Top six takeaways from Apple's spring event

Apple Inc on Tuesday announced AirTags, its long-rumored device tracker, a new line of iMac computers and iPad tablets with its own processors and a podcast subscription service.

The Cupertino, California-based company, which launches its flagship iPhones in the fall, typically announces new iPads and Macs in March before releasing the latest version of operating softwares at its annual developers' meet in the summer.

This year it launched a flurry of new devices and services in Tuesday's virtual event, including a purple variant of its flagship iPhone, a new Apple TV set top box and Apple Card Family service.

Here are six key announcements from the event:

IMACS GET A SPLASH OF COLOR AGAIN

Apple launched a new line of redesigned iMacs in seven new colors. The computers, which were known to have colorful translucent plastic bodies in the 2000s, has only been sold in silver aluminum variants in recent years.

The new redesigned slim iMac also comes with in-house M1 chip as the technology giant moves away from its longtime partner Intel Corp for processors. Last year, Apple had announced new MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro and Mac mini models with M1 chips.

The new computers start at $1,299 and customers will be able to pre-book from April 30. 

IPAD PRO FLAUNTS M1 CHIP, 5G CONNECTIVITY

Apple announced a new line of iPad Pros with M1 processor chip and 5G connectivity option. The new 11-inch and 12.9-inch tablets with higher-quality video will support Thunderbolt and USB 4 accessories.

The new tablets start at $749 and will be available in the second half of May. 

PAY FOR PODCASTS

The company also announced podcast subscription services that will compete with rival Spotify. Subscription prices will be set by creators and billed monthly. Apple will charge creators $19.99 a year for its podcast program.

Apple's Podcasters Program will be available to creators in more than 170 countries and regions, and content creators can enroll in the program on Tuesday. 

TRACK BELONGINGS

Apple launched the long-rumored AirTags to help users track and locate everything from keys, bags and jackets. The small inconspicuous circular tracking device is water and dust-resistant, with a built-in speaker.

This accessory will cost $29 for one or $99 for a pack of four. It will be available from April 30.

APPLE CARD MERGES CREDIT LINES

Apple launched Apple Card Family, allowing spouses and partners to share and merge credit lines with its Apple Card. In 2019, co-founder Steve Wozniak had joined the online debate over accusations of gender discrimination by the algorithm behind the iPhone maker's credit card. 

IPHONE TURNS PURPLE

Apple launched purple variant of its flagship iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 mini models. The new variants will be available for pre-order from April 23. 

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Apple Card faces probe over discrimination complaint

Something curious happened when a husband and wife recently compared their Apple Card spending limits.

David Heinemeier Hansson vented on Twitter that even though his spouse, Jamie Hansson, had a better credit score and other factors in her favor, her application for a credit line increase had been denied.

The prominent software developer wondered how his credit line could be 20 times higher, referring to Apple Card as a “sexist program” (with an expletive added for emphasis).

The card, a partnership between Apple and Goldman Sachs, made its debut in the United States in August.

“My wife and I filed joint tax returns, live in a community-property state, and have been married for a long time,” he wrote Thursday on Twitter. “Yet Apple’s black box algorithm thinks I deserve 20x the credit limit she does.”

Hansson’s tweets caught the attention of more than just his 350,000 followers.

They struck a nerve with New York state regulators, who announced Saturday that they would investigate the algorithm used by Apple Card to determine the creditworthiness of applicants.

Algorithms are codes or a set of instructions used by computers, search engines and smartphone applications to perform tasks, from ordering food delivery to hailing a ride — and yes, applying for credit.

The criteria used by the Apple Card are now being scrutinized by the New York State Department of Financial Services.

“Any algorithm that intentionally or not results in discriminatory treatment of women or any other protected class violates New York law,” an agency spokeswoman said in a statement Saturday night.

“DFS is troubled to learn of potential discriminatory treatment in regards to credit limit decisions reportedly made by an algorithm of Apple Card, issued by Goldman Sachs, and the Department will be conducting an investigation to determine whether New York law was violated and ensure all consumers are treated equally regardless of sex,” the statement said.

An Apple spokeswoman directed questions to a Goldman Sachs spokesman, Andrew Williams, who said that the company could not comment publicly on individual customers.

“Our credit decisions are based on a customer’s creditworthiness and not on factors like gender, race, age, sexual orientation or any other basis prohibited by law,” Williams said.

David Hansson did not respond to an interview request Saturday night.

His wife’s experience with the Apple Card, the first credit card offering by Goldman Sachs, does not appear to be an isolated case, however.

Steve Wozniak, who invented the Apple-1 computer with Steve Jobs and was a founder of the tech giant, responded to Hansson’s tweet with a similar account.

“The same thing happened to us,” Wozniak wrote. “I got 10x the credit limit. We have no separate bank or credit card accounts or any separate assets. Hard to get to a human for a correction though. It’s big tech in 2019.”

In addition to Goldman Sachs, Apple partnered with Mastercard on the Apple Card, which the companies hailed as a revolutionary “digital first” credit card that had no numbers and could be added to the Wallet app on the iPhone and used with Apple Pay.

A spokesman for Mastercard, which provides support for Apple Card’s global payments network, did not respond to a request for comment Saturday.

David Hansson, a Danish entrepreneur and California resident, is known for creating Ruby on Rails, a popular computer coding language used to create database-backed web applications. He is an author and decorated race car driver on the Le Mans circuit, according to a biography on his website.

In a subsequent tweet, he said that the Apple Card’s customer service representatives told his wife that they were not authorized to discuss the credit assessment process.

He said that customer service employees were unable to explain why the algorithm had designated her to be less creditworthy but had assured his wife that the bank was not discriminating against women.

An applicant’s credit score and income level are used by Goldman Sachs to determine creditworthiness, according to a support page for the Apple Card. Past due accounts, a checking account closed by a bank for overdrafts, liens and medical debts can negatively affect applications, the page stated.

On Friday, a day after David Hansson started railing on the Apple Card’s treatment of female credit applicants, he said his wife got a “VIP bump” to match his credit limit. He said that didn’t make up for the flawed algorithm used by Apple Card.

He said many women had shared similar experiences with him on Twitter and urged regulators to contact them.

“My thread is full of accounts from women who’ve been declared to be worse credit risks than their husbands, despite higher credit scores or incomes,” he said.


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Apple debuts credit card as it readies TV+ launch

SAN FRANCISCO -- Apple on Tuesday launched a smartphone-generation credit card in the US and moved closer to hitting the hot streaming television market with a new subscription service.

The moves come as Apple shifts to emphasize digital content and other services to offset a pullback in the once-sizzling smartphone market.

Arrival of an Apple Card tailored particularly for iPhone fans came with reports that the technology titan is keen to launch its TV+ streaming service before Disney goes live with a rival in November.

Apple TV+ will debut with a small selection of original content and a possible subscription price of $9.99, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The price would be more than that charged by powerhouse players Netflix and Amazon Prime as well as the announced subscription cost of a Disney+ service to launch on November 12.

California-based Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment about TV+.

SPENDING ON SHOWS

Apple has reportedly allocated more than $6 billion for TV+ original shows, a small number of which would be available when the service goes live.

Ads for "The Morning Show" starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carrell began appearing on Twitter.

The show was described as "a high-stakes drama that pulls back the curtain on the morning news" coming this fall to those with Apple TV+ subscriptions.

With Hollywood stars galore, Apple in March unveiled streaming video plans along with news and game subscription offerings as part of an effort to shift its focus to digital content and services to break free of its reliance on iPhone sales.

The Apple TV+ service, an on-demand, ad-free subscription service, will launch this year in 100 countries, the company said at the event.

"We feel we can contribute something important to our culture and to our society through great storytelling," Apple chief executive Tim Cook said when the service was announced.

Apple revealed only a few of the programs in the works but announced collaborations with celebrities on both sides of the camera including Octavia Spencer, J.J. Abrams, Jason Momoa and M. Night Shyamalan.

The new content will be available on an upgraded Apple TV app, which will be on smart television sets and third-party platforms including Roku and Amazon's Fire TV.

Apple will also allow consumers to subscribe to third-party services like HBO and Starz from the same application.

Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi expected Apple TV+ to be more of a channel at its streaming video service, similar to an HBO, than to be a "one-stop-shop" that would stand alone.

GAMES AND CARDS

Apple is aiming to leverage its position with some 900 million people worldwide who use at least one of its devices.

The company has announced plans to launch a new game subscription service called Apple Arcade internationally later this year.

"Apple Arcade will introduce an innovative way to access a collection of brand new games that will not be available on any other mobile platform or in any other subscription service," Apple said in a statement.

The Apple credit card that became available on Tuesday in a partnership with Goldman Sachs was integrated with Apple Pay.

Those signing up will get a physical card and one for a digital wallet, with the two companies pledging to refrain from sharing or selling data to third parties for marketing and advertising.

Apple Card features that could shake up the credit card industry include not charging fees, giving users cash back on purchases, and providing tools for people to better manage their debt.

"Apple Card delivers new experiences only possible with the power of iPhone," the company said in an online post.

The card uses machine learning and mapping capabilities to let users keep track of spending, and provides payment options showing interest costs of various options.

source: news.abs-cbn.com