A relatively quiet week was, at least, spiced up by two important Apple announcements: the arrival of Apple Pay in the United Kingdom, and a long-overdue update of the iPod touch.
Some independent retailers and app developers in the U.K. are reportedly already adopting Apple Pay, just days after the service became available in the region.
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation's surprising absence from Apple Pay's UK launch earlier this week will not last much longer, the bank has confirmed, with final testing under way and availability said to come within two weeks.
More than six months after promising to support Apple Pay touchless payments at gas pumps, Chevron rolled out the service at a station across the street from its headquarters in San Ramon, Calif.
It seems Apple Pay's UK debut didn't go off without a hitch on Tuesday, as HSBC customers are not able to use service despite the bank's status as an official launch partner. In a related development, Barclays did an about face and announced upcoming support for Apple's contactless payment solution.
Nine months after its release in the U.S., Apple Pay will be available to iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch users in the UK on Tuesday, local time, with support from more than 250,000 retail locations and eight major banks.
People attending Major League Baseball's All-Star Game in Cincinnati will be able to use Apple Pay to buy food and other goods, both during the game and at facilities set up for All-Star Week and the All-Star FanFest, which begins on Friday, according to an official announcement.
Apple on Tuesday added 23 more companies to the list of U.S. banks supporting Apple Pay, simultaneously gearing up for the launch of the mobile payment service in the United Kingdom.
Apple on Tuesday added another 30 institutions to the list offering credit and debit cards with support for Apple Pay, the most prominent being the U.S. branch of UBS, a Swiss banking and investment firm primarily serving rich and institutional clients.
Responding to a flurry of public complaints, U.K. bank Barclays said on Twitter that it is in negotiations to add Apple Pay support, and that efforts "remain constructive."
At its Monday WWDC keynote Apple annouced a number of planned changes to Apple Pay, including the addition of store rewards cards, and plans to launch in the United Kingdom in July.
Apple on Monday is expected to announce that its Apple Pay mobile wallet will begin accepting retail store cards, allowing consumers to benefit from special offers and discounts at certain locations.
A report on Saturday claims Apple is finalizing plans to launch Apple Pay in the UK later this summer, which would mark the in-house payments service's first international offering since rolling out in the U.S. last October.
Apple's work to expand the footprint of its iPhone-based mobile payment service continues more than half a year after its debut, and while the company expects to bring a number of large merchants on board before the end of 2015, though it appears to be an uphill battle.
Apple on Tuesday added another 12 U.S. banks to its official list of issuers with cards supporting Apple Pay, putting the total over 300 for the first time.
Several events this week pointed to Apple's future plans, including a promotion for designer Jony Ive, comments from operations head Jeff Williams, and a takeover of augmented reality firm Metaio.
Apple is reportedly set to announce a rewards program next month that will give perks to customers using Apple Pay, a long-rumored feature that could escalate the stakes in what appears to be a coming battle with Google's competing Android Pay service.
Target CEO Brian Cornell on Wednesday said his company wants to integrate Apple Pay across its retail chain, but must first install point-of-sale technology with chip and PIN or chip and signature technology to conform to the latest security standards.
Clothing retailer Express on Tuesday began accepting Apple Pay at all of its U.S. outlets, adding yet another feather in the cap of Apple's mobile payment platform.
Apple on Tuesday added 34 more financial institutions to the roster supporting Apple Pay, its mobile payment platform for Touch ID-capable iPhones and iPads, as well as the Apple Watch.
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Roger Fingas
AppleInsider Staff
Mikey Campbell
Sam Oliver
