A new study suggests that iPhone owners are the most likely to be open to the idea of mobile payment systems, according to GigaOM.
The study, conducted by UK firm YouGov, reported that 46% of UK iPhone owners would be willing to pay bills using their handsets, while 62% would happily transfer funds. 69% would check their balances, with 45% keen on using their iPhone to pay other people…
The report found that, surprisingly, just 31% of owners would be willing to use NFC technology to purchase items, perhaps due to uncertainty about how the technology actually works. Many are, mistakenly, under the impression that unscrupulous people can steal information via NFC just by walking past a device.
Blackberry and Android owners also show signs of being willing to make the move to mobile payments, though as TUAW notes, their numbers are lower than those of the iPhone owners.
Both NFC and other mobile payment technologies are eventually going to come along to all devices, and we may not have a choice some time in the future. Users will clearly need educating about the security aspects of upcoming payment options, but anything that cuts down the amount of plastic in my wallet has to be a good thing!