AppleInsider Staff
Oracle Arena, home of the Golden State Warriors, became the second NBA venue to adopt Apple Pay on Friday, and Apple SVP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue was on hand to explain how the service will work with Apple Watch.
Although Cue sported a stainless steel Apple Watch at the game in Oakland, Calif., he used an iPhone 6 to make purchases from the Warriors' team shop and only discussed the wearable's payment capabilities, reports Mashable. Cue also announced the arena's new Apple Pay compatibility on Twitter.
Describing the purchasing process, Cue said that users only need to perform a double press of Apple Watch's side button to conduct a transaction. As long as a paired iPhone is in range, Touch ID authentication is unnecessary, meaning users can leave the handset in their pocket. Users will also have the option to set a passcode lock, if they so choose.
"You don't have to authenticate on the phone," Cue said. "Your watch has to be unlocked and your phone can unlock your watch and so it knows, if I took my watch off and gave it to you it would know. If I wanted to pay right now I could just pay with the watch and not have to take the phone out at all or unlock it."
This convenience sets Apple Pay, and by extension Apple Watch, apart from existing NFC-based mobile payments systems and can help encourage adoption among new users, Cue said.
"Anything that makes things more convenient and easy to use helps with adoption," he said. "When the quarter's over and you want a drink, you want to get it as fast as possible. And now we're going to make it even easier because we will be able to pay with the watch."
In addition, the Apple exec confirmed Apple Watch will enable owners of iPhone 5, 5s and 5c handsets, which do not have NFC chips, to make touchless Apple Pay transactions.
Oracle Arena was also one of the first professional sports venues in the U.S. to install iBeacon technology, which was initially used by the team to advertise ticket upgrades to fans sitting in cheap seats.
In November, Cue pulled a similar PR stunt with local California news station KTLA. The Apple exec went on a "holiday shopping spree" at Apple Pay partner stores, including Panera Bread and the Apple Store.
Update: CNET, which was also on hand for Cue's demonstration, reports that the Warriors are exploring options to add Apple Pay to concession stands. The system pay also one day allow fans to order and pay for products in the stands.
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156 Comments
And there are no pictures of him wearing the watch?
[quote name="tkrunner1738" url="/t/185104/apples-eddy-cue-explains-apple-pay-on-apple-watch-at-nba-game-u#post_2687233"]And there are no pictures of him wearing the watch?[/quote] AppleSecurity? Lol. The double tap should alleviate any unfounded fears that someone willl just pass by your watch with a skimmer. Obviously that was announced when Watch was, but it's good to repeat it.
If you click on the cnet article it shows him wearing it on his right wrist upside down so for those left handers it alleviates that fear
That's fine that it doesn't require any authentication once it's on your wrist and actively tethered to your iPhone, but if that's the only way ?Pay can be used on ?Watch despite having it's own NFC HW, which includes the secure element, then they are dropping the ball. It should be independent of an iPhone after it's been setup so you can put it next to an NFC reader and have your cards appear, once it's been authenticated when put on until it's removed. But if that wasn't mentioned by Cue then I have to concede by saying [@]Dick Applebaum[/@] was right.
The other big story about how the Watch is going to make things easier and quicker is in TechCrunch, linked to by Gruber: http://techcrunch.com/2015/03/06/the-apple-watch-is-time-saved/#tmhmdj:DqmR Gruber's take is here; http://daringfireball.net The Watch is going to change the world, one more time. Those who are predicting the Apple Watch will disappoint or worse are once again [I]failing to imagine[/I]. There is not a sorrier failing in tech prognostication. It's why we laugh at Ballmer, Enderle, Dvorak, etc., many years later.