SAN FRANCISCO - For years, companies have been talking about replacing credit cards with smart phones to pay for goods. But consumers have been slow to the game.
That could change today, when Apple introduced the Apple program pays an audience of more than 10 million iPhone owners 6 and 6 Plus.
Pay Apple will also work with the new iPads Company - Mini air 2 and 3, which will be released on Friday - but only for in-app purchases. To pay in stores, you will need new phones.
Left out is the network of more than 500 million iPhones sold since 2007, but Apple does not care - they want to sell new phones and tablets, and expects its new mobile payments system will get consumers excited to update.
The iconic company has more than 220,000 outlets that accept payment in the new iPhones. Major payment networks Visa, MasterCard and American Express and more than 500 banks are on board. Retailers include biggies like McDonald, Macy, Chevron gas stations, Walgreens and Panera Bread.
Apple touts ease of use:
Instead of rummaging through a portfolio of credit card, simply pull the phone or tablet. There are also safety - no second hand as waiters, valets or other parties have access to your credit card information.How to get started with Apple Pay?
• Update to iOS8.1, the new version of Apple's mobile operating system, through the Software Update tab in the Settings section of your iPhone. Today's update will allow new phones running Apple Pay.
• On iPad or iPhone, Passbook open the application so far little used-which first debuted in 2013 to store tickets, coupons and the like. You can add your credit card or debit card info to the application iTunes using the camera on the Apple device, and scan your card.
• Look for a retailer that works with Apple pays to take a chance on the iPhone 6.
More than 220,000 points of sale applications such as Airbnb, Groupon, and Uber Lyft are also working with Apple on their applications to accept payment over the phone and tablet.
• To pay, hold the fingerprint sensor TouchID the Apple device and point it at the Apple reader Pay. At home with the iPad, just use your fingerprint instead of a password.
What if your phone or tablet is lost? Do all your banking and credit information go with it? Not if you're quick to act.
Apple promotes the use of the Find My iPhone app, where from a computer you can put the device in mode "lost" and stop Apple Pay.
Apple consumers tend to be as big fans of the company often tip and try new offerings in the early days - and inevitably pop-up errors and Apple has to fight to make quick fixes.
So people should he even bother trying to pay when Apple launches?
The veteran Apple analyst Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies thinks it's a safe bet to give it a shot.
"I do not think Apple could release this case the issue of privacy and security was not strong," he says. "However, there may be errors in the terminal point of sales during the initial start, though NFC-based terminals have worked pretty smoothly so far."
And while the network of 10 million new users of Apple iPhone is a sliver of its total $ 500 million, the largest audience iPhone, Bajarin thinks the public will grow significantly before the end of the year.
It is estimated that Apple, which Apple is launching Pay only in the USA to date, has sold 60 million new iPhone 6 and 6 Advantages for the end of the year. Half of all new sales will be in the USA, and "would mean that about 30 million of these phones based on NFC be able to use Apple pay this year," says Bajarin.