The Oakland Athletics are testing a new NFC ticketing system that lets Apple users scan their iPhone or Apple Watch on the ticket reader, much like they would to make an Apple Pay purchase.
The system uses the same NFC tech as Apple’s mobile payment system. It is being trialled for a six-game homestand, which started after the launch of iOS 11.
A Google Glass user in California may have become the first to get a ticket for using the wearable while driving. Cecilia Adabie was stopped by a Highway Patrol officer last night then summoned to the superior court for “driving with monitor visible to driver.”
The ticket has sparked debate over whether or not it should be legal to use Google Glass while behind the wheel.
WWDC tickets sold out unbelievably quickly this year. We knew it was highly unlikely they’d be available for as long as the two hours it took them to sell out last year, but we also weren’t expecting them all to disappear in under two minutes.
But did Apple really sell out of WWDC tickets that fast?
The Cupertino company has since been calling developers to offer them a place at its event this June, and that’s led some to question whether all tickets were really sold or whether Apple’s too embarrassed to admit that its servers couldn’t cope with the demand they received when tickets went on sale.
If you weren’t one of the lucky few that bought a WWDC 2013 ticket within the first 120 seconds they were available, then you’re probably super bummed that you’re not going to hangout with Jony Ive and the gang in San Francisco.
Don’t worry though, you can still get into the party if you’re desperate and have a few extra grand on you. Someone’s already put their WWDC ticket on eBay and the bidding starts at a cool $10,000.
Apple’s rivals are already producing smartphones with NFC capabilities, and although NFC is yet to really take off, it’s still capable of some pretty incredible things that we all want from our smartphones. However, there has been some debate about whether or not Apple will adopt the feature, or create an alternative of its own — possibly utilizing Bluetooth.
Since the company unveiled Passbook in iOS 6, that debate has hit an all-time high. Passbook would work wonderfully with NFC, and would allow us to ditch physical cards and tickets in favor of a “contactless” system in which we just hold our devices up to a sensor. And according to a newly granted Apple patent for “iTravel,” it appears the Cupertino company is just as excited about that prospect as we are.
Following the violence that spoiled Apple’s iPhone 4S launch at a number of retail stores throughout China earlier this month, the Cupertino company has introduced a new iPhone lottery system in Hong Kong that will make it incredibly difficult for scalpers to purchase the device. Those hoping to bag the device in-store must first request an iPhone reservation, then provide government-issued ID when they arrive to collect the handset.
The lines to buy an iPhone 4S are forming across the US with the East coast getting a head start and only 16 minutes before Apple Stores open in the Central Time Zone. By now Apple has issued the proverbial golden tickets to anxious iPhone 4S buyers in those lines. Are you one of the lucky ticket holders?
