Apple plans to introduce services that would let customers use its iPhone and iPad computer to make purchases, said Richard Doherty, director of consulting firm Envisioneering Group.<\/p>\n
The services are based on “Near-Field Communication”, a technology that can beam and receive information at a distance of up to four inches, due to be embedded in the next iteration of the iPhone and the iPad 2, Doherty said. Both products are likely to be introduced this year, he said, citing engineers who are working on hardware for the Apple project.<\/p>\n
Apple’s service may be able to tap into user information already on file, including credit-card numbers, iTunes gift-card balance and bank data, said Richard Crone, who leads financial industry adviser Crone Consulting LLC in San Carlos, California. That could make it an alternative to programs offered by such companies as Visa, MasterCard and EBay’s PayPal, said Taylor Hamilton, an analyst at consultant IBISWorld.
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“It would make a lot of sense for Apple to include NFC functionality in its products,” Crone said.<\/p>\n
The main goal for Apple would be to get a piece of the $US6.2 trillion Americans spend each year on goods and services, Crone said. Today, the company pays credit-card processing fees on every purchase from iTunes.<\/p>\n
By encouraging consumers to use cheaper methods – such as tapping their bank accounts directly, which is how many purchases are made via PayPal – Apple could cut its own costs and those of retailers selling Apple products.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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