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
Apple Releases iOS 8.1
Apple releases iOS 8.1 build 12B410 (iPad) and 12B411 (iPhone) with Apple Pay and Text Message Forwarding.
iOS 8.1: Text Message Forwarding
One new feature in iOS 8.1 is: Text Message Forwarding
Any text messages sent to a phone number on an iPhone will be forwarded to other iOS devices using the same Apple ID.
Go to: Settings > Messages
Enable Test Message Forwarding for other iOS devices. They have to be logged in to iCloud using the same Apple ID with the iPhone.
One thing I noticed is that at this point I cannot forward text messages to other (service-less) iPhones.
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.
Apple Special Event, October 16, 2014.
Apple Special Event for October 16, 2014 titled “It’s been way too long.” will commence at 10:00 a.m. Cupertino Time.
Apple is expected to announce:
- New iPad Air and iPad mini
- iOS 8.1
- Apple Pay deployment
- OS X Yosemite release date
Many people wants Apple to announce:
- New Macs
- New Apple TV
Go to Apple.com/live for the live stream. Assuming Apple had sacked the people responsible for September 9, 2014 live stream and replaced them with llamas.
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.