Macworld:
Near Field Communications (NFC)—the technology behind those swipe-free terminals and now Apple Pay—is nothing new. The technology has existed since the late 1990s and appears in many forms, including key fobs, payment cards, and even (on certain phones) Google Wallet. It isn’t necessarily the most widely deployed payment technology, but it certainly isn’t new.
Which begs the question: Why all the hype about Apple Pay? Is it merely the Reality Distortion Field hyping something that’s actually ho-hum? Or is there something deeper here?
Rich Mogull is my go to guy when it comes to Apple security and issues surrounding it. As usual, he writes well and simply about a complicated topic.
I was amused seeing Android people on Facebook saying “NFC? Welcome to Android two years ago, Apple users!”.
I don’t think a single one of them had, of course, ever used their phone to make a contactless payment via NFC; reading that explains why, and also why Apple Pay will be … the one people actually use.
(Checklist features vs. slick, user-engaged UX and integrated solutions.
Same “comparison” as always, just like with fingerprint readers with the 5S vs. Samsung’s forgettable whichever-one-that-was.)
I did it once just to test it but never since. I don’t see terminals often enough to use Wallet or I probably would.
This will be Apple’s biggest strength: availability. Their deals make this a big deal, not the tech.