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by jonknee 3663 days ago
> The idea that you can only use Apple Pay physically always felt a bit limiting

Except that you could use it in apps from the start? Device to device sounds great, but that's not close to how Apple Pay works (standard credit cards, not merchant accounts). Square and others now simply provide NFC readers and it works fine.
2 comments
jburwell 3663 days ago
By physically, I mean having to use it from the device. I don't know how common a use case I represent, but I do most of my e-commerce purchasing from my laptop. I would have more more apt to adopt Apple Pay had I been able to place an order on amazon.com and pay with it from my web browser.
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spike021 3663 days ago
Probably just the idea of being a replacement for Square and similar readers.

But it'd only be Apple devices that can pay at that point, so not really worth it.

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jburwell 3663 days ago
My thinking is that it would lower the barrier of entry. The iPad/iPhone cannot be used to accept payments without some kind of addon that can break or get lost. The moment someone buys an iPhone/iPad, they can accept payments. It also opens some interesting use cases such as micro-payments between individuals. For example, paying a buddy back for your part of lunch or paying someone in-person for a purchase from Craigslist.
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msbarnett 3663 days ago
> It also opens some interesting use cases such as micro-payments between individuals. For example, paying a buddy back for your part of lunch or paying someone in-person for a purchase from Craigslist.

Unless Apple plans on opening a bank, the limiting factor here is still that you/your buddy will be taking a haircut on the credit card processing fees.

Apple Pay doesn't replace the card network, and the card networks are NOT interested in being structured to be micropayment friendly.

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jburwell 3663 days ago
Another completely missed opportunity on their part. Apple has the cash and where with all to be a bank. All they would need to do is purchase a community bank somewhere, and bam, they could start cutting out credit card processors. No doubt it would be a lot of work, but when you have $200 billion in the bank and their focus, it becomes quite doable.
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spike021 3663 days ago
Oh yeah, definitely.

I had that thought when Apple Pay was first introduced last year. Seemed like a no-brainer, especially since Apple doesn't mind doing the walled-garden thing.

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