Apple shutters the greeting card creation and delivery app two years after its introduction with the iPhone 4S.
September 10, 2013 9:11 PM PDT
Scott Forstall introducing Cards in 2011.
(Credit: Josh Lowensohn/CNET)
Apple quietly discontinued its Cards app on Tuesday, just two years after launching the greeting card app.
iOS users who launched the app this afternoon were greeted by the message: "The Cards service is no longer available." Attempts to visit the app's page are redirected to the iPhoto '11 page, suggesting that Apple is offering the photo-sharing app as an alternative.
An Apple Knowledge Base page seems to offer the only public acknowledgement of the closure Apple has offered:
CNET has contacted Apple for comment on the closure and will update this report when we learn more.
September 10, 2013 9:11 PM PDT
(Credit: Josh Lowensohn/CNET)
Apple quietly discontinued its Cards app on Tuesday, just two years after launching the greeting card app.
iOS users who launched the app this afternoon were greeted by the message: "The Cards service is no longer available." Attempts to visit the app's page are redirected to the iPhoto '11 page, suggesting that Apple is offering the photo-sharing app as an alternative.
An Apple Knowledge Base page seems to offer the only public acknowledgement of the closure Apple has offered:
As of September 10, 2013, the Cards iOS app service is no longer available.
Cards ordered before 1 PM Pacific time on September 10, 2013, will be delivered, and push notifications will continue to work.
You can view your previous purchases by tapping Saved Cards in the app.
Note: You can still order beautiful letterpress cards customized with your photos and text using iPhoto on your Mac. Cards ordered through iPhoto are shipped through a carrier such as FedEx rather than through the United States Post Office.
Introduced alongside iPhone 4S in 2011, Cards let iPhone users create fold-in-the-middle greeting cards that Apple would then send to recipients on real paper via snail mail. Buyers used their Apple ID account to make payments and received a push notification when their card was delivered if it was shipped in the U.S. as part of a partnership with the U.S. Postal Service.Cards ordered before 1 PM Pacific time on September 10, 2013, will be delivered, and push notifications will continue to work.
You can view your previous purchases by tapping Saved Cards in the app.
Note: You can still order beautiful letterpress cards customized with your photos and text using iPhoto on your Mac. Cards ordered through iPhoto are shipped through a carrier such as FedEx rather than through the United States Post Office.
CNET has contacted Apple for comment on the closure and will update this report when we learn more.