Apple Seems to Be Getting Into My Business
Apple Seems to Be Getting Into My Business
September 27, 2024, 11:09 pm
Filed under: business, economics, technology | Tags: Apple, apps, cell phones, enshittification, patreon, Rot Economy, tech, USAA
When Chase bank charged me $15 for not having enough money in my account, I switched to USAA bank. I felt very strongly that people (and especially me) should not be penalized for being insolvent. I went with USAA because when my friends would put down their cards after a meal and discovered they all had USAA, they would all commence to talk about how much they loved their bank. I had literally never heard of anyone loving their bank before so when Chase let me down with that $15 charge, I signed up for USAA. Twenty two years later, I still have the same bank but I’m considering making a change and I suspect general enshittification and the rot economy are to blame but also, very plausibly, Apple.
When I joined this bank in 2002, I could not have imagined that the company that made my computer might have some role in my banking. If you’d told me that there was a connection back then, I would have been very confused. Back then, because the bank is a military bank based in Texas, most business was conducted over the phone, and deposits went through the mail. It was quirky but it worked.
When smartphones and mobile apps were invented, things got a lot easier. We were able to deposit checks on-line, easily, through our tablets and phones. Gone were the days of waiting a week for a check deposit to make it all the way to Texas; Now there was almost instant access to funds. Neat! These things were made possible by Apple and all this new tech. It took me a while to get the devices necessary but as of a few years ago, I had this USAA mobile app on an iPad and on my iPhone. I could deposit checks whenever I wanted! Technology is a miracle!
Recently, though, every time I tried to use one of these apps, it told me I needed to update my operating system in order to get the new update, in order to use the app. And yet, both my devices were fully updated. I came to understand that it was my devices that were too old for this app and I’d have to use the web for my banking. For most things, this was totally fine — but then I needed to deposit a check. The only way to deposit a check on-line was through the app and I had no app to use.
I called the bank, unable to believe that, in 2024, I was not able to make an on-line deposit. They told me they’d send me some deposit slips and envelopes. We’re doing this old school now, I guess.
And, you know, I don’t mind a little retro time travel but I’m pretty pissed to be booted off my bank app because my tech is too old — particularly since my phone was new four years ago. We have enough phones and tablets in our landfills, thank you!
And the reason I think Apple is to blame is because of another institution. So — I’ve been with Patreon pretty much from the beginning — like everyone, they’ve got an app now — because, as I learned from the man who coined the term “ enshittifcation” about tech developments, apps are how companies can get around data privacy restrictions. No fault of Patreon’s — but everyone’s got an app and they’re always trying to get you to download them instead of just taking care of your business on the web. Anyway — apparently Apple now wants a cut of Patreon’s profits that come through their app and Patreon is restructuring their whole paradigm because of these fees. Apple is dictating a whole new business model because of their dominance over apps and phones.
Because of my experience with Patreon, I suspect that the reason I can’t deposit a check on-line anymore Is because Apple is charging my bank too much to support older tech. I also feel fairly certain that Apple is trying to get us to buy new phones by making our old ones obsolete through the apps.
I asked the web support person at my bank what my options were for on-line deposit now and it was “get a new phone”. And if I hadn’t said, “Do I have to do paper deposits like it’s the 20 thcentury?” I’m not sure this service rep would have thought of it. It’s handy to have been around for twenty two years so we know how they used to do it. But I’m pissed about it. I’m pissed at my bank and I’m pissed at Apple. I’m pissed at Patreon (still the best way I can make a living, become a patron!) and I’m pissed at the government for not breaking up this Apple monopoly stranglehold on our technology.
After twenty two years, I might switch banks so I can bank like it’s the Twenty First century. After four years with an iPhone, I might switch back to Android because — come on.
It really does feel like everyone is trying to go out of business. Whenever I talk to a human at USAA, they thank me for being a loyal customer for the last twenty two years. This time, the second person I spoke to wished me a belated happy birthday. There are reasons to stay but niceties may not be enough if the technology is going backward rather than forward. Not everyone has the latest model of the iPhone or iPad. And I resent like hell being pushed off a perfectly useable piece of tech. The landfills are full enough of these things. There has to be a different way. We’re going backwards. And not in a good way.
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Originally published at http://artiststruggle.wordpress.com on September 28, 2024.
