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Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Apple Pay Expands to Additional Banks in Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands

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Apple Pay has expanded to more banks in Europe today, including ING in Germany, bunq in Austria, and ABN AMRO in the Netherlands.

ING supporting ‌Apple Pay‌ in Germany is notable after a lengthy waiting period following the original announcement. ‌Apple Pay‌ made its debut in Germany in December, allowing iPhone and Apple Watch users in the country to take advantage of the contactless mobile payments service if their card issuer supports it.

Meanwhile, the Federation of German Cooperative banks (BVR) are said to be preparing for ‌Apple Pay‌ support, as are the Sparkassen and Giroverbandes (DSGV) association of savings banks. Both the BVR and the savings banks could start offering support later this year.

European challenger bank bunq brought ‌Apple Pay‌ to its customers in Austria today. "Austrian users can now enable both Maestro and Mastercard cards for ‌Apple Pay‌, so they get the best of both worlds. This gives them the freedom to pay with their iPhone or ‌Apple Watch‌, whenever they want, wherever they go," said bunq founder and CEO Ali Niknam.

Starting today all of our users in Austria can set up ‌Apple Pay‌ in 5 minutes. 🌈
Click here to learn more about how to get #ApplePay in Austria💳📲: https://t.co/FxMJqxF6cn pic.twitter.com/hBET7nuNl5
— bunq (@bunq) October 15, 2019

Last but not least, ABN AMRO, one of the largest banks in the Netherlands, announced ‌Apple Pay‌ support in early September and now the bank's customers can finally start using Apple's payment service. Rabobank is expected to offer support in the country soon.

‌Apple Pay‌ has been gradually expanding across Europe and the Middle East, launching in Poland, Norway, Kazakhstan, Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic, Saudi Arabia, Austria, and Iceland over the last year.

Apple CEO Tim Cook said in March that ‌Apple Pay‌ would be available in more than 40 countries and regions by the end of 2019, although Apple's website has yet to be updated with the full list. ‌Apple Pay‌ first launched in the United States in October 2014. You can view the full list of ‌Apple Pay‌ countries and regions on Apple’s website.

(Thanks, Geert!)

Tags: Apple Pay, Europe

This article, "Apple Pay Expands to Additional Banks in Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Realme X2 Pro with Snapdragon 855 Plus SoC, 90Hz Fluid Display Launched: Price, Specifications

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AMC Entertainment to Launch Video on Demand Digital Movie Service Today

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AMC has announced the launch of a new on-demand video streaming service that's designed to compete with Apple's iTunes Store and Amazon's Prime Video, allowing film fans to rent and buy movies once their theater run ends.

Called AMC Theaters on Demand, the online store launches today with around 2,000 films in its catalog, with new releases being added after their standard theatrical run.

Movie studios including Disney, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures, and Paramount have agreed deals with the theater chain to sell and rent movies both old and new over the video-on-demand service. Each film can be rented for between $3 and $5.99, and purchased for between $9.99 and $19.99.

The program resembles one that Cineplex in Canada has offered for some time, but AMC is the first major American chain to offer a similar service.

According to The New York Times, the new service aims to capitalize on AMC Stubs, the chain's fast-growing customer loyalty program that launched last year and already covers more than 20 million households. Taking up the market left behind by the now-defunct MoviePass, AMC Stubs A-List members can see up to three movies a week for one monthly price.

AMC Stubs members bought about six million tickets to "The Lion King" over the summer. When "The Lion King" becomes available digitally on Tuesday, "those people will all get a personalized message from AMC saying that they can now enjoy it at home through AMC Theaters On Demand," said Elizabeth Frank, AMC's chief content officer.

AMC is said to have been working on the video-on-demand service for more than two years and was close to introducing AMC Theaters On Demand this summer, but delayed the launch while it fine-tuned the technology and online store design.

Tag: AMC Theaters

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Google Pixel 4 Series and Nest Devices Spotted on Bluetooth SIG Ahead of Today’s Launch

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Honor 20 Youth Edition aka Honor 20 Lite to Launch in China Today: Specs, Features

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Monday, October 14, 2019

Jason Sudeikis Heads to Apple TV+ With New 'Ted Lasso' Comedy

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Saturday Night Live alumnus Jason Sudeikis is bringing his "Ted Lasso" character to Apple's streaming service, reviving the role he debuted in 2013 for NBC Sports with its English Premier League coverage, according to Variety.

Variety has learned that Apple TV Plus has given a series order to “Ted Lasso,” on which Sudeikis will star in addition to writing and executive producing. In the series, Sudeikis plays Lasso, an idealistic all-American football coach hired to manage an English football club despite having no soccer coaching experience at all.

Apple TV+ launches November 1, although the Ted Lasso series clearly won't be ready to debut for some time. Just today, Apple launched a new press site showcasing information on a number of movies and series coming to ‌Apple TV‌+, which will be priced at $4.99 per month for up to six family members. Customers who purchase a new Apple device can, however, qualify for a free year of ‌Apple TV‌+.

Tags: Apple TV Shows, Apple TV Plus

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