Apple is preparing iOS 11.2 for public release. With the deployment of iOS 11.2 beta 6 which internally labeled as the Release Version.
Apple Pay Cash is expected to be made available following iOS 11.2 public release.
Square Contactless and Chip Reader
Square Contactless and Chip Reader
Accept Apple Pay and chip cards everywhere.
We received our Square Contactless and Chip Reader a few days ago. We can now start accepting Apple pay and other contactless payments.
Complicated and Convoluted
Complicated and convoluted are the current C-words.
According to The New York Times:
The problem is that under the terms of their MCX contractual agreement, they are not supposed to accept competing mobile payments products like Apple Pay, according to multiple retailers involved with MCX, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. If these retailers break their contracts, they will face steep fines for doing so, these people said.
Target who is a member of Merchant Customer Exchange (MCX) is not taking Apple Pay at its 1,801 stores in the United States and 133 stores in Canada. Interestingly, Target is taking Apple Pay as payment method in its iOS App.
Target offers REDcard® which gives everyday 5% discount on almost everything in its stores in exchange for the customer’s information (nytimes.com).
CurrentC looks like the digital counterpart of Target REDcard® but with a really clunky implementation (techcrunch.com).
Are those QR-codes?
Reminds me of this collection of “Pictures of People Scanning QR-Codes” (via Daring Fireball).
Apparently CurrentC is the common enemy that spawn a union between Android and iOS users on Reddit. Thread 1 | Thread 2
CurrentC, a c-word, which is both complicated and convoluted.
Apple Pay Setup
Apple Pay (stylized as Pay) comes with iOS 8.1
Currently in the U.S., Apple Pay is supported by:
- American Express
- Bank of America
- Capital One Bank
- Chase (Visa only)
- Citi
- Merrill Lynch (credit only)
- U.S. Trust
- Wells Fargo
Getting Ready for iOS 8.1
Apple will release iOS 8.1 on Monday, October 20, 2014 along with the deployment of Apple Pay.
There will be a lot of people holding off from updating to iOS 8.1 for many different reasons. Some would be worried if iOS 8.1 update would be a repeat of the botched iOS 8.0.1 Over The Air (OTA) update. A lot of people are holding off from updating to iOS 8 because the do not have enough free space on their iOS devices, which are mostly 16 GB model or less.
I have the habit of updating my iOS devices using iTunes instead of over the air; which what I did to update to iOS 8.0.1.
Wait a few hours after the release of iOS 8.1 before proceeding with the update if you’re worried about some show-stopping bugs. Update your iOS devices using iTunes too. Make sure you have the latest version of iTunes.
iPad Air 2
Now just 6.1 mm thin and weighing less than a pound, iPad Air 2 features an improved Retina® display for enhanced contrast and richer, more vibrant colors, and better cameras for taking stunning photos and videos. Available in gold, silver and space gray, the new iPad Air 2 and iPad mini™ 3 offer Touch ID™ so users can unlock their iPad with just the touch of a finger and make purchases easily and securely within apps using Apple Pay™.
Inclusion of Touch ID is definitely a huge plus.
The improved Retina display features a fully-laminated design that brings images and content closer to the user’s fingertips, resulting in an even more personal and intimate experience. A custom-designed anti-reflective coating reduces glare by 56 percent² for a clearer display in the office, the classroom or outdoors.
Apple is finally including anti-reflective coating.
iPad Air 2 is powered by the new Apple-designed A8X chip, which delivers a 40 percent improvement in CPU performance and 2.5 times the graphics performance of iPad Air, and still delivers the up to 10-hour battery life³ users expect while working, playing games or surfing the web.
Apple ABX chip is a huge improvement even from last year’s A7X chip.
iPad Air 2 is at 6.1 mm thickness.
iPad Air 2 pre-order starts on Friday, October 17, 2014.
Rumors and Misdirections: Apple October 16, 2014 Special Event
On October 16, 2014 Apple will be announcing the followings:
- OS X Yosemite release date
- New iPad lineup
- Apple Pay deployment
- iOS 8.1
Apple is also rumored to announce:
- New Macs
- New Apple TV
This might be a misdirection from an Apple source, but it is too good to not mention:
- New product with touch interface
There are a lot of cryptic information from firstnameatappledotcom to process, and some of them I won’t even mention here.