Amex Black?

 

[Tino]

Titanium gives off pretty sparks if you grind it. So there’s that too.

 

[Clinton McClure]

I wonder how long it will be until the titanium card is replaced with a more durable plastic card... (He says while admiring his own titanium card.)

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I’m supposed to be impressed by an Amex Black?

Yeah, when I see that card all I can think is "why would anyone pay that high annual fee for a credit card"?

 

[Cranston37+]

Yeah, when I see that card all I can think is "why would anyone pay that high annual fee for a credit card"?

If you have the income required for a black card invite then the fee is pocket change.

You're in the income territory of "if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it..."

 

[DaveF]

Apple's credit card is a credit card, no more and no less. If its benefits suit you, get it.

But the physical design of the card seems to be the worst of all of Jony Ive Apple design traits distilled into what should be a simple piece of of plastic or aluminum. Hopefully this is the last gasp of those bad ideas, and from now on Apple will be moving away from such nonsense.

That is: a high-end, lux metal credit card that can't stand the rigors of a normal wallet or purse. A card that suffers discoloration after a a few weeks! A titanium card with a delicate aesthetic coating that will be scratched and damaged by cheap plastic cards. Apple rightly deserves to be mocked for this design. It's stupid. It's not informed by real people using real credit cards in real life! It's a violation of fundamental Apple wisdom:

“Most people make the mistake of thinking design is what it looks like. People think it’s this veneer – that the designers are handed this box and told, ‘Make it look good!’ That’s not what we think design is. It’s not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” – Steve Jobs

For comparison, there are my two primary credit cards, both about a year old, always in a leather wallet. A fancy Amazon metal card and a conventional plastic card. The metal card has no apparent damage or discoloration on the front. The plastic card has obvious wear at the corners and edges. Their cash back equivalents are better than Apple card's (5% in-store or 1.5% everything). The credit union card has 11.9% APY, which is better than the best Apple card rate I've seen so far.

 

[DaveF]

Yeah, when I see that card all I can think is "why would anyone pay that high annual fee for a credit card"?

The fee is typical to other credit card fees relative to how the card is used. $2500 fee for a card that will get used for $250k purchases is like a travel card with a $90 fee that sees $9000 annual purchases, or a $450 fee on a travel card that is used for $40k of purchases. It's all a matter of perspective.
https://www.creditcardinsider.com/blog/the-american-express-centurion-black-card/

 

[DaveF]

With the iOS-only interface to the credit card, is there still a back-end interface to pull financial data into your personal finance tracking software of choice? Be it Mint or Quicken? That's the UX design choice of apple card I don't understand: a seeming implicit assumption that the apple card is the *only* card you'll use, that your entire financial life is captured by the apple card, and there's no need to pull its data into a larger financial management system for review.

Maybe I misunderstand. Maybe I'm just weird in actively managing my personal finances. But it seems like the Apple card, ballyhooed as a new era in helping people with their finances, is currently a step backwards and works against people trying to manage their finances by keeping the card in a walled garden.