Apple Card FirstLook and protective card case DIY
Water-proof, dent-proof, every-day-use-proof, and more...
The Hook
When we were invited to “receive” the new Apple Card, we thought “3% back on Apple gear, one-time-use account number for each transaction, daily points totaling…why not?”
The application process was a quick two minutes on the iPhone, the approval was just as fast, the delivery of the physical card came in two days and had UPS tracking with live updates. Smooth, smooth, smooth.
The Reveal
The Apple Card came packaged in a securely-sealed cardboard sleeve with no external markings of any kind. We could tell that Apple spent time selecting juuust the right sleeve: this was not some generic crappy cardboard, but a heavy, clean-edged, smooth-finished, protective cover.
Q: How cool can you possibly be that you don’t even need ONE name for everyone to know who you are?
A: Awesomely, stupendously cool.
We kinda hated to open it, it was so…perfect.
The design of this was so well done, we thought for a second it was Apple’s new back-pocket-sized tablet.
Opening our “gift,” we found the titanium Apple Card secured in a pocket inside. On the flap securing the card was a single line of instruction on how to activate the card. No other instructions were needed.
Clearly, “simplicity” is the message Apple wants to convey with this new piece of financial gear.
No fine print at all.
As advertised, there is just a name on the card. No numbers or merchant contact info of any kind, on the front or the back, are present.
Also not present is the box for the user’s signature. It’s no longer needed as this card is chipped.
Signature not needed if you are “Apple-d.”
The card itself is made of titanium (an element, mind you, not even an alloy), giving it a solid feel without feeling heavy. Most of the card is covered with a flat Apple White coating. Logos (Apple, Goldman Sachs, MasterCard) are etched into the coating, revealing the titanium metal underneath. The effect is pretty cool, over-the-top, and absolutely Apple. For contrast, here is an old Apple credit card from the 1990’s for comparison. Yes, the card had yellowed over the years.
Cool-not-cool
Titanium is obtained through open-pit mining, an extraordinarily damaging process of extracting material from the earth–huge, scourge-of-the-earth kind of damage. And then…and THEN…actually getting the titanium requires a LOT of chloride. More damage, more detritus, more danger. Read more about titanium extraction here.
How has Apple procured “their” titanium? New titanium, recycled titanium? Not a single word exists on Apple’s web page for the card. Nor, for that matter, why they choose titanium in the first place.
We all know Apple and its products (generally) are hip and awesome and trendy and with-it cool, but…couldn’t the company have done something really spectacular with the physicality of this product, like create a new material for it from banana peels, used drinking straws, and kevlar? Something Apple-worthy, you know what I’m saying?
Plastic – still works, still relatively easy to reuse.
Making a Case for the Case – Just in Case
The entire initial experience was “pure Apple.” However, after reading Apple’s advice on how to care for the Card, we had to laugh as it was beyond ridiculous. Yes, the inside is made of the titanium, but maybe the outside should’ve been ceramic instead? Apple’s intent is for people to USE this card, no? But hey…we are not taking any chances
One can never be too careful.
Not wanting to wait for the market to respond with the inevitable protective “Apple Card case,” we tasked one of the RainyDayInterns to come up with something appropriate to carry the Apple Card without having to worry about scratches, discoloration, or damage.
It will also survive a nuclear attack.
What Eliot and Milo came up with was nothing short of genius! They realized that the shock-resistant waterproof Otterbox case with the movable protective anchors would be perfect for the job! Nothing is going to touch that card once it’s inside this vault!
“This is not the card you’re looking for…”
When they asked one of the editors whether she thought the case was enough “protection,” she said, “From the Apple Card ever being using? Definitely!”
We are deeming our DIY case a success, since it feels as if Apple has created an artifact, not a product 😉
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