On August 20, 2019, Apple officially launched Apple Card with any US citizen able to apply. Since then it’s been a hit, but it’s faced controversy over everything from low reward rates to alleged sex discrimination — and Apple’s partner wanting to pull out.
Apple Card
Apple Card
In every sense bar one, Apple Card is typical of the products Apple has been most famous for making. First it was rumored for years, then it launched to fanfare and criticism, plus it was even thought of first by Steve Jobs. The difference is that apart from its titanium card, it’s not hardware, and apart from its app, it’s not really software either.
Apple Card belongs to the moment when Apple most clearly pivoted from being a hardware company that also did software, to one it’s arguably a services firm. Apple was heading that way for a long time, and it’s not as if its hardware and software are going away.