Following its report last week alleging that Apple and Alibaba are currently ironing out specifics of an upcoming Apple Pay partnership in China, The Wall Street Journal on Monday published an interview with Alibaba CEO Jack Ma who explained why such a deal would be hugely beneficial to the iPhone maker.
Long story short, the Apple-Alibaba deal would help avoid any regulatory scrutiny that Apple would be subjected to as a new financial player in China.
Apple announced Sunday night in a press release that the company has added UnionPay as a payment option for the App Store in China. Having issued over 4.5 billion UnionPay cards to date both in China and abroad, China UnionPay is the major bankcard network in the People's Republic. According to the press release, UnionPay customers will be able to easily link their Apple ID with a UnionPay debit or credit card for one-tap purchases.
The New York Times reported on Friday that Apple Pay now accounts for 50% of the tap-to-pay transactions at all of McDonald's 14,000 US stores. Additionally, the outlet claims that Walgreens' mobile payments at its 8,000+ stores have doubled since the service launched.
The figures were nestled in a broader piece regarding Apple's role in mainstreaming mobile payments. Google Wallet and Softcard—backed by AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon—both say that Apple Pay has been a huge tailwind, as they've seen an increase in usage since it debuted.
Winn-Dixie and BI-LO, two major grocery store chains in the southeastern region of the US, are now accepting Apple Pay. MacRumors reports that it was told the companies would begin processing AP payments next week, but the system seems to have already gone live in many stores.
This is a significant coup for Apple, who has been seeing pushback from high profile retailers in recent weeks regarding Apple Pay. Winn-Dixie and BI-LO have over 1,300 locations between them, which are spread throughout North and South Carolina, Georgia and surrounding states.
Following Staples' lead earlier today, Target has updated its mobile app with support for Apple Pay payments. Those with compatible devices can now pay for everything in their carts with a single tap of Touch ID without having to signup for a Target account or enter credit card info.
The update also brings about in-app product reviews, so you can see what customers think of their purchases. This is something every retailer needs to implement, if they haven't already. as shopping trends continue to indicate that more consumers are researching before buying.
Major office supply retailer Staples began accepting Apple Pay payments at all of its retail stores in the US, according to MacRumors. The company announced in September that it would be supporting the payment system, but didn't offer a specific timeframe for its rollout.
"Our customers will love the convenience of Apple Pay, which will offer an easier, faster and secure way to check-out," Staple's Faisal Masud said. "This is the most recent example of our commitment to innovation that helps our customers make more happen with their business."
Following reports that Apple CEO Tim Cook during last month's visit to China discussed a rumored mobile payments partnership with UnionPay, The Wall Street Journal said Tuesday that the Cupertino firm met with Alibaba's Jack Ma to reportedly iron out an Apple Pay alliance with the popular Chinese e-commerce company.
This could give Apple Pay a major boost in the 1.4 billion people country. Alibaba, founded in 1999, is the world’s largest online marketplace and has a commanding 80 percent market share in the country.
The company raised a whopping $231 billion during its initial public offering. Cook at the WSJ Digital conference last month hinted (the full uncut interview now available) that his company was in talks with Alibaba regarding partnering on Apple Pay.
LockGlyph is a brand new tweak available on the Cydia store that brings the Apple Pay confirmation animation to the Lock screen. If you own a Touch ID enabled device like the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, or iPhone 6 Plus, you can unlock your device using fingerprint authentication, and enjoy a nice Apple Pay-inspired animation and sound during the process.
I've taken a spin with LockGlyph on video. Check inside to see some of the tweak's pluses and minuses.
Law firm Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe has launched an antitrust investigation into CVS and Rite Aid over their decision to stop accepting Apple Pay in their retail stores. As noted by MacRumors, the firm, which specializes in class action lawsuits, made the announcement on their blog last night.
Attorneys for Schubert Jonckheer & Kolbe say that the two retail chains may have violated anti-trust laws, and the situation has class action potential. "Consumers with phones that support Apple Pay may be able to participate in a class action to restore the service at CVS and Rite Aid retail stores."
Apple's press release announcing Apple Pay said the mobile payments service would later come to Barclaycard, Navy Federal Credit Union, PNC Bank, USAA and U.S. Bank. Monday, U.S. Bank confirmed in a media release that customers can now start using Apple Pay, followed by a similar press release from Navy Federal and multiple reports from readers confirming Apple Pay working for PNC, Barclaycard and M&T customers.
The iPhone maker's support document outlining supported Apple Pay cards and banks had not been updated at post time with new information.
The whole CVS/Rite Aid/Apple Pay controversy is about to get uglier as MCX, the consortium of retailers who back the competing CurrentC mobile payment system, on Wednesday responded to accusations that it was purposefully blocking Apple Pay, Google Wallet and other NFC-based payment solutions and requiring participating retailers to use CurrentC exclusively.
Apple Pay has been praised for being secure and protecting your privacy by not sharing customer or transaction data with merchants. According to MCX, it does not store sensitive customer information in the mobile app. Instead, users’ payment data is stored “in our secure cloud-hosted network”.
Maybe I'm reading their blog post wrong, but if customer data and especially payment information is stored in the cloud, then it's not secure and this is precisely why Apple Pay is, in my personal opinion, better.
Tim Cook took the stage earlier tonight at the Wall Street Journal’s inaugural WSJ.D Live conference at the Montage resort in Laguna Beach, California. The CEO participated in a lengthy interview, as well as a Q&A session, which produced some pretty interesting tidbits regarding Apple and its products.
Of course, given that Cook has done a handful of high profile interviews in recent months, you've probably heard some of the stuff mentioned at tonight's event. However, he does offer up some new information regarding Apple Watch battery life, why the iPod classic was discontinued, and other morsels.