The Apple event of yesterday did not excite me – and you?

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I must say that the event yesterday Apple was for me a kind of snoozefest.

Now, I fully recognize that this is partly due to my particular tastes. For starters, I'm not a TV guy: I have not owned a TV for 20 years, and even if I have a Netflix account, it's impossible to use enough to justify the lower cost. So, no matter what Apple has announced there; it would not interest me.

Same thing with games. I have X-Plane on my iPad and I use it briefly several times a week, as well as three or four other games that I play maybe several times a year. Basically, I do not have the game gene.

But although I can say to Apple: "It's not you, it's me", the truth is that it's partly Apple too …

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Apple News +

Apple News +, for example. If Apple had managed the impossible and given access to the top 10 American newspapers for $ 10 a month, I would have taken it well. Most of my news is on the BBC News website, where there are other sources for different perspectives on important topics, but I love newspapers for their editorials and reporting. If Apple had given me access to the New York Times, Washington Post, and the Chicago Tribunefor example, I would have considered this a good deal.

But, as I predicted, this was not the case. The terms proposed by Apple – retaining 50% for itself and dividing the remaining 50% among all other pro-rated publications – made no sense for the big boys, who are perfectly capable of selling individual subscriptions.

With regard to magazines – meh. I rarely read them these days, numerically or otherwise. That's what websites are for.

Apple Arcade

As I say, I am not a player. But even if you are, the announcement of yesterday is unlikely to give you a hard time. I mean, it can be great. The games could be fantastic and a low monthly cost to access more than 100 of them could be a good deal.

But we have no way of knowing. We do not know which games will be offered. We do not know how much a subscription will cost. We do not know when the service will be available. It's quite difficult for anyone to get excited about what was only a concept.

Apple TV and Apple TV + channels

It was a similar story with television. Of course, being able to ungroup packages via Apple TV channels and subscribe only to the content you want, that's fine. Do everything via the TV application is neat. I do not want to dismiss one or the other of these things. As for the games, it could be very interesting.

But again, we do not know. We do not know the individual pricing of the channels. We do not know which offers will be offered if you want to use multiple channels. And we do not know the exact release date.

As for Apple TV +, it will depend on how much you like the look of the TV shows, or the lure of the celebrities involved, but I've seen little sign that someone jumps up and down with excitement. And again, we do not know the price or the release date.

I think Mark Gurman may have nailed the only potentially exciting thing about television:

So, if television content is removed from iTunes, I will finally be able to realize my wish and see it reinvented as a standalone music application.

Apple Card

Finally, the Apple card, a new credit card announced by the company Cupertino in partnership with Goldman Sachs.

I like the look of it. Expenditure analysis by color code seems to be a very practical function. The user-friendly calculator displaying interest payments will be convenient for those who do not pay the full balance each month. The optional physical card is a work of art – and I would probably buy one simply because it is beautiful.

Receiving an instant alert for each transaction is reassuring, but it's not unique to Apple, that's what I get with my Amex card, for example.

And while cashback is decent – 1% for physical card payments, 2% for Apple Pay and 3% for Apple purchases – it's not exceptional. Ted Rossman of CreditCards.com pointed out some comparisons.

Citi Double Cash is a 2% refund card very simple and easy to use. And this concerns everything (not just Apple Pay purchases). If you want to optimize Apple Pay, the Visa Infinite Bank US Altitude Reserve card gives 3 points per dollar on mobile wallet expenses (a 3% discount or a 4.5% discount on travel). It's really interesting: the US bank offers better Apple Pay rewards than Apple.

The Citi card, like that of Apple, is free. The US bank does it – $ 400 a year – but offers a range of extras that allow the average customer to win $ 726 a year.

So, overall, I did not find the yesterday's Apple event particularly exciting. And you? Please take our survey, and share your feedback in the comments.

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