Apple Unveils 'Apple Pay' Mobile Wallet and Payment System

Apple unveiled a new mobile wallet on Tuesday aimed at allowing consumers to use iPhones linked to credit cards for more secure, convenient payments.

Apple chief Tim Cook said the Apple Pay system would replace an "antiquated payment process" with "an entirely new payment system" that allows consumers to touch their phones to retail terminals.

The new payment system will be built into the new iPhones and Apple's operating system which were also unveiled Thursday.

(Also see: Apple Launches iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus)

Cook said that each day in the United States alone "that's 200 million times that we scramble through our credit cards and go through what is a fairly antiquated payment process."

(In comparison: iPhone 6 Plus versus iPhone 6 versus iPhone 5s versus iPhone 5c)

He said other efforts have failed because the companies introducing mobile wallets were working on the basis of "their self-interest" instead of the user experience.

Cook showed a video of a consumer tapping a phone on a payment terminal, commenting, "it's so cool."

(Also see: Apple Watch Unveiled as 'Comprehensive Health and Fitness Companion')

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Apple iPhone 6 Plus vs Apple iPhone 6 vs Apple iPhone 5s vs Apple iPhone 5c comparison

General
Alternate names
Release date	September 2014	September 2014	September 2013	September 2013
Form factor	Touchscreen	Touchscreen	Touchscreen	Touchscreen
Dimensions (mm)	158.10 x 77.80 x 7.10	138.10 x 67.00 x 6.90	123.80 x 58.60 x 7.60	124.40 x 59.20 x 8.97
Weight (g)	172.00	129.00	112.00	132.00
Battery capacity (mAh)			1570	1507
Removable battery	No	No	No	No
Bundled accessories
Colours	Silver, Gold, Space Gray	Silver, Gold, Space Gray	Space Gray, Gold, Silver	White, Pink, Yellow, Blue, Green
SAR value	NA	NA	NA	NA
Display
Screen size (inches)	5.50	4.70	4.00	4.00
Touchscreen	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Touchscreen type	Capacitive	Capacitive	Capacitive	Capacitive
Resolution	1080x1920 pixels	750x1334 pixels	640x1136 pixels	640x1136 pixels
Pixels per inch (PPI)	401	326	326	326
Colours	16M	16M
Hardware
Processor			1.3GHz   dual-core	1.3GHz   dual-core
Processor make	Apple A8	Apple A8	Apple A7 (64-bit ARMv8)	Apple A6
RAM			1GB	1GB
Internal storage	16GB	16GB	16GB	16GB
Expandable storage	No	No	No	No
Expandable storage type
Expandable storage up to (GB)
Camera
Rear camera	8-megapixel	8-megapixel	8-megapixel	8-megapixel
Flash	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Front camera	1.2-megapixel	1.2-megapixel	1.2-megapixel	1.2-megapixel
Software
Operating System	iOS 8.0	iOS 8.0	iOS 7	iOS 7
Skin
Java support	Yes	No	No	No
Browser	HTML	HTML
Browser supports Flash	No	No	No	No
Connectivity
Wi-Fi	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Wi-Fi standards supported	802.11 a/ b/ g/ n/ ac	802.11 a/ b/ g/ n	802.11 a/ b/ g/ n	802.11 a/ b/ g/ n
GPS	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Bluetooth	Yes, v 4.00	Yes, v 4.00	Yes, v 4.00	Yes, v 4.00
NFC	Yes	Yes	No	No
Infrared	No	No	No	No
DLNA	No	No	No	No
Wi-Fi Direct	No	No	No	No
MHL Out	No	No	No	No
HDMI	No	No	No	No
Headphones	3.5mm	3.5mm	3.5mm	3.5mm
FM	No	No	No	No
USB	No	No	No	Yes
Charging via Micro-USB	No	No	No	Yes
Proprietary charging connector	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Proprietary data connector	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Number of SIMs	1	1	1	1
SIM Type	Nano-SIM	Nano-SIM	Nano-SIM	Nano-SIM
GSM/ CDMA	GSM	GSM	GSM	GSM
3G	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Sensors
Compass/ Magnetometer	No	No	Yes	Yes
Proximity sensor	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Accelerometer	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Ambient light sensor	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Gyroscope	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Barometer	Yes	Yes	No	No
Temperature sensor	No	No	No	No

Source by NDTV

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FireChat lets you chat without a data connection

Move over WhatsApp. Here comes a revolutionary chatting app that has taken the mobile messaging to another level.

With this, you are able to send and receive messages even when you do not have an actual Internet or Wi-Fi data connection.

Yes, you read it right.

This iOS-enabled app uses Apple's Multipeer Connectivity framework essentially a peer-to-peer feature that lets you share messages with other app users nearby.

"FireChat allows the device to connect directly to others nearby using Bluetooth, peer-to-peer Wi-Fi or traditional Wi-Fi networks so you do not actually need a data connection," Micha Benoliel, CEO of Open Garden firm that developed the app was quoted as saying.

The Apple's Multipeer Connectivity APIs can be used for everything from collaborative editing and file sharing, to multiplayer gaming and sensor aggregation, said a report in wired.com.

How does it function?

The app browses for other users nearby while simultaneously broadcasting to peers that it is available to connect to. According to the company, this "Nearby" mode works best when the devices are within 30-feet.

This allows you to be invited into a "session" with multiple users. Each user has to be within range of just one member of the chat, so the mesh can spread outwards and cover a lot more range as more people join in.

Once a session invitation is accepted, you can directly communicate with those other users independent of a cellular signal or Wi-Fi access.

This creates what is called "wireless mesh network".

According to Benoliel, "Messages also get deleted as soon as you close the app so you remain anonymous."

However, in "Nearby" mode, you do not have any choice over who receives your messages they go out to anyone within range, the report added. There is also an "Everyone" mode, which sends the messages over a data connection so you can chat with friends who are not physically nearby. This is being segmented into chatrooms of 80 users each as the initial rush of downloads made it untenable to keep all users on a single chat.

Apple sold 700 million iOS devices by last October. Many are already using the latest Multipeer Connectivity-supporting version of iOS.

Within a week of its launch, FireChat has been being downloaded from the App Store more than 100,000 times a day. soource by NDTV.gadgets

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