Apple and investment bank Goldman Sachs plan to launch a joint credit card later this year, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The report claims the card will be rolled out to Apple employees for internal testing in the next few weeks and officially launch later this year. The card would be accessible through the Wallet app on iPhone, potentially with unique features for setting spending goals, tracking rewards, and managing balances.
Executives have discussed borrowing visual cues from Apple's fitness-tracking app, where "rings" close as users hit daily exercise targets, and sending users notifications about their spending habits. There also could be notifications based on analysis of cardholders' spending patterns, alerting them for example if they paid more than usual for groceries one week.
The card will be issued by Goldman Sachs and use Mastercard's payment network, according to the report. The card is said to offer around two percent cashback on most purchases and potentially more on Apple products and services.
Wednesday November 13, 2024 2:09 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 next month, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as well....
Thursday November 14, 2024 4:19 pm PST by Juli Clover
The M4 MacBook Pro models feature quantum dot display technology, according to display analyst Ross Young. Apple used a quantum dot film instead of a red KSF phosphor film, a change that provides more vibrant, accurate color results.
Young says that Apple has opted for KSF for prior MacBook Pro models because it doesn't use toxic element cadmium (typical for quantum dot) and is more...
Wednesday November 13, 2024 11:01 am PST by Juli Clover
A trio of Apple customers this month filed a class action lawsuit against Apple, accusing the Cupertino company of violating California consumer protection laws and false advertising for continuing to sell AirPods Pro models that had ongoing issues with crackling or static sounds.
A few months after the AirPods Pro came out in October 2019, buyers began to complain about crackling, rattling, ...
Thursday November 14, 2024 2:54 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Google has launched its dedicated Gemini artificial intelligence app for iPhone users, expanding beyond the previous limited integration within the main Google app. The standalone app offers enhanced functionality, including support for Gemini Live and iOS-specific features like Dynamic Island integration.
The new app allows iPhone users to interact with Google's AI through text or voice...
Thursday November 14, 2024 2:19 pm PST by Juli Clover
With iOS 18, Apple introduced a feature that causes the iPhone to reboot every three days, security researchers have confirmed (via TechCrunch). In a demo video, security researcher Jiska Classen proved that an iPhone left untouched for 72 hours will automatically restart, and Graykey manufacturer also Magnet Forensics wrote a blog post about the feature.
After a reboot, an iPhone is more...
Wednesday November 13, 2024 11:59 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple last week replaced the M3 Max MacBook Pro with the new M4 Max MacBook Pro, and we picked up one of the new high-end MacBook Pro machines to see how it compares to the prior model with both benchmarks and real-world tests.
We tested an M4 Max with a 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, and 48GB RAM against an M3 Max MacBook Pro with similar specs. The two machines look similar, but the display on...
I have to wonder whether by 'spending goals' they mean 'spend at least £X,000 per month in credit' (preferably on Apple products and services) gotta close those rings o_O
All of this makes sense in the big picture if you recall the past to see where Apple is going in the future. Apple has a history of disrupting boring and/or broken markets that deliver services that people need but that they use only reluctantly because there are no alternatives.
Apple made the computer accessible and fun. It’s easy to forget but computers were for crunching numbers, mostly the realm of nerds who knew how to operate the command line. The Mac changed everything.
Apple disrupted music in the same way. The iPod came at a time when piracy was rampant. It was a terrible experience though. You’d download programs like Napster or Limewire and download music, not knowing if you’d get a bad recording and would end up with a junk pile of disorganized mislabelled music in folders. iPod + iTunes made it easy to pay a fair price for music and get a properly organized collection. That’s why it became so popular that nobody ever really caught up.
Apple is now pursuing two other sectors that absolutely need to be disrupted. Health and financial services. Both are full of bureaucracy and not consumer friendly. The only ones who do well in either are insiders or experts in those fields.
Apple is on one hand opening up health records to make our data our data, easily accessible and making it useful by helping us to be proactive and knowledgeable to improve our own health.
Now, on the other hand, most of us hate having to deal with banks, hidden fees and overly complicated services. Apple Pay has already made it easier and safer on the transaction side. Money management and growth is the next obvious step. I’m very interested to see what Apple does here.
Ah yes, you have to close rings by spending more money. Plus they can give you notifications - "Looks like you haven't spent enough money today, tap here to buy an iPad mini to hit your spending goal!"
Goldman Sach's has terrible optics - at least in the U.S. (they were actively playing both sides of the field knowingly helping to drive the U.S. housing market over the cliff and betting to profit off the crash, 5crew the country, that caused the financial crisis back in 2008 or so). When it comes to taking care of the customer or not doing something illegal - history has shown they actively choose the 3rd option which is do what makes the most money if they think they can get away with it (if that includes actively misguiding customers so be it).
Having Apple team with them is very disappointing - its almost like having Apple partner with the mob on a credit card - especially since Goldman is not a normal bank and doesn't normally do credit cards (that I know of). There must be something special in it for Goldman, for them to be doing this....I'd much rather have Apple stick with Barclay.
