The main significance of the new port is that you an no longer connect your iPhone to a TV set, and there is no longer line-level audio for high-quality connection to a stereo.
Seriously? Why the hell would they do that, especially when music is in their DNA?
After rereading your post, I notice that you state NFC transactions do not require a transaction fee. Is this true? I assumed any credit or debit card purchase involved a fee from whoever processes the transaction. That has always been my experience - with the seller covering the fee in most cases - but I wouldn't be able to state this with absolute certainty.
Yes, people do keep saying this, "NFC eliminates the transaction fees," but that simply isn't true. But, before any of you go ballistic shouting that, "It damn well is true!" consider that what you are saying is the equivalent of saying, "WiFi/Bluetooth eliminates transaction fees." NFC does not, by itself, in any way, eliminate transaction fees. Any transaction fees, or lack thereof, depend entirely on the backend system that things are connected to, and, thus, have nothing necessarily to do with NFC. NFC transactions could have fees, or they might not. It would depend entirely on the system setup that you interface with and pay through.
Just as a non-NFC based method of payment might or might not have transaction fees. The issue of fees is not in any way connected with NFC as a technology, any more than it is connected to WiFi or Bluetooth.
I've never seen a McDonald's with NFC. Are you thinking of RFID pads? If so, those aren't NFC and one would be very ignorant indeed to confuse the two.
Actually NFC is a subset of RFID, and yes every McDonald's that I've been in recently has an NFC payment system installed on the same unit that you swipe your card through. Same at Walgreens and CVS. Just look above any credit card reader when you check out at a store. Most of them use the logo you see below:
Apple just missed the chance to define the NFC standard. Apple is playing hard to not let its followers to have the NFC and inductive charging because people will say Apple is becoming a follower instead of an innovator which is sadly becoming true after SJ...
Everyone talking about how great inductive charging would be is disregarding one big issue. The issue is that while it may be convenient to just drop your phone on a pad and not have to plug it in (wow society is becoming lazier by the day), what happens if you have your pad in your room up stairs but you will be downstairs watching tv with friends for a few hours? Instead of being able to bring a cord with you and plug it in, now you need to bring down the pad. Also what about charging your phone at work? Now you have to bring your charging pad to work? Or better yet, you will have to buy another?
I just dont see how inductive charging is so much more convenient that we need to waste more energy to charge the devices, wait longer for them to charge, and that we need to go buy a pad (or two) to be able to charge wirelessly to begin with. Until those inductive charging pads work like wifi where you can be far away and it can still send the device power to charge it, I am not very interested. Or until the wireless charging manages the electricity it uses better, AND charges the devices noticibly faster than a chord.
Actually NFC is a subset of RFID, and yes every McDonald's that I've been in recently has an NFC payment system installed on the same unit that you swipe your card through. Same at Walgreens and CVS. Just look above any credit card reader when you check out at a store. Most of them use the logo you see below:
Don't get me wrong, I like NFC. But with the current installed infrastructure, i don't know if now is the right time for Apple to jump into the game. Any failure due to infrastructure problems would be seen as an Apple failure. Why risk your reputation now, when later you can make a real difference. I think it's very much about the timing.
The cost of integrating NFC into the iPhone is not a big deal. Based on Schiller's interview, it seems to me that they just haven't gotten their NFC product offering complete. I suspect that they wanted it in iPhone 5, but it slipped.
The features of BT4 aren't really new. It's mostly hype. BT has been a persistent failure for years outside of cable-free headsets. There is a litany of problems with the bluetooth spec that prevent it from being a good solution for payments. Hence, why no-one uses it for that purpose. The hype will die, finally, as soon as Apple releases their NFC product.
Schiller is full of shizenhausen. They will just make you wait for the iPhone 6 so you buy that too ( and yes the rumours on that will start in a couple of months). As I have said there are only a few more innovations these guys have left that the brilliant Steve Jobs provided them so their strategy is to roll them out slowly - the cupboard will be bare soon ! And the mice on the treadmills will soon learn that they have purchased so many expensive iterations of iPhone ! Fanboys are mice - they just don't know it yet while Schiller must be laughing.
You know when Steve Jobs used to do the keynotes and say things like 'this is the most amazing product we have ever made' or the 'most beautiful product' you could see he genuinely meant it and you could see the passion for greatness. These guys led by Timmy now are tacking the Mickey - every keynote has the same line about 'this is by far the most amazing or beautiful or technologically brilliant product we have done ' (even with at best incremental improvements from iPhone 4 to 4s for example). How long do they think we believe this rubbish ! They haven't done anything major since the iPad - the rest has been wind and bluster. And why does Timmy think that speaking is semi hushed tones at certain points make him think he is saying something profound? It's marketing fluff but the Fanboys worship on the alter. In 5 to 10 years time these reformed Fanboys are going to be saying 'what was I thinking to be worshipping a technology company!'
Everyone talking about how great inductive charging would be is disregarding one big issue. The issue is that while it may be convenient to just drop your phone on a pad and not have to plug it in (wow society is becoming lazier by the day), what happens if you have your pad in your room up stairs but you will be downstairs watching tv with friends for a few hours? Instead of being able to bring a cord with you and plug it in, now you need to bring down the pad. Also what about charging your phone at work? Now you have to bring your charging pad to work? Or better yet, you will have to buy another?
I just dont see how inductive charging is so much more convenient that we need to waste more energy to charge the devices, wait longer for them to charge, and that we need to go buy a pad (or two) to be able to charge wirelessly to begin with. Until those inductive charging pads work like wifi where you can be far away and it can still send the device power to charge it, I am not very interested. Or until the wireless charging manages the electricity it uses better, AND charges the devices noticibly faster than a chord.
Unless your phone has serious issues and it's battery doesn't last a day, you have the pad by your bed where you out your phone when you sleep. No need to have it at work or downstairs as you put the phone on it every night which you will always do as its as easy as putting your phone on a table.
Right, but the problem is, when Apple does do it and the technology is much more mainstream...Apple will probably be 2-3 years behind everyone else. However, despite being 2-3 years behind, it will be determined that Apple invented NFC along with the rounded rectangle. At that point, NFC will no longer be cool to Android fanatics who now use hockey puck shaped phones to avoid the rounded rectangle trade dress issue. Apple never made one of...oh...um...back to the drawing board...
One isn't considered clever just because they are able to amuse themselves.
You know when Steve Jobs used to do the keynotes and say things like 'this is the most amazing product we have ever made' or the 'most beautiful product' you could see he genuinely meant it and you could see the passion for greatness. These guys led by Timmy now are tacking the Mickey - every keynote has the same line about 'this is by far the most amazing or beautiful or technologically brilliant product we have done ' (even with at best incremental improvements from iPhone 4 to 4s for example). How long do they think we believe this rubbish ! They haven't done anything major since the iPad - the rest has been wind and bluster. And why does Timmy think that speaking is semi hushed tones at certain points make him think he is saying something profound? It's marketing fluff but the Fanboys worship on the alter.
In 5 to 10 years time these reformed Fanboys are going to be saying 'what was I thinking to be worshipping a technology company!'
And yet, you're here on an Apple forum discussing the company. If only the sadness of one's existence could be quantified.
Comments
Quote:
Originally Posted by urungus
The main significance of the new port is that you an no longer connect your iPhone to a TV set, and there is no longer line-level audio for high-quality connection to a stereo.
Seriously? Why the hell would they do that, especially when music is in their DNA?
Quote:
Originally Posted by diplication
After rereading your post, I notice that you state NFC transactions do not require a transaction fee. Is this true? I assumed any credit or debit card purchase involved a fee from whoever processes the transaction. That has always been my experience - with the seller covering the fee in most cases - but I wouldn't be able to state this with absolute certainty.
Yes, people do keep saying this, "NFC eliminates the transaction fees," but that simply isn't true. But, before any of you go ballistic shouting that, "It damn well is true!" consider that what you are saying is the equivalent of saying, "WiFi/Bluetooth eliminates transaction fees." NFC does not, by itself, in any way, eliminate transaction fees. Any transaction fees, or lack thereof, depend entirely on the backend system that things are connected to, and, thus, have nothing necessarily to do with NFC. NFC transactions could have fees, or they might not. It would depend entirely on the system setup that you interface with and pay through.
Just as a non-NFC based method of payment might or might not have transaction fees. The issue of fees is not in any way connected with NFC as a technology, any more than it is connected to WiFi or Bluetooth.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
I've never seen a McDonald's with NFC. Are you thinking of RFID pads? If so, those aren't NFC and one would be very ignorant indeed to confuse the two.
Actually NFC is a subset of RFID, and yes every McDonald's that I've been in recently has an NFC payment system installed on the same unit that you swipe your card through. Same at Walgreens and CVS. Just look above any credit card reader when you check out at a store. Most of them use the logo you see below:
Perhaps, perhaps not.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57389687-94/the-power-of-bluetooth-4.0-itll-change-your-life/
Bluetooth 4.0 supports one-tap syncing and Near Field Communication with freakishly low power consumption.
From Apple's point of view, why include a separate NFC chip when Bluetooth 4.0 already supports it?
I just dont see how inductive charging is so much more convenient that we need to waste more energy to charge the devices, wait longer for them to charge, and that we need to go buy a pad (or two) to be able to charge wirelessly to begin with. Until those inductive charging pads work like wifi where you can be far away and it can still send the device power to charge it, I am not very interested. Or until the wireless charging manages the electricity it uses better, AND charges the devices noticibly faster than a chord.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hutcho
Their passbook idea is far too niche and will not take off.
What's niche about a barcode?
That is both backwards and incorrect.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolipsismX
That is both backwards and incorrect.
Care to explain? I can and have used my phone to buy food at McDonald's.
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_field_communication :
NFC standards cover communications protocols and data exchange formats, and are based on existing radio-frequency identification (RFID) standards including ISO/IEC 14443 and FeliCa.
Quote:
Originally Posted by diplication
Don't get me wrong, I like NFC. But with the current installed infrastructure, i don't know if now is the right time for Apple to jump into the game. Any failure due to infrastructure problems would be seen as an Apple failure. Why risk your reputation now, when later you can make a real difference. I think it's very much about the timing.
The cost of integrating NFC into the iPhone is not a big deal. Based on Schiller's interview, it seems to me that they just haven't gotten their NFC product offering complete. I suspect that they wanted it in iPhone 5, but it slipped.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wakefinance
Actually NFC is a subset of RFID.
Superset, kind of. Mostly, it's a rebranding. The underlying standards all reference each other.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rayz
Perhaps, perhaps not.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57389687-94/the-power-of-bluetooth-4.0-itll-change-your-life/
Bluetooth 4.0 supports one-tap syncing and Near Field Communication with freakishly low power consumption.
From Apple's point of view, why include a separate NFC chip when Bluetooth 4.0 already supports it?
Very true. I wonder if many people bothered to read that article?
The features of BT4 aren't really new. It's mostly hype. BT has been a persistent failure for years outside of cable-free headsets. There is a litany of problems with the bluetooth spec that prevent it from being a good solution for payments. Hence, why no-one uses it for that purpose. The hype will die, finally, as soon as Apple releases their NFC product.
In 5 to 10 years time these reformed Fanboys are going to be saying 'what was I thinking to be worshipping a technology company!'
Originally Posted by Ray Bart
They haven't done anything major since the iPad - the rest has been wind and bluster.
Yeah, that's a complete lie.
Quote:
Originally Posted by carmelapple
Right, but the problem is, when Apple does do it and the technology is much more mainstream...Apple will probably be 2-3 years behind everyone else. However, despite being 2-3 years behind, it will be determined that Apple invented NFC along with the rounded rectangle. At that point, NFC will no longer be cool to Android fanatics who now use hockey puck shaped phones to avoid the rounded rectangle trade dress issue. Apple never made one of...oh...um...back to the drawing board...
One isn't considered clever just because they are able to amuse themselves.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ray Bart
You know when Steve Jobs used to do the keynotes and say things like 'this is the most amazing product we have ever made' or the 'most beautiful product' you could see he genuinely meant it and you could see the passion for greatness. These guys led by Timmy now are tacking the Mickey - every keynote has the same line about 'this is by far the most amazing or beautiful or technologically brilliant product we have done ' (even with at best incremental improvements from iPhone 4 to 4s for example). How long do they think we believe this rubbish ! They haven't done anything major since the iPad - the rest has been wind and bluster. And why does Timmy think that speaking is semi hushed tones at certain points make him think he is saying something profound? It's marketing fluff but the Fanboys worship on the alter.
In 5 to 10 years time these reformed Fanboys are going to be saying 'what was I thinking to be worshipping a technology company!'
And yet, you're here on an Apple forum discussing the company. If only the sadness of one's existence could be quantified.