Apple has begun preparing its retail employees and retail partners for the upcoming launch of its Apple Pay mobile payments service with a host of new training materials that show the feature in action, reports9to5Mac.
Users will be able to set up Apple Pay in Passbook or through the Settings app, as up to eight credit or debit cards be connected with an iTunes account or by scanning one in with the iPhone's camera. Every card connected to the service will allow users to access a number of features, including the ability to see a simple transaction list, the ability to turn on push notifications, and an area that allows quick access to a bank's phone number and an accompanying app. Passbook will also be able to automatically update an expired card with a new expiration date without the need to re-enter information.
For Apple's own stores, a customer will be able to return an item simply by holding an iPhone near a payment terminal to give a list of their recent transactions. Receipts from Apple Store purchases will also not display a customer's contact information or credit card number, but will rather show just the last four digits of a device's Apple Pay ID. If Apple Pay is not working properly for an Apple Store customer, retail employees will be able to use the "Apple Pay Demo" diagnostic software that can determine whether a device is having a hardware problem or other issue. For non-hardware issues, customers will be referred to their appropriate credit card providers or banks.
Apple's training materials note that its retail employee should emphasize the simplicity and security of Apple Pay to convince customers to use the service. All Apple Store employees will receive one hour of mandatory Apple Pay training this week ahead of the service's impending launch. The report also notes that Apple has already launched Apple Pay at its Caffe Macs cafeteria located in its 1 Infinite Loop headquarters.
An internal memo addressed to Walgreens employees that surfaced yesterday suggested that Apple Pay may be going live next Saturday, October 18. Apple Pay will be enabled on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus through an update to iOS 8. The seeded versions of iOS 8.1 to developers first revealed hidden Apple Pay settings and set up screens, which may indicate that the service might be launching alongside the update.
Apple is expected to detail full launch plans for Apple Pay and iOS 8.1 at its event this Thursday, October 16. The company is also expected to announce its next-generation iPad Air and Retina iPad mini, new iMacs with at least the 27-inch version receiving a high-resolution Retina display, and perhaps even a new Mac Mini.
Wednesday November 13, 2024 2:09 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 next month, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as well....
Monday November 11, 2024 11:28 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today released firmware updates for both AirPods 4 models (version number 7B20) and the AirPods Pro 2 with both Lightning and USB-C charging cases (version number 7B21). All of these AirPods models were previously on firmware version 7B19.
It is not immediately clear what new features or changes are included in firmware versions 7B20 and 7B21, but we will update this story if we find...
Tuesday November 12, 2024 2:56 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple's camera module supplier for the upcoming iPhone SE 4 is set to begin mass production of the components in December, according to a new report coming out of Korea.
Economic newspaper Ajunews reports that LG Innotek will supply the front camera module for the budget-friendly fourth-generation device. Final tests are now said to be underway, with mass production of the module following...
Wednesday November 13, 2024 11:01 am PST by Juli Clover
A trio of Apple customers this month filed a class action lawsuit against Apple, accusing the Cupertino company of violating California consumer protection laws and false advertising for continuing to sell AirPods Pro models that had ongoing issues with crackling or static sounds.
A few months after the AirPods Pro came out in October 2019, buyers began to complain about crackling, rattling, ...
Tuesday November 12, 2024 1:09 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple is planning to launch an AI-powered smart home display as soon as March 2025, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The display will measure in at approximately six inches, and while it is similar to an iPad, it is square rather than rectangular and it has thick bezels around the edges. There is a camera at the top front so that it can be used for FaceTime, plus there are internal speakers...
Black Friday is getting closer, and prices on MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, and Mac mini computers have started to drop as the shopping holiday nears. These deals include the latest models of the M4 MacBook Pro and iMac.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site...
Wednesday November 13, 2024 11:59 am PST by Juli Clover
Apple last week replaced the M3 Max MacBook Pro with the new M4 Max MacBook Pro, and we picked up one of the new high-end MacBook Pro machines to see how it compares to the prior model with both benchmarks and real-world tests.
We tested an M4 Max with a 16-core CPU, 40-core GPU, and 48GB RAM against an M3 Max MacBook Pro with similar specs. The two machines look similar, but the display on...
Monday November 11, 2024 4:53 pm PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple seeded the third betas of iOS 18.2 and iPadOS 18.2 to developers for testing today. While the third betas of each update are minor relative to the first two betas, there are still a handful of changes across the Photos app, TV app, and more.
A corresponding iOS 18.2 public beta with these changes will likely be released later this week, and Apple previously confirmed that the software...
Wednesday November 13, 2024 3:02 pm PST by Juli Clover
Apple today announced the launch of major updates for its Final Cut Pro video editing software designed for Macs and iPads. Final Cut Pro has been version 10 since 2011, but after 13 years, Apple is finally ready to debut Final Cut Pro 11.
Apple first teased a new version of Final Cut Pro when introducing the new M4 Macs in October, and now the updated software is available for download with ...
Mostly because it's not super clear that my credit union Visa won't work. This is in contrast to how google wallet seems to work with any credit card and to the consumer it would make sense that any card that can be used to make purchases through itunes should work. I guess for Apple Pay there is more needed on the back end to work intimately with banks than just processing a credit card payment???
https://www.apple.com/apple-pay/
It can't be clearer than that. But you have to have eyes on your face to see it. Not an unreal expectation.
This has the potential to make Apple more $$$ than anything else they've done so far. If the security turns out to be as ironclad as even the financial institutions are now saying, this is going to be a watershed moment for the company.
The potential for earnings growth with their payment system eclipses anything that came before. Well done Cupertino!
Apple's training materials note that its retail employee should emphasize the simplicity and security of Apple Pay to lure customers into using the service.
I don't like the word lure... Impress would be better
