Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. discontinue
    • ex. The toy store will discontinue selling this toy because of low sales.
  2. initial
    • ex. The team had several meetings during the initial stage of the project.
  3. flexible
    • ex. The bank offers a flexible payment plan for its new credit card.
  4. a lender
    • ex. She borrowed money from a lender to pay for the hospital bill.
  5. an executive
    • ex. The executives meet every Monday to discuss business plans.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Apple will discontinue Apple Pay Later in the U.S. It’s the company’s buy now, pay later service that had an initial launch just about a year ago. This service allows iPhone users to divide payments of up to $1,000 (approximately ¥161,000) into four parts with no fees. Apple then announced that it would allow customers to purchase Apple products using popular financing companies Affirm and Klarna instead.

So, how can Apple customers use these financing companies? In an announcement, Apple said that it would integrate Affirm’s services into Apple Pay, the company’s mobile payment service. This new installment loan program will be available globally. Therefore, Apple customers worldwide, not only in the U.S., will have more flexible payment options with the help of banks and lenders.

With Apple Pay Later discontinuing, what will happen to loans that have been made through this service? According to Apple, these loans can still be managed through the Apple Pay service. In addition, Apple executives mentioned that the company still has plans for the Apple Pay Later service.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Payment Methods and Managing Finances

  • What payment method do you usually use for buying expensive items, such as a smartphone (ex. credit card payment, cash payment)? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, is the Buy Now, Pay Later plan or service a good payment method? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • How important is it for you to manage your finances? Discuss.

Apple

  • Do you like using Apple products and services? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Imagine that Apple Pay Later is available in your country. Would you use this payment method to buy any Apple products? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • Imagine you are one of the Apple executives. What products and services do you think the company should start offering (ex. new device for health and wellness, data security)? Discuss.