Apple Pay fails to unify fragmented market

Screw apple, they control music, movies and other thing I dont want them to control every other purchase

So don't buy from them or use apple pay. Problem solved. Pretty simple.

I disagree. Already, there are signs that a number of retailers that signed up for the CurrentC system may bail and switch to Apple Pay instead, especially since an upgrade is supposedly coming early in 2015 that allows for the use of loyalty cards (Apple Pay was designed to incorporate loyalty card support eventually). It didn't help the supporters of CurrentC that the system got hacked recently and everyone points out the security issues of using optical QR codes (as Alibaba found out with security problems with the QR code-based Alipay system).

+1 gogogo The last thing we need in the world is more monopolies. Apple largely is successful due to their fanboi generation rather than the actual quality of their products.

Apple largely is successful due to their fanboi generation rather than the actual quality of their products.

Ridiculous. If you think a company can become the largest company in the world without having quality products, you are clueless. The fanboys exist because of the quality. They would leave if the quality was gone. People are fickle. The name alone isn't going to keep people around. The quality needs to back it up.

Largest company in the world?

You got data to back that up? The gone larger than Mictosoft, Google, Coca Cola, etc?

Well it's floated between first, second and third place in the past few years. I'm not sure if it is first or not now, but it's in that vicinity http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/globalbusiness/10002790/The-worlds-biggest-companies.html

They are talking most valuable NOT largest, big difference.

Stock values mean little to anyone besides investors.

Then adjust my comment accordingly. It's irrelevant to the point I was making.

Not adjusting anything.

They no longer have the largest share of the mobile, cel-phone market, etc.

Noticed all their new add no longer focus on the devices but more on available applications.

Sorry, but the fan base do drive sales for new devices, same can be said for Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation sales.

They no longer have the largest share of the mobile, cel-phone market, etc.

What does that matter? They're one of the top three companies in the world by value. And as I said, you don't get to that point without quality products.

Sorry, but the fan base do drive sales for new devices, same can be said for Nintendo, Xbox and PlayStation sales.

Sure - the fanboys drive sales to a certain point. I bought an iPhone 6 because I've been happy with their products. But if I found it wasn't quality, you can bet I'd be looking at other brands in the future, because I'm not a fanboy. The majority of Apple users are like me - happy with the product, but by no means loyal to the company. The fanboys alone won't drive a company's sales to make them the top valued company in the world. If you think they will, you're kidding yourself - after all there are near as many android fanboys as there are apple fanboys, if not more.

It matters because their products are pricey and do nothing that other products can't.

I got 2 Nexus 7 right now, a 2011 and a 2013 model both work great and I am thinking of getting a Nexus 5 phone. Both my tablets run the same OS version.

Used to use Apple but not being able to upgrade unless I buy a new model turned me off.

It matters because their products are pricey and do nothing that other products can't.

What are you talking about? My iPhone does things that no other phone can do.

Used to use Apple but not being able to upgrade unless I buy a new model turned me off.

Again, what are you talking about? You don't need to upgrade your model to upgrade your OS. IOS updates are free for all models.

So your iPhone can handle Felica, etc?

Tell me about those exclusive features. Upgrades I talk memory, batteries, etc.

So your iPhone can handle Felica, etc?

No. It also can't be used for world domination or for doing my payroll. Any other irrelevant things you do like to bring to the conversation?

Tell me about those exclusive features

I can start a conversation on messages on my Mac, pick it up on my iPhone while walking to the train, and continue it on my iPad on the train. I can start documents on my Mac and continue it on my phone. I can answer phone calls to my iPhone on my Mac. I couldn't do any of these with an android.

And how many people use or want that ability?

BTW, same is available via different cloud providers.

Not that the Cloud is new, just distributed computing and storage which been used for a long time.

All depends on the available apps and Apple doesn't have a monopoly on those.

Again what is unique to Apple?

And how many people use or want that ability?

So now your tune has changed from 'iPhones have no unique features', to 'iPhones have unique features that no one wants or needs'.

BTW, same is available via different cloud providers.

No. Those are Apple only features. You show me one other computer phone combination on which you can answer calls to your cellular number on your PC. Doesn't exist. Which for your information is defined as unique.

If course unique features, Android/Google already share info between devices like online chats, etc.

Setting up my 2013 Nexus was easy as all my settings were stored online and I can pick up my Ip-phone on the tablet which is now common in companies to either answer on a PC or mobile. Just a question of rerouting the data on request.

Nothing unique. Should know is I helped setup such configurations.

Wait, I don't get it. Retailers don't like it because they cannot as easily track customer habits to deliver coupons or marketing messages. Why don't they just give Google Wallet, Softcard or Apple Pay some feedback and they might get one for them?

Making a new system so hackers can easily hack customers' credit card seems to be the best thing for those retailers. I guess living in Japan is always better than in any other part of the world.

Strangerland.

Final question.

If those apple services were that unique, new or that superior why are they not a big seller to the corporate world or others that need instant info like hospitals, etc.

They should jump on it unless of course they already have similar functionality.

you can answer calls to your cellular number on your PC.

Not cell, but we've been using Skype for about a decade.

Rave-reviews don't make a product a success business wise.

If course unique features, Android/Google already share info between devices like online chats, etc.

1) Not with my Mac

2) Not natively

I can pick up my Ip-phone on the tablet which is now common in companies to either answer on a PC or mobile. Just a question of rerouting the data on request.

I'm not talking about IP phones, I'm talking about my Softbank mobile number. And I don't need to do any fancy rerouting or anything. Which brings me to the other thing that makes Apple nice - simplicity. Here are the steps to receiving a phone call to my softbank number on my Mac:

1) Turn on Mac

2) Wait for phone call

If those apple services were that unique, new or that superior why are they not a big seller to the corporate world or others that need instant info like hospitals, etc.

1) There is no such thing as 'that unique'. Something is either unique, or it isn't.

2) I didn't claim superiority. I was simply pointing out that you were incorrect that there are no unique features on an iphone.

3) Who cares? It has nothing to do with my original point that fanboys alone are not enough to propel a company to be the most valuable in the world. Any company that tries to be everything to everyone is going to fail in that. Apple targets the market they think will bring the most revenue, and they are obviously pretty good at it - the proof is in the pudding.

Not cell, but we've been using Skype for about a decade.

Me too. Now I can answer both.

Strangerland.

I wasn't wrong as similar systems existed in the corporate world and hospitals, etc for decades.

Apple might have made it available for general users, but the military, etc been using those same features for a long time.

FYI, military tech still takes 10-15yrs before it becomes available commercially for us plebs.

Over and out.

I wasn't wrong as similar systems existed in the corporate world and hospitals, etc for decades.

No, you were wrong. There are no systems out there on which you can answer your mobile phone through your computer.

Pls, provide evidence.

As I said before I used it at my company and even my estate agent uses it sans apple.

Common at hospitals too where a call from a room can be answered at a local phone, PHS(designed for corps), or via PC and is also recorded on a patients record at the same time.

Pls, provide evidence.

It's impossible to prove non-existence. Next you'll be asking me to prove that god doesn't exist.

If you want to claim that the functionality exists in other phones, it's up to you to provide that evidence. You asked for features of iphones that were unique to iphones. I answered it. It's up to you to prove me wrong if you don't believe me.

But you can't, because no other phone can do it (yet).

Wrong, any phone can use it using the right software and has done so before.

Apple likes to take existing tech and sell it as their own, like the mouse or the windows interface and than sue copiers?

Wonder how they will counter the galaxy edge.

Like I said I used those features 10yrs ago.

Wrong, any phone can use it using the right software and has done so before.

No, they can't. There is no other mobile-PC combination on which you can answer incoming calls to your mobile, on your PC. If you're so sure the combination exists, then show any thread of evidence. Otherwise it's very clear that either you have a bad memory, or... Well let's give you the benefit of the doubt and chalk it up to bad memory.

@Strangerland: why are you wasting your time, again and again? You know this kind of guy: whatever real facts you show them, they'll never accept them.

As for Apple Pay, all of a sudden our clients started asking if the cards POS have NFC. I called the supplier of our POS and they said Apple Pay will be available sometime during 2015, or perhaps earlier. Never before we had anyone asking about NFC, but the POS has had the technology ready for more than two years. As usual, Apple had to enter the market to make it work.

@LostinNagoya Or an alternative explanation is the fanbois had to be led to the market to make it work. Otherwise, people were happily asleep not caring.

Not sure how big a deal this is. More and more people are buying on line. Any losess due to credit card fraud are covered by the issuer of the card (well in the UK). So that's not a issue for most people. Personnally I rarely buy from shops. Usually it's just food and that kind of stuff. Most debit and credit cards in the UK have wireless payment ablitlies. So we do even need to take out our cards to pay for anything. Also in the UK we can do cash back from a debit card. Basically we can take money out of our bank account in a supermarket or bar while we purchase something(it's a free service). Not sure if Apple Pay could do that. Saying that, in Japan it will go down a storm. The market here is too fragmented. I can't believe there are so many different IC payment cards here.

The only way Apple can unify anything is if they become the only player in a niche.

Apple's goals are not to unify. It's a for-profit company and creating open standarts is not profitable.

Japan had it where you could pay to get on the train by swiping your cellphone... 10 years ago... why is Apple trying to reinvent the wheel... just barcode your phone and pay with your phone bill... pretty soon we will all have chips in our hands and can just pay for things with a wave of the hand..