All the major mobile platform companies, including Apple, are working on solutions for “contactless payments” and digital wallets — the use of a phone as a credit card. Google’s Android supports NFC, or near-field communication. Google Wallet enables payments from phones.
Everyone has been waiting for Apple to catch up. The company has a pile of patents that reference a mobile digital wallet service called “iWallet.”
An analyst this week predicted something shocking: Instead of (or in addition to) adding NFC to future iPhones, Apple will use Bluetooth 4.0 for iWallet, a story first reported on Cult of Mac by John Brownlee.
One stunning fact about this prediction is that the wireless hardware has already been deployed at scale. Every major product Apple has shipped in the past year, including the iPhone and iPad, supports Bluetooth 4.0.
All Apple needs to do to make iWallet a reality is ship an app.
Another stunning fact is that Bluetooth 4.0 has a range of over 160 feet. That means participating retail stores can function like Apple Stores — without cash registers. The point of sale can be anywhere in the store. Restaurant diners can pay from the table — without the waiter being involved.
I think Apple wants to kill the cash register. Here’s why they might succeed.
3 responses to “Inside Apple’s Secret Plan to Kill the Cash Register”
Buying at the Apple Store with the Apple Store app is a freaky experience. You scan the item with the phone, and walk out with it. The first time I did it I stopped by the kid at the door to show him I really wasn’t stealing it, in that I had no bag or paper receipt. Given the security concerns, I’m not sure how well these kinds of transactions will translate to the world at large.
I would have understood this years ago, but very few stores actually use cash registers anymore. Most seem to use computers that are attached to a cash drawer.
while this is correct, the point is that that cash drawer could be disappearing as well. all transactions could end up being online. There are already a number of apps that achieve this goal. Apple’s Apple Store app with their easy pay function. Starbucks where you can register your gift cards (which you can auto replenish from your bank accounts).