This highlights what I've been saying for a long time. People don't understand what NFC is and the fact that a variety of protocols can run over the technology. NFC in and of itself isn't insecure and in fact is used in a number of ways in industry. The real question here is this, are the credit card coma pines and Apple setting a standard here.
In the long run I see a standard as a requirement to advance NFC in this application. In a perfect world everybody would be running Apple hardware but we all know that won't happen. So to advance adoption you really need a protocol that ends up with wide scale usage.
Exactly. I tried asking some of those anti-NFC people several times what exactly they meant by NFC being "insecure". Well, they would basically send me a link to some article written by some random tech blogger. They didn't have a clue what NFC was.
Exactly. I tried asking some of those anti-NFC people several times what exactly they meant by NFC being "insecure". Well, they would basically send me a link to some article written by some random tech blogger. They didn't have a clue what NFC was.
I still find it funny that there were a ton of people saying that Apple would never use NFC as a payment system when it was the only logical choice. This is the biggest excitement for me as it's eventually going to be good for everyone.
I know it was an uphill battle for me on this site trying to talk about the clear benefits of NFC. I think the poor implementations of it with Android-based devices clouded the rational judgement of a lot of people on this site.
Apple needed to get on-board if mobile payments is to become successful. Apple's iPay will be the impetus for smaller businesses to start including NFC in their card scanners, which will finally allow competing platforms to see success in mobile payments uptake too. A rising tide lifts all boats.
Here is the thing with your statement. While I have tried to use both ISIS Wallet (now SoftCard) and Google Wallet, neither was even remotely usable. They where limited to certain carriers, certain banks, and way to limited to really be of any use. Also, the security model was just not there, nor is it now. Apple's Apple Pay system is different. The tokenization of information, the ease of the user interface, the security model, the secure and dedicated chip inside, along with none of the stupid impediments that SoftCard and GW have. Why? Because Apple did the work. The work that no one else wanted to do. SoftCard, GW, and the others that have tried also saw the "e-wallet" as a way to make money, not of transactions, but off the data that is generated in the process. Apple again is different here, they know what they will make off the hardware, so they don't have to rely of metrics and meta data and the sale of that data to make money. This is in stark contrast to say Google. The fact that Apple does not know and does not track what you purchase, where you purchased it, or when you purchased it, is actually pretty unique. And for all of those that say Apple is going to make a lot of money on the transactions, I have not seen anywhere where it was stated that they will make anything on the individual transactions. Again, I think it gets back to Apple already knowing that they will make their money on their devices.
It has been said time and again. You have to consider the whole picture and Apple does that. The hardware, the software, the user experience, and the back end systems to support it. I really think Apple deserves some major credit here. They where not the first, nor did they invent NFC payment systems. But, they did re-invent it in a way. They made it better, more secure, and finally usable for the vast majority of people why are not otherwise technically inclined.
Great, thoughtful post.
Everyone says that the big trend these days is 'big data', which basically means companies accumulating as much information as they possibly can about you. It is bold and right of Apple to do the exact opposite. It just goes to show that big data is maybe not all that it is cracked up to be.
What would be nice is if Apple allowed people to pair iPads and/or Macs with the Watch instead of an iPhone. That way users can take advantage of all of the features without having to have a smartphone and data plan.
I might be sounding like a parrot now but I want the ?Watch to pair with my Mac to automatically un/lock when I am x-feet away, as well as the iPhone to auto-lock when it's x-feet away (perhaps if it's snatched from my hands on a subway) and ring and/or vibrate on my wrist as a reminder once it's x-feet away as a gentle notification that I may have accidentally forgotten it.
I was disappointed to see no mention of this in the keynote. That, for me, was one of the biggies. I think it may have been due to battery life. If you have to have the ?Watch constantly listening for bluetooth, it might drain the battery.
Merchant: Visa's been out of business for 200 years.
Fry: Do you take MasterCard?
Merchant: MasterCard's been closed for 500 years.
Fry: Do you take Discover Card?
Merchant: We don't take Discover.
Love Futurama. I see there's a new series. Sadly, going by the trailers, it doesn't look as funny as the first four. All good things come to an end, they say. I hope not.
If Mr. Cook can call the Apple Watch the iWatch yesterday. . .
LOL!
I have read people say with no uncertainty that whatever the iWatch is called, it won't be called that, as it is too backward looking and awkward to pronounce in foreign languages.
Comments
This highlights what I've been saying for a long time. People don't understand what NFC is and the fact that a variety of protocols can run over the technology. NFC in and of itself isn't insecure and in fact is used in a number of ways in industry. The real question here is this, are the credit card coma pines and Apple setting a standard here.
In the long run I see a standard as a requirement to advance NFC in this application. In a perfect world everybody would be running Apple hardware but we all know that won't happen. So to advance adoption you really need a protocol that ends up with wide scale usage.
Exactly. I tried asking some of those anti-NFC people several times what exactly they meant by NFC being "insecure". Well, they would basically send me a link to some article written by some random tech blogger. They didn't have a clue what NFC was.
Often that "proof" is referred t RFID.
I know it was an uphill battle for me on this site trying to talk about the clear benefits of NFC. I think the poor implementations of it with Android-based devices clouded the rational judgement of a lot of people on this site.
Apple needed to get on-board if mobile payments is to become successful. Apple's iPay will be the impetus for smaller businesses to start including NFC in their card scanners, which will finally allow competing platforms to see success in mobile payments uptake too. A rising tide lifts all boats.
Here is the thing with your statement. While I have tried to use both ISIS Wallet (now SoftCard) and Google Wallet, neither was even remotely usable. They where limited to certain carriers, certain banks, and way to limited to really be of any use. Also, the security model was just not there, nor is it now. Apple's Apple Pay system is different. The tokenization of information, the ease of the user interface, the security model, the secure and dedicated chip inside, along with none of the stupid impediments that SoftCard and GW have. Why? Because Apple did the work. The work that no one else wanted to do. SoftCard, GW, and the others that have tried also saw the "e-wallet" as a way to make money, not of transactions, but off the data that is generated in the process. Apple again is different here, they know what they will make off the hardware, so they don't have to rely of metrics and meta data and the sale of that data to make money. This is in stark contrast to say Google. The fact that Apple does not know and does not track what you purchase, where you purchased it, or when you purchased it, is actually pretty unique. And for all of those that say Apple is going to make a lot of money on the transactions, I have not seen anywhere where it was stated that they will make anything on the individual transactions. Again, I think it gets back to Apple already knowing that they will make their money on their devices.
It has been said time and again. You have to consider the whole picture and Apple does that. The hardware, the software, the user experience, and the back end systems to support it. I really think Apple deserves some major credit here. They where not the first, nor did they invent NFC payment systems. But, they did re-invent it in a way. They made it better, more secure, and finally usable for the vast majority of people why are not otherwise technically inclined.
Great, thoughtful post.
Everyone says that the big trend these days is 'big data', which basically means companies accumulating as much information as they possibly can about you. It is bold and right of Apple to do the exact opposite. It just goes to show that big data is maybe not all that it is cracked up to be.
What would be nice is if Apple allowed people to pair iPads and/or Macs with the Watch instead of an iPhone. That way users can take advantage of all of the features without having to have a smartphone and data plan.
I might be sounding like a parrot now but I want the ?Watch to pair with my Mac to automatically un/lock when I am x-feet away, as well as the iPhone to auto-lock when it's x-feet away (perhaps if it's snatched from my hands on a subway) and ring and/or vibrate on my wrist as a reminder once it's x-feet away as a gentle notification that I may have accidentally forgotten it.
I was disappointed to see no mention of this in the keynote. That, for me, was one of the biggies. I think it may have been due to battery life. If you have to have the ?Watch constantly listening for bluetooth, it might drain the battery.
Fry: Do you take Visa?
Merchant: Visa's been out of business for 200 years.
Fry: Do you take MasterCard?
Merchant: MasterCard's been closed for 500 years.
Fry: Do you take Discover Card?
Merchant: We don't take Discover.
Love Futurama. I see there's a new series. Sadly, going by the trailers, it doesn't look as funny as the first four. All good things come to an end, they say. I hope not.
What's "iPay"?
If Mr. Cook can call the Apple Watch the iWatch yesterday. . .
LOL!
I have read people say with no uncertainty that whatever the iWatch is called, it won't be called that, as it is too backward looking and awkward to pronounce in foreign languages.
Apart from the first letter, they were wrong.
No NFC nor internal hardware for managing security. The 5S and 5C can make purchases if you also own an ?Watch.