Later this fall, Apple Pay Later will let customers in the United States pay for online and in-app purchases through a six-week installment plan with no interest or fees.
Previewed at WWDC, Apple Pay Later will let customers split a purchase into four equal payments paid over the course of six weeks. Apple Pay Later will include zero interest and no fees and will be available "everywhere Apple Pay is accepted," according to Apple.
Inside the Wallet app, users will see a new overview of all of their upcoming payments and how much they owe and can set a personal budget. Apple says that Apple Pay Later will only be available to qualifying applicants, but no further details have been shared.
Thursday January 29, 2026 10:07 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today confirmed to Reuters that it has acquired Q.ai, an Israeli startup that is working on artificial intelligence technology for audio.
Apple paid close to $2 billion for Q.ai, according to sources cited by the Financial Times. That would make this Apple's second-biggest acquisition ever, after it paid $3 billion for the popular headphone and audio brand Beats in 2014.
Q.ai has...
Sunday February 1, 2026 10:08 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly nine months later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon.
In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis.
In his Powe...
Saturday January 31, 2026 10:51 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple recently updated its online store with a new ordering process for Macs, including the MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, and Mac Pro.
There used to be a handful of standard configurations available for each Mac, but now you must configure a Mac entirely from scratch on a feature-by-feature basis. In other words, ordering a new Mac now works much like ordering an...
Sunday February 1, 2026 12:31 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
The calendar has turned to February, and a new report indicates that Apple's next product launch is "imminent," in the form of new MacBook Pro models.
"All signs point to an imminent launch of next-generation MacBook Pros that retain the current form factor but deliver faster chips," Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on Sunday. "I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated...
Sunday February 1, 2026 5:42 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple is planning to launch new MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips alongside macOS 26.3, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
"Apple's faster MacBook Pros are planned for the macOS 26.3 release cycle," wrote Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today.
"I'm told the new models — code-named J714 and J716 — are slated for the macOS 26.3 software cycle, which runs from...
I find the 3 x fortnightly payment thing a bit strange. The use case for this would normally be to spread the cost across salary payments which, in the UK, normally happen monthly. I appreciate this is US only, so perhaps the payment frequency is different in the US?
US workers generally get paid fortnightly, and this is a US-only feature for now. Here in the UK it is common to have a credit card where, if you pay back your debt monthly with direct debit, you end up having ~1.5 month interest-free (I have that with my Amex). PS autocorrect wrote that US workers get laid fortnightly, does Apple know something I don’t?
Well that would be the fiscally responsible thing to do... but so many people lack the discipline to do that.
(those with such discipline, as well as not spending everything they make, typically don't use buy-now-pay-later financing...)
Paying cash when you can get an interest-free loan is not smart, financially speaking.
I can afford to buy anything that Apple currently sells in online store, but given the choice between paying all upfront, or paying over time, I would choose paying over time, every time, and I do.
Now, if there was a discount for cash, that would be a totally different story.
For more info about Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL), CNBC ('https://www.cnbc.com/2022/05/13/buy-now-pay-later-is-not-a-boom-its-a-bubble-harvard-fellow-says-.html') has some good articles. Search for "BNPL"- this is still a new 'product' in the US, "without much regulatory oversight, the BNPL market currently exists in “a legal gray space,” according to Lux."
The merchants / stores are able to ring up higher purchase totals; the banks loaning out the money are making their money through late fees, etc.
Good point...I was thinking about the money they make if the customer pays on time...the banks stand to make even more money on late fees, etc if the customer pays late. They only lose in a complete default which is probably relatively rare given the short terms and relatively low amounts of the funding.
Bleagh, now that it's clear what this product really is, it feels pretty unsavory for Apple to be getting involved with it.
