Tim Cook Hints iPhone 6 Release Features; iPhone 6 Can Let You Pay Easily; iPhone to Launch with $50 discount
Apple's iPhone 6 has been the subject of numerous reports and speculation. With Samsung gearing up for the release of the Samsung Galaxy S5, all eyes are naturally on its next best rival, Apple. According to recent reports, Apple will be releasing the iPhone 6 this year. While there are no definite dates or period yet for the release, a number of features are already under the spotlight. This time, Apple's CEO, Tim Cook, hints that mobile payment may be made easier with Apple's latest flagship phone.
According to a report by TIME, Apple CEO, Tim Cook, did give away that the company has been curious about the idea of mobile payments.
"You can tell by looking at the demographics of our customers and the amount of commerce that goes through iOS devices...that it's a big opportunity on the platform," Tim Cook spoke to investors, according to TIME, during the quarterly earnings call last week of January.
Analysts are growing impatient about what Apple has in store for this year. According to analysts, the company may spend nearly $3 trillion on consumer card business.
"We believe a revolutionary payments solution is now a very real opportunity that the company could choose to pursue," Carl Icahn, billionaire investor, stated in his open letter to Apple shareholders.
Apple has a database of consumer card information already because of iTunes. The company may thrive well in investing on this set of information. Plus, analysts also see the Touch ID as a crucial feature to make mobile payments possible. The fingerprint scanner facilitates iTunes and App Store purchases already. Mobile payments are not far.
"Speculation about Apple's interest heightened earlier this month with the disclosure that Apple had applied for a patent covering payments for goods through a signal sent from a phone to a wireless receiver," Wall Street Journal reported, as cited by TIME.
According to TechThirsty, LatinPost has reported that stores are also preparing for the arrival of flagship devices like iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S5. LatinPost quoted Best Buy announcing:
"Beginning this coming Sunday and ending Feb. 15, you can simply sign up for a $50 Best Buy gift card that can go toward purchasing and activating your mobile phone at Best Buy any time during 2014."
This may mean that people can get the flagship handsets at a lower cost. According to the latest information, Samsung will release the Galaxy S5 around March or April, while Apple will be releasing the iPhone 6 around June.