To: pyslent who wrote (166659 ) 2/28/2014 12:56:14 PM From: Ryan Bartholomew Read Replies (1) | Respond to None of the options you mentioned are currently available to iPhone users, none of them except iPayments will be available to iPhone users in the near future, if ever. If someone can roll out a payment service that can succeed despite ignoring the iPhone constituency, maybe you are right-- it could make the iPhone ecosystem look less attractive in comparison and negatively affect purchase decisions. ... In the US, I don't think a service or app can ignore the iOS user base and have any chance of success. Has anyone ever done it? Well, that cuts both ways, right? If the allure of a 5% discount on most purchases makes the NFC (or other) options broadly appealing and increasingly accepted, Apple will similarly be shooting themselves in the foot if they ban or otherwise prevent their users from not being able to use them. Of course, Apple could (and I think would have to) make their service able to bill through to card of choice, and that would allow for the same discounts, but it would also wipe out the primary source of profits. A lot of firsts, not much credit. You get credit for popularizing a feature, not for rolling it out first. (In reference to the Moto Atrix). Absolutely. That;s an enviable position Apple has... because they're the only iOS manufacturer and are concentrated into just a few very popular products, they can put almost anything on device and whether or not it's actually new or just hasn't been discussed much, they're instantly seen as the inventor of that feature. Sometimes they are, but many times (like fingerprint sensors, swiping, pinching, tablet form factor, etc.), they are not. What they are *brilliant* at is marketing, and putting existing stuff together in a way that appeals to the masses (especially when it involves simplicity).
