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I’d be surprised if Apple didn’t move further into fintech than Apple Pay and Apple Card. Buy one of the online banks, one of the instalment payment providers e

by thom 5y ago

I’d be surprised if Apple didn’t move further into fintech than Apple Pay and Apple Card. Buy one of the online banks, one of the instalment payment providers etc, offer finance solutions that ever so slightly shorten upgrade cycles on the hardware side.

rvz 5y ago
I can imagine them partnering with a cryptocurrency exchange to provide cryptocurrency wallet support in Apple Wallet.
- fbanon 5y ago
  Lol, no. Apple will never associate with something as sketchy as crypto. The same reason they won't ever allow porn or gambling on the AppStore. Apple is about happy families, pastel colors and round shapes.
  - breakfastduck 5y ago
    Apple don't allow gambling apps on the App Store? That's not true.
    - fbanon 5y ago
      5.3.3 Apps may not use in-app purchase to purchase credit or currency for use in conjunction with real money gaming of any kind, and may not enable people to purchase lottery or raffle tickets or initiate fund transfers in the app.
      - The-Bus 5y ago
        Apple has FanDuel, DraftKings, MGM Sportsbook, etc. So it may follow the 5.3.3. rule, but it's certainly gambling in spirit if not in practice.
        thom 5y ago
        They also allow real gambling anyway, in the UK at least.
      - breakfastduck 5y ago
        Irrelevant what this says, they DO allow gambling apps. https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/william-hill-sports-betting/id465712788 https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/william-hill-sports-betting/id... https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/bet365-sports-betting/id519684662 https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/bet365-sports-betting/id519684... Two of the largest bookmakers in the UK. And this one is a lottery app so directly one of the things you've said is not allowed https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/the-national-lottery-official/id406675149 https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/the-national-lottery-official/...
      - jsmith45 5y ago
        That rule is about about the IAP feature. Gambling apps are not required to use IAP, since they don't fall into the definition of what must use IAP. See for example, apps that let you purchase insurance being listed as an example of IAP exempt apps in 3.2.1(v). 5.3.3 forbids using IAP for these purposes, as under some jurisdictions it would put Apple under the gambling regulations. (Apple could be viewed as collecting bet money from betters on behalf of the bookmaker). 5.3.4 makes it perfectly clear that gambling apps are allowed, if they are "free", properly licensed/authorized to operate, and geo-restricted to only be available where they are authorized to operate.
- notafraudster 5y ago
  I'm not saying it's impossible, but Apple is a company that cares a great deal about the environmental valence of their products. Obviously CSR is a bit of a shell game no matter who does it, but Apple seems to take it seriously, and they seem to have made pretty real strides in reducing both operations and manufacturing footprint. Moreover, as compared to many electronic manufacturers, they seem more willing in general to actually impose environmental responsibilities on suppliers, and subcontractors, and further downstream. One example of this is that they build or buy huge amounts of renewable power, and they work with suppliers who don't use renewable power to switch. Without getting into the debate about the true environmental impact of cryptocurrency, we can all agree that cryptocurrency has an external appearance of being environmentally bad. Maybe that's unfair, maybe it's not. But if Apple announces meaningful cryptocurrency integration, it is going to expose them to that debate in a way that superficially will seem to cut against their values. As a result, I do not expect them to do so. That's not to say they'll block cryptocurrency efforts by third parties, just that I do not think they're ever going to do anything themselves or trumpet those kinds of connections. Small disclosure note: I worked in an academic lab where coworkers, one of whom later a coauthor of mine in an unrelated product, were hired by Apple to do some work on conflict minerals, mineral sourcing in their supply chain, and Dodd-Frank's conflict mineral oversight provisions. I was not involved in the project personally and it ended several years ago, but obviously it gave me a bit of exposure to Apple's efforts that no doubt shapes my perception here.
  - rvz 5y ago
    > we can all agree that cryptocurrency has an external appearance of being environmentally bad. But ARE all cryptocurrencies environmentally bad? Do you have evidence for both claims?
    - sofixa 5y ago
      Can you name any one that isn't? Even "different" ones like Chia that don't use proof of work have bad externalities ( it eats hard drives). If one day Ethereum moves to proof of stake, that might change, but as of today there isn't a single one that's even remotely popular which doesn't do serious environmental damage.

by thom 5y ago

rvz 5y ago

I can imagine them partnering with a cryptocurrency exchange to provide cryptocurrency wallet support in Apple Wallet.

fbanon 5y ago
Lol, no. Apple will never associate with something as sketchy as crypto. The same reason they won't ever allow porn or gambling on the AppStore. Apple is about happy families, pastel colors and round shapes.
- breakfastduck 5y ago
  Apple don't allow gambling apps on the App Store? That's not true.
  - fbanon 5y ago
    5.3.3 Apps may not use in-app purchase to purchase credit or currency for use in conjunction with real money gaming of any kind, and may not enable people to purchase lottery or raffle tickets or initiate fund transfers in the app.
    - The-Bus 5y ago
      Apple has FanDuel, DraftKings, MGM Sportsbook, etc. So it may follow the 5.3.3. rule, but it's certainly gambling in spirit if not in practice.
      - thom 5y ago
        They also allow real gambling anyway, in the UK at least.
    - breakfastduck 5y ago
      Irrelevant what this says, they DO allow gambling apps. https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/william-hill-sports-betting/id465712788 https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/william-hill-sports-betting/id... https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/bet365-sports-betting/id519684662 https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/bet365-sports-betting/id519684... Two of the largest bookmakers in the UK. And this one is a lottery app so directly one of the things you've said is not allowed https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/the-national-lottery-official/id406675149 https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/the-national-lottery-official/...
    - jsmith45 5y ago
      That rule is about about the IAP feature. Gambling apps are not required to use IAP, since they don't fall into the definition of what must use IAP. See for example, apps that let you purchase insurance being listed as an example of IAP exempt apps in 3.2.1(v). 5.3.3 forbids using IAP for these purposes, as under some jurisdictions it would put Apple under the gambling regulations. (Apple could be viewed as collecting bet money from betters on behalf of the bookmaker). 5.3.4 makes it perfectly clear that gambling apps are allowed, if they are "free", properly licensed/authorized to operate, and geo-restricted to only be available where they are authorized to operate.
notafraudster 5y ago
I'm not saying it's impossible, but Apple is a company that cares a great deal about the environmental valence of their products. Obviously CSR is a bit of a shell game no matter who does it, but Apple seems to take it seriously, and they seem to have made pretty real strides in reducing both operations and manufacturing footprint. Moreover, as compared to many electronic manufacturers, they seem more willing in general to actually impose environmental responsibilities on suppliers, and subcontractors, and further downstream. One example of this is that they build or buy huge amounts of renewable power, and they work with suppliers who don't use renewable power to switch. Without getting into the debate about the true environmental impact of cryptocurrency, we can all agree that cryptocurrency has an external appearance of being environmentally bad. Maybe that's unfair, maybe it's not. But if Apple announces meaningful cryptocurrency integration, it is going to expose them to that debate in a way that superficially will seem to cut against their values. As a result, I do not expect them to do so. That's not to say they'll block cryptocurrency efforts by third parties, just that I do not think they're ever going to do anything themselves or trumpet those kinds of connections. Small disclosure note: I worked in an academic lab where coworkers, one of whom later a coauthor of mine in an unrelated product, were hired by Apple to do some work on conflict minerals, mineral sourcing in their supply chain, and Dodd-Frank's conflict mineral oversight provisions. I was not involved in the project personally and it ended several years ago, but obviously it gave me a bit of exposure to Apple's efforts that no doubt shapes my perception here.
- rvz 5y ago
  > we can all agree that cryptocurrency has an external appearance of being environmentally bad. But ARE all cryptocurrencies environmentally bad? Do you have evidence for both claims?
  - sofixa 5y ago
    Can you name any one that isn't? Even "different" ones like Chia that don't use proof of work have bad externalities ( it eats hard drives). If one day Ethereum moves to proof of stake, that might change, but as of today there isn't a single one that's even remotely popular which doesn't do serious environmental damage.