Apple Inc. 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 Inc., MasterCard Inc. and American Express Co. 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.
While companies such as Google Inc. have invested in creating ways for phones to make payments in a physical store, U.S. retailers have been slow to adopt the technology, thus limiting the use by shoppers, according to Ben Bajarin, an analyst for Creative Strategies LLC in San Jose, California. That could change with Apple entering the market because iPhones have the largest market share in the U.S., he said.
Apple leads
“Love it or hate, Apple drives a lot of standards in the industry,” Bajarin said in an interview. “They are the mover in these markets. When they do something, the industry seems to follow.”
Trudy Muller, a spokeswoman for Apple, declined to comment, as did Jim Issokson, a spokesman for MasterCard, and Mike O’Neill, a spokesman for American Express. Representatives from Visa didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
For Apple, the push into creating a mobile wallet is to keep users within its ecosystem, thus creating more loyalty to its brand and demand for its products, Bajarin said.
“It’s about retention, solving and adding features that keep your base engaged and keeping them loyal,” Bajarin said.
Apple’s move is also about generating more revenue from the roughly 800 million global iTunes accounts, which include payment information, that have already been created, said Richard Crone, chief executive officer of Crone Consulting LLC, which advises retailers and banks on mobile-payment solutions.
Marketing platform
Until now, iTunes accounts have been used in Apple’s marketplace, which is tiny compared to the vast retail market, Crone said. If Apple’s mobile wallet takes off, it could open up new possibilities as a marketing platform by generating advertising revenue from consumer brands wanting to reach shoppers while in a store. Crone’s firm estimates that a frequently used mobile wallet application could generate about $300 a year per user from advertising.
Apple’s success will largely depend on the acceptance of the retail industry, which has been wary of handing over the data gained during a transaction to a third party, Crone said. A group of chains, including Wal-Mart Stores Inc., formed a company in 2012 to build a mobile-payment system that has yet to release a product.
“There’s huge potential with Apple having a market- defining opportunity,” Crone said. However, “there’s lots of moving parts in payment that make the deals they did with artists and Hollywood for iTunes look like child’s play.”
Bloomberg
Mon Sep 01 2014
Love it or hate, Apple drives a lot of standards in the industry. - File pic
ASEAN-BAC akan tertumpu mendorong janji niaga, transaksi, produk serantau
Asean-BAC yang akan dipengerusikan oleh Malaysia tahun depan akan tertumpu untuk menghasilkan peningkatan janji niaga.
Menteri Luar Malaysia perkukuh hubungan dengan China semasa lawatan rasmi pertama
Menteri Luar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan mengadakan perbincangan substantif dengan rakan sejawatannya, Wang Yi, dalam lawatan pertama beliau ke China sejak memegang jawatan itu pada Disember 2023.
PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu: Khairul Azhari Saut diumumkan sebagai calon PN
Pemangku Ketua Bahagian Bersatu Hulu Selangor Khairul Azhari Saut diumumkan sebagai calon Perikatan Nasional (PN) bagi Pilihan Raya Kecil (PRK) Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Kuala Kubu Baharu.
MITRA rangka pelbagai bantuan untuk pembangunan masyarakat India
Unit Transformasi Masyarakat India Malaysia (MITRA) sedang merangka pelbagai program bantuan yang bersesuaian bagi pembangunan kaum itu.
ESSCOM laksana tugas cemerlang bendung ancaman - Kaunselor EU
Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM) telah melaksanakan tugas dengan cemerlang dalam membendung pelbagai ancaman di Zon Selamat Pantai Timur Sabah (ESS ZONE).
APMM rampas minuman beralkohol, bot, enjin bernilai RM472,000
APMM Labuan merampas minuman beralkohol pelbagai jenama, sebuah bot fiber, dan tiga enjin dianggarkan bernilai lebih RM472,000 yang disyaki terlibat dalam aktiviti penyeludupan.
Kefahaman orang ramai terhadap harta intelek masih rendah - Fuziah
Kementerian Perdagangan Dalam Negeri dan Kos Sara Hidup komited meningkatkan kefahaman orang ramai yang masih rendah terhadap harta intelek, kata Timbalan Menterinya Fuziah Salleh.
MITI perkenal slogan baharu: Fokus diperbaharui pacu pelaburan, perdagangan, industri
Kementerian Pelaburan, Perdagangan dan Industri (MITI) telah memperkenalkan slogan baharu "Pemacu Potensi Global" yang mencerminkan fokusnya yang diperbaharui.
Kelaparan akut jejaskan 281.6 juta orang tahun lepas - PBB
Tahap bahaya kelaparan akut menjejaskan 281.6 juta orang tahun lepas, tahun kelima berturut-turut bahawa ketakjaminan makanan semakin memburuk.
Pusat Kargo KLIA gempar ancaman bom, rupanya bungkusan berisi komputer riba
Pusat Kargo Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) gempar apabila mesin pengimbas menerima bungkusan tertera ayat ancaman bom hari ini.