Apple plotting point-of-sale putsch?

The next round of Apple iPhones and iPads will include near-field communications tech, says one industry watcher, a move that would give further legitimacy to that point-of-sale payment system. "Apple could be the game-changer," Richard Doherty, director of the consulting firm Envisioneering Group, told Bloomberg on Tuesday, …

[Nick 6]

So much wrong with this

iPad - stupid size to take out shopping with you. Except I guess there'll be a mini sized one for the morons who have got an iPhone and a fondle slab but who still have money to be parted with.

And the apple one probably won't let you buy anything unless its approved by the Jobsian puppet machine. Oranges ? No sir, I'm afraid you can't buy those. Just lemons.

[Anonymous Coward]

Oranges Arent the Only Fruit

Blackberries? No sir, I'm sorry that is totally banned. What do you mean, that's a fruit too?

[Anonymous Coward]

And of course no porn

you'll need to use real money for that

[Anonymous Coward]

Envisioneering?

ok, pretty sure i've got him in the correct pigeon-hole

[Anonymous Coward]

Bloomberg Talks Out of Arse, Nobody Surprised

Would you really trust Apple's iTunes to run a POS system, given stuff like this happening?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/01/25/itunes_gifting_scam/

[bazza]

london underground

Plus of course there's the problem of the proposed nfc implementation not being quick enough

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/12/23/oyster_london_nfc/

Not sure that the japanese system is rudimentary - seems to work very well indeed. Admittedly it isn't universal across all shops in the country but seems to be available for a lot of rapid purchase situations - buses, trains, coffees, etc. But whatever Apple comes up with it's not going to work in Japan unless it follows their standards.

[Tim Bates]

I can see it coming...

"Sorry, we don't take iTunes credit."

[Dan 92]

It's not only Japan that has been doing this for years

It's been available in many countries for quite a while now.

http://www.paypass.com/

Visa does it as well.

[Tony Paulazzo]

Can you hear that?

It's the sound of a million iSouls having their bank accounts emptied with Apples response being, 'Change your password.'

[Anonymous Coward]

Load the chip

Maybe it could work like the Dutch "Chip" system - the cash is stored directly on the card. The terminal merely debits this - no need for a "dial back" to a server for authorisation. Once the balance is empty, you take the card to a dedicated terminal to top it up.

Major downside is that if you lose the card, you lose the cash as their is no central registry of balances.

[skinner]

Finger lickin'?

Am I the only one how getting hunger pangs for a certain type of fried chicken after reading this article?

Such is the power of branding.

[Anonymous Coward]

Watch out visa/mastercard

If Apple pull their finger out, they could be offering tomorrows key method of payment, severly denting Visa/Mastercard profits and market position.

Especially if their PR dept can make the technology as attractive as iPhone has been. (Humans are like sheep, and will follow anything it seems, in herds)

Jobs is not daft offering the terminals to retailers free of charge. Fast up take, fast profits.