Apple Card: Apple's Titanium Credit Card Is Imminent, Reveals iOS 12.4 Beta
Will this be Apple's next product launch?
Ahead of its big iPhone unveiling in September, Apple may be gearing up to forge new ground in an entirely new product category (at least, for Apple).
That’s right: The Apple Card, first announced in March and slated for release this summer, is gearing up for its launch. While Apple hasn’t said much about its credit card, by far the most buzzed-about service at its March event, the recent developers beta for iOS 12.4 — plus an unexpected Apple Store outage on Monday — suggest the release is imminent.
Apple Card Release Date Hints
The most compelling evidence Apple is nearing a launch comes from the seventh version of the iOS 12.4 beta which was seeded Tuesday. Shortly after release, the iPhone sleuths on the iOS Beta subreddit found an explicit mention of Apple’s titanium card. The Apple Cash menu in the pre-released software now lets users toggle their Daily Cash notifications for Apple Card.
Redditor /u/mm0nam posted a screenshot of the option, which prompted multiple comments from other developers saying that they didn’t remember that option being there in the last beta version. This change just so happened to occur a day after Apple Store unexpectedly went down for a few hours, which lead a few Redditors wondering if the two occurrences were related.
“Maybe adding back-end support for the card,” wrote /u/Bornee35.
The Apple Store outage was unusual. Apple typically takes its store offline when it’s preparing for a product launch. But after it came back online there was no immediate evidence of prices changes or new offerings. That suggests the outage could have been some kind of maintenance update or other groundwork for a future release. That release looks increasingly likely to be the Apple Card.
The company updated its MacBook laptops on June 9, a refresh that followed a new iPod touch and two new MacBook Pros in March. Unless Apple has any other surprise launches up its sleeve, the Apple Card is up next, assuming Apple still plans to launch the card this summer, as indicated on the sign-up page.
The Apple Store unexpectedly went down for a few hours on July 15.
Apple Card Interest Rate and Perks
The Apple Card will be a companion credit card for Apple Pay and the company will charge an interest rate that’s dependent on your credit, as most credit cards do.
It’ll offer 1 percent cash back, which isn’t exceptional, but it offers more cash back to customers using Apple Pay or buying Apple products, which will net them two and three precent cash back, respectively.
The Apple Card's big selling point will likely be its Apple Pay and Apple Wallet integrations, along with modest cash back.
To coax more deep-pocketed users who are likely to be able to get better perks elsewhere, the Apple Card will also offer some privacy-enhancing features. The physical Apple Card won’t actually have a credit card number on it, and instead create and store unique credit card numbers in the iPhone’s Secure Element through Apple Wallet. Apple says this will prevent it from knowing anything about what you do with the Apple Card (though Apple’s payments processor, Goldman Sachs, will.)
All of this will be complemented by a flashy Apple Card menu in iOS, which will help users track spending and help with budgeting. And, to further cement the Apple Card’s luxury status, it will be made of titanium and heavy to the touch.
All signs point to the fact that Apple is on the cusp of launching its new credit card. Don’t be surprised if its online store is completely overhauled in the next few days.
