Following a couple of weeks of trickling out early invitations, Apple this week launched Apple Card for all U.S. customers, offering broad access to the new digital and physical credit card issued in partnership with Goldman Sachs.
This week also saw a host of rumors and leaks, including details on Apple's upcoming iPhones, word of updates for the MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, AirPods, and HomePod, and a leak suggesting the Apple Watch Series 5 may come with options for ceramic and titanium cases.
Check out our wrap-up below for more details on those stories and more from the past week!
Apple Card Launches in United States
Following five months of waiting and a limited rollout earlier in August, the Apple Card is finally available for all qualifying customers in the United States. iPhone users aged 18 or older can apply for the card in the Wallet app by tapping on the plus icon in the top-right corner, and if approved, begin using the digital version of the card within minutes.
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Once approved, customers can then order a physical, titanium Apple Card for purchases at stores that do not accept contactless payments. Apple has even shared cleaning instructions for the card — keep it away from leather wallets and denim jeans apparently!
Apple also announced that more merchants will begin offering 3% Daily Cash, starting with Uber and Uber Eats.
2019 iPhones With Multi-Angle Face ID and Cheaper HomePod as Early as 2020
While it has yet to be announced, we're likely under three weeks away from Apple's traditional September event, where the company is widely expected to unveil new iPhone and Apple Watch models.
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Ahead of time, Bloomberg has outlined several expectations for the devices, including 2019 iPhones having improved water and shatter resistance and multi-angle Face ID that even works flat on a table.
The report also calls for a 16-inch MacBook Pro with slimmer bezels, an iPad Pro refresh, and a new 10.2-inch iPad later this year, as well as higher-priced AirPods with water resistance and noise cancelation and a cheaper HomePod with fewer tweeters as early as 2020.
Tuesday, September 10 is the predicted date of Apple's event.
New Ceramic and Titanium Apple Watch Models Uncovered in watchOS 6 Beta
Just days after respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo assured that new Apple Watch models will launch later this year, four unreleased model numbers were filed with the Eurasian Economic Commission.
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The new Apple Watch lineup will likely include new titanium and ceramic models based on leaked assets discovered in the watchOS 6 beta.
The new Apple Watch models, and likely new bands, are expected to be unveiled alongside new iPhones in September.
Apple Arcade Will Likely Cost $4.99 Per Month, Six Games Leaked in Hands-On Video
Apple Arcade is set to launch this fall, providing iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV users with access to a library of over 100 games on a subscription basis, with no ads or additional in-app purchases.
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9to5Mac recently managed to gain access to an internal early access program for Apple Arcade, intended for Apple employees, leading to leaks such as the service's likely $4.99 per month price with a free one-month trial and a hands-on preview of six games that will be available to subscribers.
Apple TV+ is also set to launch this fall, with a new report claiming Apple plans to launch the streaming video service by November. Apple is said to be considering a price of $9.99 per month. Meanwhile, we've uncovered evidence to suggest offline viewing and multiple streams might be supported.
iOS 13 and iPadOS Beta 8 Released
Apple has seeded the eighth beta of iOS 13 and iPadOS to developers for testing, as well as the corresponding seventh beta for public beta testers.
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Not a whole lot is new in the latest beta, as Apple has reached the later stages of testing, but here are Apple's detailed release notes. iOS 13 and iPadOS will be widely released to all users in September.
Apple has also seeded the sixth beta of macOS Catalina and the eighth beta of watchOS 6. There was no new tvOS beta this week.
Hands-On With CarPlay in iOS 13: Everything That's New!
In one of our latest YouTube videos, we went hands-on with CarPlay in iOS 13, providing a closer look at several new changes to the platform.
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There's a new side-by-side dashboard, for example, that displays the Maps app, Shortcuts, Siri suggestions, Now Playing for music, and upcoming Calendar events all at a glance, which is convenient.
Trump Says Tim Cook Made 'Good Case' That Tariffs Would Put Apple at Disadvantage With Samsung
U.S. President Donald Trump and Apple CEO Tim Cook met for dinner last week, and Trump has since told reporters that Cook made a "very compelling argument" that tariffs on Chinese imports could put Apple at a disadvantage with rival Samsung.
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The U.S. plans to impose an additional 10 percent tariff on approximately $300 billion of Chinese imports on September 1, but last week it delayed the tariff to December 15 for products including the iPhone, iPad, and MacBooks.
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