Apple Said To Team With Visa, MasterCard On iPhone Wallet 187
An anonymous reader writes with news about a possible partnership between Apple and major credit card companies. Apple plans to turn its next iPhone into a mobile wallet through a partnership with major payment networks, banks and retailers, according a person familiar with the situation. The agreement includes Visa, MasterCard, and American Express and will be unveiled on Sept. 9 along with the next iPhone, said the person, who asked not to be identified because the talks are private. The new iPhone will make mobile payment easier by including a near-field communication chip for the first time, the person said. That advancement along with Touch ID, a fingerprint recognition reader that debuted on the most recent iPhone, will allow consumers to securely pay for items in a store with the touch of a finger.
Re:As much as I hate Apple (Score:5, Insightful)
This is not really a surprising move from Apple. It was more or less a given once they rolled out TouchID.
On the flip side, I've been listening to various Internet commentators go on and on about how Apple "has to have NFC" (reason: "because Android does"). Meanwhile, I've had an RFID credit card for approximately five years now, and, despite attempting to use it at numerous terminals marked with the RFID symbols, have only been successful in using it less than five times. Apparently no one running a retail payment terminal cares.
Even if you are a hater, you have to admit Apple's entry into this market will help spur businesses to roll out NFC terminals, or switch on NFC on their existing terminals, or just make sure the NFC works.
Re:Nothing really new (Score:4, Insightful)
What's the big deal?
Hundreds of millions of potential customers will have this technology on Apple's [single] platform. Keyword: "Single."
Now don't talk of Android because we know it's all fragmented.
Blackberry? Well, this is of no consequence.
Microsoft? It still doesn't matter.
Who else? Got your answer: Anyone cares about this? I doubt.
Mobile payment exists since the late 1990s.
Yes, but Apple's gonna finally do it "right."
Re:As much as I hate Apple (Score:4, Insightful)
Hahahaha! You're proud of being overcharged?
That Stockholm syndrome is some really powerful shit...
Clearly you are a hater. But why waste the energy? I use an iphone 4S since 3 years and I don't mindwhen others use whatever Android device. Good for them. Good for me.
Re:As much as I hate Apple (Score:5, Insightful)
Well, in all honesty, Apple still has the best selling smartphone, undisputed. Granted, the 127 different models Samsung produces are selling more, but Apple makes three phones in the top 6, just like Samsung. The iPhone 5c is the #1.
http://news.yahoo.com/apple-sa... [yahoo.com]
Re:As much as I hate Apple (Score:5, Insightful)
Market share isn't the important factor though. iPhone sales have grown every year. Apple's profits have grown every year. They are the most profitable phone vendor by a long way. If that's failing, I'd love to fail as hard as Apple are.
Re:Nothing really new (Score:3, Insightful)
Android fragmentation is irrelevant. The number of NFC enabled Android phones vastly outnumbers the number of Apple NFC enabled phones, which is currently zero. Even if the iPhone six sells as well as the iPhone 5 before it the market for Apple vs. Android payments (and all NFC enabled Android devices support it, regardless of OS version) will probably force Apple to be compatible at some stage.
Re: As much as I hate Apple (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:As much as I hate Apple (Score:5, Insightful)
You're really setting up a no win situation here. If they don't perform positive ethical acts, then they are unethical. If they do, then it's just "brand management bullet points".
It's funny though, how we have two people here - one calling them unethical, and one pointing out ethical things that they have done - and you perceive this as "there's somebody here worshipping the brand". Not two people with different opinions. One person with a suspect opinion. That's an odd perception.
Also, if anybody is astroturfing, I'd lay my money on the anonymous coward and not the person with a Slashdot account that is several years old with excellent karma.
Re:As much as I hate Apple (Score:5, Insightful)
The only fair price to enable spending your own money is zero.