This seems appropriate to me and the contracts actually seem better than I expected. Had the states wanted to roll out their own digital id programs, they would need to pay for the design and infrastructure that Apple created.

I think it’s also just using wallet so the expenses of creating the item and distributing it on the state issuing the ids. Just like the ticket vendor is responsible for the costs of getting the ticket into wallet.

Although that cost seems low.

It’s surprising that the verge’s reporting is so unaware and oblivious to the realities of the situation. It seems more like uninformed/incompetent writer than just apple negativity.