Staples on Wednesday began accepting Apple Pay with the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus at all of its retail stores in the U.S., joining the growing list or retailers accepting Apple's tap-to-pay checkout service.
The results of a recent global survey of prospective smartphone buyers conducted by UBS forecast a favorable share of iPhone 6 Plus sales and strong demand in China, prompting the investment firm to raise its price target.
After officials from both Apple and Alibaba publicly expressed interest in forging a possible mobile payment deal, Alibaba confirmed on Tuesday that it is currently in negotiations to bring Apple Pay to China.
Apple is said to be looking to expand its supply chain and possibly have partner Pegatron built iPhone 6 Plus units, as the company continues to struggle to keep up with overwhelming demand for its latest smartphones.
Apparent memory issues found in a select number of iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus units are rumored to have prompted Apple to change to a different type of NAND flash technology when manufacturing new units moving forward [update: rumors were incorrect].
This week was the Money20/20 mobile payment conference in Las Vegas, Nev., and with over 7,000 people in attendance, the hottest topic at the show was the recent launch of Apple Pay and what it means for the industry.
The highly successful launch of Apple Pay on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus has helped to grow the long-established Google Wallet service, as both rely on the same near-field communication technology for tap-to-pay functions.
A new analysis of third-quarter handset industry operating profits estimates that Apple accounted for a massive 86 percent share, blowing away the competition as rivals such as Samsung saw their profit levels dip.
The two largest carriers in the U.S., Verizon and AT&T, both announced on Monday that they plan to allow Voice Over LTE connections between customers on the two competing networks starting in 2015.
A number of new credit unions and banks have started to flip the switch giving customers access to Apple Pay, making Apple's new NFC-based mobile payment system available to millions of new consumers throughout the U.S.
Though it is a member of the MCX group behind the upcoming CurrentC mobile payment system, grocery chain Meijer still supports Apple Pay and plans to continue to do so, in apparent violation of MCX's exclusivity rules.
Chipmaker NXP, which is believed to supply the near-field communications chips found in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, hopes automakers will adopt its technology, potentially enabling future car owners to unlock and even start their car with their smartphone.
The global smartphone market grew 25 percent year-over-year during the third quarter of 2014, according to research firm IDC, with Apple seeing moderate gains and Samsung posting the only loss in shipment volume out of the top five manufacturers.
Used and resold iPhone 6 Plus units are still selling at above-cost on sites like eBay, as Apple continues to struggle to keep up with overwhelming demand for its new jumbo-sized 5.5-inch iPhone.
In a rare interview on Tuesday, Apple VP of iPhone, iPod, and iOS Product marketing Greg "Joz" Joswiak mostly toed the company line, but did reveal that issues with last month's iOS 8.0.1 rollout were caused by software distribution issues.
Apple fans still hoping the company will adopt a scratch-resistant sapphire cover for the iPhone in the near future should temper their expectations, as one display expert believes the impressive anti-reflective glass coating on the iPad Air 2 display is instead the way of the future.
Outspoken T-Mobile CEO John Legere on Monday said Apple's iPhone 6 Plus "phablet" is generating unprecedented demand for America's fourth-largest wireless carrier, and at one point accounted for about 55 percent of the company's smartphone sales.
Preorders for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus in South Korea are estimated to have already topped 100,000 units, besting Apple's chief rival Samsung and its Galaxy Note 4 in its native country.
Though the near-field communications chip in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus is currently exclusively for Apple Pay, the wireless functionality may be expanded to new uses such as replacing a public transit card or a secure building access keycard.
Adding to its iPhone-specific incentives program, Sprint on Friday announced a new 12-month lease option for its "iPhone for Life" plan, which lets subscribers "rent" a new iPhone for a preset period instead of buying it.
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Neil Hughes
Katie Marsal
Sam Oliver
AppleInsider Staff
Mikey Campbell
