Building on rumors claiming Apple Pay would see website integration this year, a report on Friday says Apple is planning to officially announce the new payment feature at its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote next week.
The report from Digital Trends is light on details, but the publication's sources say Apple is ready to announce Apple Pay website integration, which brings with it the promise of seamless touch-to-pay transactions on popular e-commerce sites. Apple is predicted to reveal the new branch of Apple Pay onstage at the WWDC 2016 keynote event on Monday, sources said.
While Apple has long been rumored to be working on website support for its in-house payments service, Re/code in March was first to attach a concrete timeline to a potential launch, saying the platform would debut later this year. At the time, it was said Apple plans to limit website transactions to a secure transaction process over which the company has full control, namely Safari for iOS on Touch ID-equipped iPhones and iPads.
In the intervening months rumors of a revamped MacBook Pro have surfaced. According to well-connected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple's new flagship laptop will sport some ilk of Touch ID technology, potentially embedded in an OLED touchbar component that replaces the top row of physical function keys. This would not only facilitate secure logins, but also introduce support for services like Apple Pay that are currently restricted to iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
Sources cited in today's report are not sure if users will be able to complete website purchases on devices lacking Touch ID, a current requirement for all Apple Pay transactions. Whether Apple plans to open the service to third-party web browsers is also unknown.
As for availability, Re/code believes Apple Pay website integration will be ready in time for the busy holiday shopping season.
AppleInsider will be on the scene at WWDC 2016 to offer live coverage of the event's most interesting news. Apple CEO Tim Cook and other top executives are expected to take the stage when the keynote kicks off on Monday, June 13 at 10 a.m. Pacific.