Apple Looking to Develop Mobile Payment Service

[MacDude21]

This will be the selling feature of iOS 8 and will not be available on the 5S due to "hardware restrictions"

I don't think they will do that to the 5S. But 5C, 5, 4S they probably will, and 4 will not be able to get iOS 8.

 

[mazz0]

I don't think they will do that to the 5S. But 5C, 5, 4S they probably will, and 4 will not be able to get iOS 8. Trust me, that's how that kind of thing works. The oldest device that's compatible with the current iOS will not be compatible with the next, at least for iPhone and iPod

Yep, I agree. I expect the pattern will continue with iOS versions, but surely getting the new service into as many hands as possible is key, so enabling it on the 5S will be a no-brainer.

 

[Stella]

But it's not a payment system is it? I thought it was just a loyalty card style thing. And I'm sure if Apple wanted NFC they'd use NFC.

Can you not use Starbucks passbook to pay for coffee?

It Is used as loyalty card thing as well.

Apple didn't add NFC because they didn't have the payment infrastructure to support it - hence why I always thought Passbook was put in place as a stop gap.

 

[69650]

I've never really seen what problem passbook is designed to solve. When I get my debit card of of my wallet to pay it's hardly any effort to get my loyalty card out as well, easier, in fact, than getting my phone out. Now, if I've got my phone out to pay then the equation changes. If course, it'd be a bit of a pain having to switch apps from the passbook to the payment app. I wonder if what we'll actually see will be an integration of the two - an API so passbook developers can add a pay option, ie there won't be an iPay app by Apple, you'll use the app belonging to the shop you're in.

Passbook was intended as a way of storing your tickets on your phone rather than having paper. It was never intended to be a payment option. I use it to store my airline tickets which is great but it would be even better if I could also store my hire car documents, cinema/theatre tickets, loyalty cards, etc.

The less cards and paper I can carry in my wallet the better as far as I'm concerned.

 

[dontwalkhand]

Can you not use Starbucks passbook to pay for coffee?

It Is used as loyalty card thing as well.

Apple didn't add NFC because they didn't have the payment infrastructure to support it - hence why I always thought Passbook was put in place as a stop gap.

Every Gas Station, Home Depot etc all take PayPass with no issues.

 

[zipa]

For now, leapfrog the credit card industry. Charge merchants a half percent less than they pay now, and see the the world flock to the Apple payment system.

Why would "the world" flock to a payment system that around 90% of the customer base would not have access to?

You seem to forget that iphone has any relevant market share pretty much only in America (and Japan?), RoW is sitting at around max 20%, and with smartphone adoption at around 50%, well, you do the math.

Also, all the credit card companies are united behind NFC and smart cards, and a large amount of retailers, at least in Europe, have been replacing their payment terminals with NFC-enabled systems.

Besides, why would the CC-industry allow this? Apple's iTunes store is rather dependant on the fact that credit card companies handle their payments. Apple tries to mess with them, they stop doing business with Apple. Who do you think has more to lose there?