Hot on the heels of a report that Apple has inked a deal with American Express, a second report has stated that the company has also signed deals with Visa and MasterCard.
Credit card giant American Express is apparently onboard with Apple's forthcoming mobile payment system, expected to be a part of the company's next-generation iPhone set to be unveiled at a Sept. 9 media event.
With Apple believed to be in the final stages of preparation to begin manufacturing its next-generation iPhones, a slightly redesigned Touch ID component said to be headed for the so-called iPhone 6 has surfaced from Japan.
Apple will not be granted a trademark for the Touch ID authentication system introduced alongside the iPhone 5s, according to a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office decision revealed Monday, because it could be confused with an earlier Touch ID trademark assigned to timekeeping company Kronos.
If Apple is able to drive adoption of its rumored iTunes-backed mobile payment system among wealthy consumers at the same pace as similar systems in the developing world, it could be one of the company's most important — and profitable — strategic moves.
With the Touch ID sensor expected to come to all of Apple's new iPhones and iPads later this year, the fingerprint scanning hardware is also rumored to see internal improvements that will make the home button more durable, according to a new report.
Just days after Apple announced the opening of Touch ID APIs to third-party developers with iOS 8, mobile and digital payment services giant PayPal is already said to be working on implementing the feature into its apps.
Apple is expected to include its Touch ID fingerprint sensor technology in all new iPhone and iPad devices introduced this year, one analyst says, which will grow shipments of the package to some 120 million in 2014.
While prognosticators have given failed forecasts for years predicting Apple will add near-field communications technology to the iPhone for touch-less mobile payments, investment firm Morgan Stanley offered the same prediction on Tuesday, suggesting that NFC will be a key part of the company's so-called "iWallet."
Speaking to analysts and investors, a senior vice president of Samsung stated "we, as a market leader, are following the market trend" in adding biosensors to mobile devices, while sidestepping the company's delay in 64-bits and the moribund 2 percent adoption of Knox by enterprise users.
This year's anticipated iPad refresh is rumored to expand implementation of Apple's Touch ID fingerprint sensor beyond the iPhone, bringing it to the next iPad Air and iPad mini. Now, newly discovered code in the iOS mobile operating system offers further evidence in support of those claims.
iPhone owners may soon be able to use their device to purchase goods and services at brick-and-mortar businesses as Apple has reportedly begun interviewing senior-level candidates to build an iTunes-backed mobile payments business.
Social media behemoth Facebook is reportedly nearing a deal with Irish authorities that would allow the company to offer its European users electronic payment and remittance services ahead of Apple's hotly-anticipated entry into the market.
Both Apple and Google have reportedly had internal discussions about making respective offers to buy mobile payment company Square, though Google is seen as the more likely of the two to actually go through with a purchase.
A pair of newly released patent applications detail potential future capabilities for Apple devices, with the first detailing a system by which two devices could be paired using biometric information, like a fingerprint, while the second details a method to display camera information using electronic diffusers.
Apple is preparing to release a free software update designed to improve the fingerprint recognition experience of Touch ID, potentially fixing a "fade" issue that has been experienced by some iPhone 5s users, AppleInsider has learned.
An iOS security white paper published by Apple on Wednesday offers a deeper understanding of the company's Touch ID fingerprint sensing system and the so-called "Secure Enclave" found in the A7 SoC, both of which were introduced with the iPhone 5s.
In a bid to counter the popularity of the Touch ID system found in Apple's iPhone 5s, South Korean electronics giant Samsung will reportedly outfit the home button of its upcoming flagship Galaxy S5 handset with a swipe-style fingerprint reader.
Production of the Touch ID fingerprint sensor in Apple's next iPhone will remain identical to the iPhone 5s, utilizing an 8-inch processing method run by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., according to the latest rumor.
Online payment giant PayPal has reportedly been pitching Apple a potential partnership — one that could see PayPal handle back-end security measures for a future iPhone-driven mobile payment system.
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Daniel Eran Dilger
AppleInsider Staff
Sam Oliver
Neil Hughes
Shane Cole
Mikey Campbell
