Individual Assignment #3 (W8IA) Instructions

Basic Instructions:

• Each student is to critically analyzethe provided information on Apple Computers. In particular, eachstudent updates the informationby additional research to include Apples newer product lines, its competitors,and recent events,and decides the lessons that have been learnedfor enterprise information systems managers, in a succinct report that includes a results-filledexecutive summary.
• Each studentalso researches for evidence, if any, that Apple uses any of the following in its business activities:business intelligence, enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), data mining, and intelligent systems, and assesses the results in the report

Additional Instructions:

it will be important to:

• Extract thelessonsof your Apple research for enterprise information systems managers.
• Present evidence whether Apple uses any of the topics named in the second "bullet" above
• Be succinct, as your readership will likely be busy with other things and can devote only a limited time to reading your ideas, no matter how good they are.
• Use good English,so as not to denigrate your worthy thoughts by making spelling or grammatical errors.Seehttp://owl.english.purdue.edufor one source of excellent language usage help, to include help for speakers of English as a second language, source long recommended by the UMUC Effective Writing Center

Required Format:

Please use APA format.

Required Readings:

• Benson, R.J., Ribbers, P.M., and Blitstein, R.B. (2014) Trust andPartnership: Strategic IT: Management for Turbulent Times. Preface and Chapter 1.Reread as necessary
• High, P.A. (2014) ImplementingWorld Class IT Strategy: How IT Can Drive Organizational Innovation. Foreword and Chapter 1.Reread as necessary

Multimedia:

• McFarlan, F. W. (n.d.)The new strategic weapon: Information technology. Cambridge: Harvard Business School Publishing.To be found in Content/Week 7. Review as necessary

Additional Readings:

Find them inContent/Week 8above (before) the Assignment Instructions that you are now reading.

They include starter information on Apple and Apple's supply chain explained.

Further:

• Apple, Inc. publishes "hot news" on its products athttp://www.apple.com/hotnews/.
• A source of news on Samsung's and competing smartphones is athttp://ibnlive.in.comewstopics/samsung.html.
• Lenovo announces its products athttp://shop.lenovo.com/us/en/portals/communications/

Teaching Assistant Professor AMBA 640 Real-Time Class Session Week 8 1 Warming Up - A Current Event in OM / ISM Walmart Stores Inc. is proving the key to success may be sound inventory management. The retail giant reported strong first-quarter sales after many competitors, including Macy's Inc. and Target Corp., disappointed on that front , reports the WSJ's Sarah Nassauer. Walmart has spent big to ensure store shelves are always stocked, and that products aren't piling up in aisles, backrooms and warehouses, resulting in a 3.5% drop in total inventories in the quarter. Walmart is also building up its e-commerce offerings to keep customers from bolting to Amazon.com Inc., the main culprit behind some competitors' weak sales last quarter. Walmart's course correction is proving a modest hit with consumers, with store visits up 1.5% and sales at stores open at least a year rising 1%. But keeping up with Amazon isn't cheap: profits were down despite the uptick in sales. -- wsj.com, 20 May 2016 2 Warming Up: California-Mexico Border Cars crossing into Mexico at San Ysidro, CA, south of San Diego 3 Arizona-Mexico Border Arizona-Sonora (Mexico) Desert - neither illegal immigrants , drug traffickers, nor electrons stop willingly at the border ISM's reach is international 4 Hermosillo, Mexico Makes 300K Ford Fusions and Lincolns per year 5 Tufesa, SA - International Bus Los Angeles and Phoenix to Hermosillo and Mexico City Wi-Fi equipped M-F toilets Air-conditioned Reserved seating An example of current motor vehicle technology - made in Sweden / Germany / Japan 6 Our Agenda Today CIO's Time Mike's Time Lessons Learned from Weeks 6 and 7 The Learning of Week 8 Key Terms Used in ISM \"Office Hours\" - Your Further Questions or Concerns 7 Weeks 8 & 9 DA - Draft AMC ISM Plan - Leadership Assignments Made Acme CIO: Amanda Osborn Acme Assistant CIO: Tom Lisle They have organized and tasked the section Acme COO: M. Blanford Acme CEO: J. Stewart 8 CIO's Time 9 CIO: Acme Mexico City ISM Plan Development A Project 10 Executive Office Executive Office CEO - Dr. James Stewart COO - Mike Blanford CIO - Amanda Osborn Assistant CIO - Thomas Lisle Provide structure and guidance Manage development of the plan Ask for guidance or clarification on outline/topics 11 Team Leaders/Groups Team Leaders Jennifer Phillips Kara Wagner Fabian Mueller Chris Camacho Responsible For Organizing Group's assigned content Reporting to CIO and ACIO any issues and progress Helping edit Group's content 12 Schedule Thursday, 5/26 - Project Initiation Tuesday, 5/31 - Team Leaders Report to CIO any issues and assignments made Friday, June 3 - Team Impactful Section V content due in LEO DA #4 Area (due to its impact on budget planning) Sunday, June 5 - Remaining Content due in LEO DA #4 Area (11:00 PM EST) Monday, June 6 - Draft combined and edited; follow-up with individuals Tuesday, June 7 - Final draft posted to LEO DA area Thursday, June 9 - Presentation of findings by CIO and ACIO 13 Assignments Refer to Draft ISM Outline Posted in DA #4 - for content requirements/guidelines - add and adjust as necessary as research is done - Ask Amanda and Tom for clarification or guidance 14 Team Impactful Section V - Stakeholders - Internal - External - How do the objectives of the store's information systems support their needs? 15 Team Magnificent Section VI - Information Systems - Servers - Networks - Internal Support Hardware & Software Requirements for each area and how they are integrated with each other See outline for full list of internal areas/sub-content 16 Team Awesome Section VI - Information Systems - External Support Hardware & Software Requirements for each area and how they are integrated with each other Section VII - Security - See outline for full list of sub-content 17 Team Stunning Section VIII - Staffing and Training Section IX - Maintenance of Systems and Future Improvements Budget Planning - work with Team Magnificent and Impactful for software and hardware purchasing requirements 18 Mike's Time Week 7 LRE (LRE-3) - Feedback posted The Week 7 LRE was due Tuesday. Answers can be found in your course materials and readings. Additional research may also help you with the completion of this assignment. Please submit your Week 7 LRE if you have not submitted, or resubmit it if it was returned ungraded. You must receive a grade of \"PASS\" on all three LREs before the end of the semester in order to successfully complete AMBA 640. ALL PAST DUE LREs MUST BE SUBMITTED TO PASS COURSE !! I am available for assistance on these assignments as well as any other questions that you may have regarding material in this class. 19 Lessons Learned from Week 6's Summary & W6TA Feedback A 7:49-minute Toyota Europe video summarizing the Toyota Production System (TPS) \"The Toyota Production System (TPS) is not just a process, but an attitude.\" Can the TPS values be transferred to other national cultures? The video implies yes - What do you think? Why has Toyota announced only last year an automobile production plant in Mexico? 20 Lessons Learned from Week 7 - 1 ISM is a supporting function, typically an enabler 21 Lessons Learned from Week 7 - 2 ISM is a supporting function, typically an enabler It can be employed at different levels of the organization 22 Lessons Learned from Week 7 - 3 ISM support at different organizational levels McFarlan ref; UMUC; Google; Amazon.com; U of Phoenix Grid analyses, Decision trees in W6TA Toyota TPS; Employee Asgt Sked in W5IA Adapted from O'Brien, MIS, 2009 23 Week 7 Enrichment Opportunity Solution Sigma rating: 5.39 5 by convention - Considered \"very good\" for human-delivered services - One Sigma calculator is at http://world-class-manufacturing.com/Sigma/level.html Qualitative considerations: - Language AMC support requires Spanish - Local market knowledge Favors Mexico City - Labor cost Low in both Mexico and Jamaica - Government regulation and taxation Lower than in USA 24 Week 7 Enrichment Opportunity Solution Sigma rating: 5.39 5 by convention - Considered \"very good\" for human services - One Sigma calculator is at http://world-class-manufacturing.com/Sigma/level.html Qualitative considerations: - Language AMC support = Spanish - Local market knowledge Favors Mexico City - Labor cost Low in both Mexico and Jamaica - Government regulation and taxation Lower than in USA r e w s n s a f f t o h e g rad i r o N ake t m 25 Connecting the Course Together by Its Learning Outcomes From our syllabus: Employ several world-class operations management techniques to improve an organization's performance. (Weeks 4-6) Assess the uses of information systems in support of managerial decision making in an organization. (Weeks 7-9, where we are now) Develop an integrated plan incorporating project, operations and information systems management to improve organizational performance. (Week10 EOCP) 26 The Learning of Week 8 There is besides the optional WR the third IA, a case study on Apple, and the start of the two-week section DA (DA 4), to prepare a draft international ISM Plan for Acme Mexico City 27 The Week 8 IA - 2 What's to Update in the Apple Case? MacBooks - Pro, Air models Software - Yosemite, El Capitn Wintel software compatibility iPad 3, iPad Mini, iPad Air, iPad Pro New iPod Nanos Competition - Lenovo, HP, Dell, BlackBerry, Android, Samsung, Kindle, Nook, Microsoft (Surface 4) ... Challenges/problems - high prices, bad antenna meters, software bugs (maps app), Foxconn's \"slave\" labor ... 28 The Week 8 IA - Key References My Critical Thinking note Apple Starter Information (in Content/Week 8) 29 The Weeks 8 & 9 DA (DA 4) Back to Acme Mexico City Actual Home Depot, Ciudad de Mxico (Mexico City) Actual Walmart, Puerto Vallarta (competitor) 30 The Weeks 8 & 9 DA - 1 The tasking from our syllabus: - The section, working in teams under the leadership of a student CIO and Assistant CIO, prepares a draft information systems management plan for the Acme Mexico City store that addresses at least the following areas: An executive summary The objectives of the facility's information systems in terms of how they should support the needs of each AMC stakeholder group (first, define these groups) cont 31 The Weeks 8 & 9 DA - 2 cont The specific information requirements of each stakeholder group A description of the information systems designed for the store including hardware, software, processing/procedures and staffing recommendations Training required Maintenance and future improvements of the system A planning budget for the above 32 Key ISM Term Definitions Information Systems (IS): The means by which people and organizations, gather, process, store, use and disseminate information. Information Technology (IT): Technology - essentially computer hardware, software, and telecommunications networks - facilitating IS. Information System Management (ISM): Management techniques employed to control IS, and facilitating IT, to support optimal business enterprise performance. 33 Key ISM Terms: ERP Software Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software attempts to integrate all departments and functions across a company onto a single computer system that can serve all those different departments' particular needs. See http://www.cio.com/article/40323/ERP_Definition_and_Solutions#erp PeopleSoft by Oracle is UMUC's ERP software 34 \"Office Hours\" Your Further Questions or Concerns 35 \"Office Hours\" Your Further Questions or Concerns This week UMUC IT has set a news item to appear when you visit our classroom (faculty do not see it) The news item announces the availability of the UMUC student course evaluation survey Complete it carefully; the results are important to the course - and to your faculty members 36 Hermosillo, Mexico Cathedral State Capitol Villain University Hero Heroine Villain TV serial: Mentir para Vivir - Lie to Live 37 Our Agenda Today CIO's Time Mike's Time Lessons Learned from Weeks 6 and 7 The Learning of Week 8 Key Terms Used in ISM \"Office Hours\" - Your Further Questions or Concerns 38 Teaching Assistant Professor AMBA 640 Real-Time Class Session Week 8 39 Starter Information on Apple, Inc. This is intended to get you started on your research into this company for Individual Assignment #3 (W8IA). 1. Here is an Apple products timeline: Timeline of Apple Inc. products Products on this timeline indicate introduction dates only and not necessarily discontinued dates, as new products begin on a contiguous product line. Note that this timeline ends about 2012. What products or product versions has Apple introduced since then? How have the marketplace and Apple's competitors responded? Source: Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Apple_Inc.) 2. A brief description of Apple, Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, that designs, develops, and sells consumer electronics, computer software, online services, and personal computers. Its best-known hardware products are the Mac line of computers, the iPod media player, the iPhone smartphone, the iPad tablet computer, and the Apple Watch smartwatch. Its online services includeiCloud, the iTunes Store, and the App Store. Apple's consumer software includes the OS X and iOS operating systems, the iTunes media browser, the Safari web browser, and the iLife and iWork creativity and productivity suites. Apple was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne on April 1, 1976, to develop and sell personal computers.[5] It was incorporated as Apple Computer, Inc. on January 3, 1977, and was renamed as Apple Inc. on January 9, 2007, to reflect its shifted focus towards consumer electronics. Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) joined the Dow Jones Industrial Average on March 19, 2015.[6] Apple is the world's second-largest information technology company by revenue after Samsung Electronics, world's largest technology company by Total Assets and the world's third-largest mobile phone maker. On November 25, 2014, in addition to being the largest publicly traded corporation in the world by market capitalization, Apple became the first U.S. company to be valued at over $700 billion.[7] As of March 2015, Apple employs 98,000 permanent full-time employees,[4] maintains 453 retail stores in sixteen countries,[1] and operates the online Apple Store and iTunes Store, the latter of which is the world's largest music retailer. Apple's worldwide annual revenue in 2014 totaled US$182 billion (FY end October 2014[8]). Apple enjoys a high level of brand loyalty and, according to the 2014 edition of the Interbrand Best Global Brands report, is the world's most valuable brand with a valuation of $118.9 billion.[9] By the end of 2014, the corporation continued to manage significant criticism regarding the labor practices of its contractors, as well as for its environmental and business practices, including the origins of source materials. Source: Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.) 3. Apple's Brand Loyalty See also: Criticism of Apple Inc. Comparison with a cult/religion Apple aficionados wait in line around the Apple Store New York City in anticipation of a new product. Apple's high level of brand loyalty is considered unusual for any product. Apple evangelists were actively engaged by the company at one time, but this was after the phenomenon had already been firmly established. Apple evangelist Guy Kawasaki has called the brand fanaticism "something that was stumbled upon,"[232] while (Jonathan) Ive, (Apple's head of product design) explained in 2014 that "People have an incredibly personal relationship" with Apple's products.[56] Apple Store openings can draw crowds of thousands, with some waiting in line as much as a day before the opening or flying in from other countries for the event.[233] The opening of New York City's Fifth Avenue "Cube" store had a line half a mile long; a few Mac fans used the setting to propose marriage.[234] The line for the Ginza opening in Tokyo was estimated to include thousands of people and exceeded eight city blocks.[235] Fortune magazine named Apple the most admired company in the United States in 2008, and in the world from 2008 to 2012.[236][237][238][239][240] On September 30, 2013, Apple surpassed Coca-Cola to become the world's most valuable brand in the Omnicom Group's "Best Global Brands" report.[241] Boston Consulting Group has ranked Apple as the world's most innovative brand every year since 2005.[242] John Sculley (former Apple CEO) told The Guardian newspaper in 1997: "People talk about technology, but Apple was a marketing company. It was the marketing company of the decade."[243] Research in 2002 by NetRatings indicate that the average Apple consumer was usually more affluent and better educated than other PC company consumers. The research indicated that this correlation could stem from the fact that on average Apple Inc. products were more expensive than other PC products.[244][245] In response to a query about the devotion of loyal Apple consumers, Jonathan Ive responded: What people are responding to is much bigger than the object. They are responding to something rarea group of people who do more than simply make something work, they make the very best products they possibly can. It's a demonstration against thoughtlessness and carelessness.[56] Source: Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.) 4. Manufacturing The company's manufacturing, procurement and logistics enable it to execute massive product launches without having to maintain large, profit-sapping inventories. In 2011, Apple's profit margins were 40 percent, compared with between 10 and 20 percent for most other hardware companies. Cook's catchphrase to describe his focus on the company's operational arm is: \"Nobody wants to buy sour milk\".[115][294] During the Mac's early history Apple generally refused to adopt prevailing industry standards for hardware, instead creating their own.[295] This trend was largely reversed in the late 1990s, beginning with Apple's adoption of the PCI bus in the 7500/8500/9500 Power Macs. Apple has since adopted USB, AGP, HyperTransport, Wi-Fi, and other industry standards in its computers. FireWire is an Appleoriginated standard that was widely adopted across the industry after it was standardized as IEEE 1394.[296] Source: Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.) 5. Finance Apple is the world's second-largest information technology company by revenue after Samsung Electronics, and the world's third-largest mobile phone maker.[338] It is also the largest publicly traded corporation in the world by market capitalization, with an estimated market capitalization of $446 billion by January 2014.[339] On February 17, 2015, Apple became the first US corporation to be valued at over $750B[340] The company's worldwide annual revenue in 2013 totaled $170 billion.[346] In May 2013, Apple entered the top ten of the Fortune 500 list of companies for the first time, rising 11 places above its 2012 ranking to take the sixth position.[347] Source: Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.) 6. Tax Practices and Litigation Apple has created subsidiaries in low-tax places such as the Republic of Ireland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and the British Virgin Islands to cut the taxes it pays around the world. According to The New York Times, in the 1980s Apple was among the first tech companies to designate overseas salespeople in high-tax countries in a manner that allowed the company to sell on behalf of low-tax subsidiaries on other continents, sidestepping income taxes. In the late 1980s Apple was a pioneer of an accounting technique known as the "Double Irish with a Dutch sandwich," which reduces taxes by routing profits through Irish subsidiaries and the Netherlands and then to the Caribbean.[349] British Conservative Party Member of Parliament Charlie Elphicke published research on October 30, 2012,[350] which showed that some multinational companies, including Apple Inc., were making billions of pounds of profit in the UK, but were paying an effective tax rate to the UK Treasury of only 3 percent, well below standard corporation tax. He followed this research by calling on the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne to force these multinationals, which also included Google and The Coca-Cola Company, to state the effective rate of tax they pay on their UK revenues. Elphicke also said that government contracts should be withheld from multinationals who do not pay their fair share of UK tax.[351] In June 2014 the European Commissioner for Competition launched an investigation of Apple's tax practices in Ireland, as part of a wider probe of multi-national companies' tax arrangements in various European countries.[352] As part of the Luxembourg Leaks, Apple was revealed to use the Luxembourg tax haven for tax avoidance.[353] In 2015 Reuters reported that Apple had earnings abroad of $54.4 billion which were untaxed by the IRS. Under U.S. law corporations don't pay income tax on overseas profits until the profits are brought into the United States.[354] Main article: Apple Inc. litigation Apple has been a participant in various legal proceedings and claims since it began operation.[355] In particular, Apple is known for and promotes itself as actively and aggressively enforcing its intellectual property interests. Some litigation examples include Apple v. Samsung, Apple v. Microsoft, Motorola Mobility v. Apple Inc., and Apple Corps v. Apple Computer. Source: adapted from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Inc.) Recent News - Source: http://www.apple.com/hotnews/ Introducing Apple Music All The Ways You Love Music. All in One Place. June 8, 2015 Apple today unveiled Apple Music, a single, intuitive app that combines the best ways to enjoy music all in one place. Apple Music is a streaming music service, a worldwide live radio station broadcasting 24 hours a day, and a new way for music fans to connect with their favorite artists. Apple Music combines the largest and most diverse collection of music with the expertise of world-class experts who have programmed playlists for your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, PC, Apple TV, and Android phones. Apple Music will be available starting June 30 in over 100 countries. \"We love music, and the new Apple Music service puts an incredible experience at every fan's fingertips,\" said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. \"All the ways people love enjoying music come together in one app a revolutionary streaming service, live worldwide radio, and an exciting way for fans to connect with artists.\"Read more: apple.com/pr Apple Previews iOS 9 June 8, 2015 Apple today unveiled iOS 9, giving a preview of new iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch software that will be available this fall. In this upcoming release, iOS devices become more intelligent and proactive with powerful search and improved Siri features all without compromising users' privacy. New multitasking features designed specifically for iPad allow you to work with two apps simultaneously, side-by-side, or with the new Picture-in-Picture feature, to keep watching a video while browsing the web, composing email, or using any other app. \"iOS 9 is packed with more intelligence throughout, and delivers big updates to the apps customers use most Maps supports public transit, a redesigned Notes app provides great new ways to capture ideas, and a beautiful News app delivers content that's personalized to your interests,\" said Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering. \"With our new iPad features, users can take advantage of the power of iPad, working in two apps at the same time with Split View, Slide Over, or Picture-in-Picture.\" Read more: apple.com/pr Apple Announces News App for iPhone and iPad June 8, 2015 Apple today unveiled an all-new News app delivering the best news reading experience on any mobile device. Available with iOS 9 this fall for iPhone and iPad, News combines the visually rich layout of a magazine with the immediacy and customization of digital media. News follows over a million topics and pulls relevant stories based on your specific interests that can be easily shared or saved for later. News is powered by the new custom-designed Apple News Format, a digital publishing format that allows publishers to create beautiful layouts. \"News seamlessly delivers the articles you want to read in a beautiful and uncluttered format, while respecting your privacy, because Apple doesn't share your personal data,\" said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. \"We already have nearly 20 publishers representing more than 50 titles joining us, including Cond Nast, ESPN, The New York Times, Hearst, Time Inc., CNN, and Bloomberg.\" Read more: apple.com/pr Apple Announces OS X El Capitan June 8, 2015 Apple today announced OS X El Capitan, a new version of OS X that refines the Mac experience and improves system performance. Building on last year's release of OS X Yosemite, El Capitan introduces enhancements to window management, built-in apps, and Spotlight search, and makes everyday activities faster and more responsive. Metal, Apple's breakthrough graphics technology, is integrated into El Capitan, delivering systemwide performance gains and enabling games and pro apps to tap into the full power of Mac graphics processors. \"OS X delivers unparalleled integration between Mac hardware, iOS devices, apps, and online services, and has helped Mac sales outpace the PC industry every year for the last decade,\" said Craig Federighi, Apple's senior vice president of Software Engineering. \"Customers loved last year's landmark OS X Yosemite release and made it the fastest-adopted PC operating system ever. With El Capitan, we're further refining the Mac experience with enhancements to window management, Spotlight, and built-in apps, and improving performance so everyday activities from launching apps to accessing email are faster and more responsive.\" Read more: apple.com/pr Apple Previews New Apple Watch Software June 8, 2015 Apple today previewed watchOS 2, the first major software update for Apple Watch, giving developers the tools to build faster and more powerful apps running natively on Apple Watch. Starting today, developers can take advantage of innovative hardware features of Apple Watch including the Digital Crown, Taptic Engine, and heart rate sensor, along with software APIs to build new app experiences. Available to Apple Watch users this fall, watchOS 2 also includes new watch faces, third-party app information as watch face complications, and new communication capabilities in Mail, Friends, and Digital Touch. \"We are thrilled with the feedback we're getting from Apple Watch customers, and after just a few weeks of availability we're excited for developers to start building native apps for watchOS 2,\" said Kevin Lynch, Apple's vice president of Technology. \"We think Apple Watch users will love being able to see information from their favorite apps right on the watch face, and enjoy the many new experiences developers will dream up now that they have access to even more innovative features of Apple Watch.\" Read more: apple.com/pr Apple Pay Giving Shoppers Even More Ways to Pay June 8, 2015 Apple today announced Apple Pay is adding support for rewards programs and store-issued credit and debit cards with iOS 9. Apple Pay will also give shoppers more ways to pay in the U.S., expanding merchant acceptance to over one million locations next month and bringing support for Discover this fall. With this addition, Apple Pay will accept credit and debit cards across all major card networks, issued by the most popular banks, representing 98 percent of all credit card purchase volume in the U.S. \"Apple Pay has kicked off a new era of payments and our users love the incredibly easy, secure, and private way to pay,\" said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. \"We're bringing our customers the most requested features with support for rewards and store-issued cards, and expanding how and where Apple Pay is accepted, which truly transforms the way people pay.\" Read more: apple.com/pr Apple Pay Coming to the UK June 8, 2015 Apple today announced that starting next month, Apple Pay will be available to customers in the UK, bringing them the easy, secure and private way to pay. At launch, over 250,000 locations will accept Apple Pay, with support from eight of the UK's most established banks, across all of the major credit and debit card networks. \"We're thrilled to bring Apple Pay to the UK with support at launch from the most popular banks, an incredible roster of merchants, and many of our users' favorite apps.\" said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. Read more: apple.com/pr