Apple Pay adds Square Reader to make you a compulsive shopper
Apple really wants its users to be shopaholics. The tech giant first introduced Apple Pay and made life easier for iPhone 6 and Apple Watch users in the US last fall. Despite the initial skepticism from retailers, the contactless payment service has been gaining momentum. Jennifer Bailey, VP of Apple Pay, announced at WWDC today that the service would soon be available at 1 million locations across the country. In its quest to become ubiquitous in the retail world, the company also announced a Square Reader that will be Apple Pay-compatible. Square's wireless reader will make it possible for any business with a tablet or smartphone to accept Apple Pay. So when the reader goes live later this year, the service will become accessible virtually everywhere -- think local bakeries and farmers markets.
The company's emphasis on making mobile payments easier, both online and in the physical world, is evident. In addition to your debit and credit cards, you will now be able to use reward cards via Apple Pay to tap-and-buy stuff you may or may not need. With those loyalty points coming into play, the Passbook is going to become useful and has been renamed Wallet.
To make your shopping habits worse, the company is also working with Pinterest to include Buyable Pins, so you'll soon be able to splurge directly from your Pinterest Board. This is an iOS-only service starting later this month. And, as predicted in the weeks leading up to WWDC, Apple's introducing its payment service in the UK next month. In addition to retailers like Boots, Costa Coffee and Marks & Spencer's, the service will also be available on the London public transportation system for daily commutes.
