mpantone

As I predicted there will be no event. That deadline came and went over a week ago (Tuesday October 15).

It's interesting to see that Apple has chosen to have in-person events in Los Angeles instead of an event at the corporate campus and that they are focusing on a carefully selected handful of creators



as reported by 9to5Mac

https://9to5mac.com/2024/10/24/apple-october-event-confirmed-details/

It is extremely unlikely that we will see any products next week utilizing the M4 Max or M4 Ultra SoCs. It is crystal clear that Apple Engineering (both hardware and software) doesn't have the bandwidth to launch all four variants at the same time or in quick succession.

Furthermore there are usually some hints when a new CPU is incoming: Geekbench results with mysterious device IDs, references in beta versions of the operating system, etc. There are no such teasers for the Max and Ultra variants of the M4 silicon at this point.

Other tech media sites (Bloomberg is one) have speculated that the M4 MacBook Air is coming in Q1 2025 with the Mac Studio to follow later. A good bet would be for the Mac Studio with M4 Max SoC to be announced at WWDC 2025 in June.

Another thing not to expect would be any drastic price cuts. It's not like TSMC's latest and greatest node is some sort of bargain offering. Tech media has repeatedly reported wafer price increases. Apple will be pass this along to customers, it's not like they are going to take a major hit to gross margins.

I also doubt the unveiling of a new Apple TV next week. I'm not sure what new silicon would bring to the table. Maybe a couple of minor features but certainly nothing major like a resolution increase. 8K video for consumer devices still isn't here yet even though NHK Japan has been doing terrestrial broadcasts for several years. An Apple TV that does 8K video probably won't come until the FCC migrates to 8K terrestrial broadcasts for US television stations.

Good for the CFPB the fine is justly assigned.

While I wasn't the victim of fraud I have certainly suffered poor customer service using Apple Card.

I made two small transactions when I got my card (September 2019) and when I tried to pay, the app was unable to process my linked checking account (the same one I use to pay off other cards, my property tax bill, healthcare premiums, utilities, etc.). Ultimately I ended up on a 45+ minute phone call with Goldman Sucks customer service which included me verbally reciting my bank's routing and account number to pay off the balance due. I have never had to do that before in three plus decades of owning credit cards.

I ended up with an Apple Cash Rewards balance of $0.15. I never made a single transaction after.

Then a year ago Goldman Sucks cancelled my Apple Card yet left my account open. And then bizarrely they started snail mailing monthly statements. God knows what it costs to do this but paper, printing, envelopes and postage aren't free.

Obviously I am not the only person who has received poor customer service from Goldman Sucks and the CFPB's findings uncovered even worse transgressions. This is why we have consumer protection laws.

Shame on Apple for picking such a poor financial institution as a partner. It's no surprise that Goldman Sucks is in the midst of exiting the entire consumer finance business.

Of course no financial institution is perfect, they have all made mistakes. Well, some mistakes aren't free. There are regulations that prevent banks from being slobs.

The rest of the consumer finance world (and not just US domestic) is probably well aware of Apple and Goldman Sucks' struggles. It may be a contributor as to why Apple Card -- after five years -- is still a US-only service. No other bank in the world has agreed to partner with Apple to bring Apple Card to their market.

Anyhow, I look forward to receiving my next mailed paper statement from GS in a couple of weeks. Keep draining your bank account sending me deadtrees documents. Loving it!

StefsterNYC said:

I never had a problem in the 5 years since I've had the card. How's this fine going to help us card holders though? 

The fine is a deterrent. It discourages others from doing the same thing.

If cops didn't give out red light tickets, there would be more people driving through red lights, with more accidents and more fatalities (especially pedestrians).

Or a restaurant not storing fresh dairy products at the proper temperature. Or an automobile manufacturer not testing the safety of airbags and seatbelts. And why marathon contestants can't just have an Uber drop them a block away from the finish line.

Difficult to understand?

Punitive fines aren't exclusive to the consumer banking industry. Pretty much everything can/is be regulated. It just comes down to enforcement. Note that Goldman Sucks has a *lot* of consumer customers, probably over a million. The CFPB investigation likely turned up many instances of inadequate response from GS, not just a few oopsies hence the $50 million fine. 

Just be grateful that here in the USA we have some fairly strict consumer protection laws, especially when it comes to banking. Most of these have developed and evolved over time as large corporations have taken advantage of the public. It's why you don't get store purchase receipts with the whole credit card numbers printed on them like back the Eighties and Nineties.

Anyhow welcome to AppleInsider's reader forums. Enjoy your time here.

I am trialing this on a backup iPhone with an unused eSIM. Signup and configuration via the myAT&T app went very smoothly and uneventfully. As the article mentions there were no prompts asking for credit card information. Provisioning the eSIM took less than a minute.