Ovum predicts that Apple will finally enter into the mobile commerce space
Ovum, a market research firm based in the United Kingdom, has released its latest 2014 Trends to Watch report, which predicts that Apple will finally enter into the mobile commerce market this year. Apple has approached the mobile commerce space with caution due to the security issues that exist therein. It had been speculated that the iPhone 5 would include NFC technology, but Apple has little faith in NFC, especially when it comes to using the technology for mobile payments.
Apple continues to show modest and cautious interest in mobile payments
According to Ovum’s report, Apple is expected to release its own mobile commerce platform this year. Ovum suggests that Apple has been slowly and cautiously building a platform that can make mobile payments possible on iOS devices. The firm’s report suggests that the platform would be well received by iOS users because many mobile payment services are not compatible with iOS devices because of their use of NFC technology.
iOS devices lack mobile commerce services
There are mobile commerce platforms that are available for iOS devices, such as Square, but Apple has expressed interest in developing its own platform. Rumors concerning Apple’s mobile commerce efforts have been circulating for some time and have been bolstered by the acquisitions that Apple has made over the past year. Apple has even included biometric technology in the iPhone 5s, which could allude to future efforts in mobile commerce and a possible solution for the companies concerns regarding the security of consumer information.
Apple may have a great deal of competition to overcome
Apple has not announced any definitive plans concerning the development of a mobile commerce platform. If the company does decide to finally enter the field of mobile payments, it will have to face down a great deal of competition. Google has already establish a lead in the mobile space, though it’s Wallet platform has fallen short of attracting consumer support. Square, however, currently holds a dominating place in the mobile commerce space and may be a difficult opponent for Apple to overcome.
