Month: August 2019

Apple Card Review

Last week I received my Apple Card and I have been using it for the past week. What I love about my Apple Card are the security features, reporting, ease of use and the rewards program.

What is Apple Card?

  • Apple’s vision of credit card services.
  • An Apple branded MasterCard (partnered with Goldman Sachs).
  • The Apple Pay version of the MasterCard is paired with your iPhone device.
  • The physical Titanium version of the Apple Card has your name printed on the front, but no CC data is visible (you access this from your Apple Wallet).
  • The Apple Cash rewards program is calculated daily (1% for all Apple Card transactions, 2% for all Apple Pay transactions & 3% for all Apple purchases).
  • All CC management is performed from Apple Wallet.

Why should I care about Apple Card?

  • If you are a fan of Apple products and you want to simplify your credit card use, then Apple Card is for you.
  • Provides a single place to manage your credit card services from your iPhone (Apple Wallet) – including spending analysis, transaction details, card payment, CC data, card lock/unlock, etc.
  • In the US, the culture for paying your bill in a restaurant has the server taking your CC away from your table to process the payment (outside of the US, the EFT terminal is brought to you) – by using your Titanium Apple Card, this removes the risk of your CC data being compromised.
  • Very simple rewards program with a daily calculation of Apple Cash.
  • Zero fees.

How do I use Apple Card?

  • Use the Titanium Apple Card or Apple Pay to purchase goods and services.
  • Get your Apple Cash rewards daily.
  • All credit card management functions are delivered via Apple Wallet on your iPhone.

How do I get Apple Card?

  • Prerequisite – Have an iPhone running iOS 12.4 with a valid Apple ID.
  • Open Apple Wallet and Apply for the Apple Card.
  • Confirm your name, address, SSN and provide a photo of your Government ID.
  • Press Apply and instantly receive your result. Depending upon your credit score, the amount of credit offered will vary.
  • Once you accept the terms and conditions, Apple Pay is ready for use.
  • Within 1-week, your Titanium Apple Card will be delivered to you.
  • Use Apple Wallet to activate the card (in proximity to the plastic folder your card was delivered in).

Which is better? VMware or Nutanix?

I get this question all the time – “Hey René, you are an expert on VMware, why do you bother with Nutanix?” or vice-versa, depending upon whether I am talking to a VMware or Nutanix employee.

And my answer is, “Well it depends upon the customer requirements, both vendors have great solutions.” Let me elaborate, generally speaking both companies have the following attributes:

VMware

  • Extensive product eco-system that is getting broader and deeper each year
  • Broad support for third party vendors
  • Loads of nerd knobs exposed for complex use-cases
  • Rolls Royce of software and features
  • Likes to lead by acquisition
  • VMware is over 20 years old

Nutanix

  • An obsessive focus on simplicity
  • Second to none customer support
  • Great choice for simple use-cases
  • Likes to build from the ground up
  • Nutanix is 10 years old

In summary, my advice to customers is this: If you have very simple use-cases, you care about vendor support and you want things to work with the minimum of fuss, then Nutanix with AHV should be on your list. If you have complicated use-cases, your infrastructure team loves fiddling with software settings and you have a broad range of third party integrations into the hypervisor, then VMware is the way to go. Both companies have a vision that they are currently executing and will deliver working solutions, it just comes down to what the customer is trying to achieve.