A great question, isn’t it? This is a fascinating answer.
Apple’s recent set of patents show us that the company has set its sights on “Mobile Wallets”, which is great news for all of us.
I’ll tell you why. For the last few months I’ve been using the BookBook iPhone Case+Wallet by Twelve South. Here it is in all its glory:
Aside from being a beautiful, well-crafted case for an iPhone, it’s also made my life a whole lot easier. Having my phone and wallet bound together has several obvious and subtle benefits, like always having my credit card handy when I’m buying something online, or only having to pull one item out of my pocket (leaving another pocket completely free for keys), etc.
Some people will look at this solution and think “But what if I lost my phone, I’d also lose my wallet - that would be devastating”. Well yes and no, because if you had Find My iPhone installed on your phone, you would actually have a better chance of recovering your wallet, since you could track the phone when it goes missing.
Apple is looking to improve upon the Google Wallet system and integrating it more tightly with mobile commerce. So far they have already looked at authorizing retailer transactions and managing personal banking alerts within iTunes. How much further will it go? Knowing Apple, they will take it as far as possible to make mobile payments truly seamless. The time is almost certainly approaching when we will be able to ditch those little pieces of plastic in our wallets forever.
But not in the way you might be expecting.
While the nerds of this world are freaking out about the iPad 3 iPad HD, I am slowly but surely exploding with joy at the prospect of an Apple TV.
We are definitely getting a new Apple TV tomorrow, but will it be in the new full screen form factor? I really, really hope so.
I’m very proud to be working on the UPS My Choice campaign. It’s great to be involved with something that changes people’s lives for the better. My Choice has revolutionized the way people receive deliveries, sign up today and never miss a delivery again!
RT @PhilipMorton: Facebook need to sort out a mobile or URL-only version of the Like button. It destroys the performance of pages you pu …
RT @dylanviner: Genuinely amusing Ad agency Christmas video from Fold7. Best one I’ve seen. Excellent job. http://t.co/9Of7K18s
This rather scathing Mashable Op-Ed gives you some idea of Google’s commitment to Google+.
“Eric Schmidt doesn’t even have a Google+ account”
Ouch.
RECAP: iPhone 4S predictions
A few months ago, while hundreds of “iPhone 5” rumours were circling, the Nowhere Else guys had the nerve to make a few solid predictions about the what the new Apple phone announcement would reveal. I attempted to improve upon their predictions.
The results show that I was pretty accurate with some of my guesswork, and Nowhere Else only beat me on one prediction: full HD video. I had to admit I expected a camera improvement, but not full HD video recording. I am pleasantly surprised!
Credit to the Nowhere Else guys for their hard work with the original infographic!
I have a feeling at least 2194 people will be disappointed on Tuesday. But I could be wrong.
Damn, it seems like I might have been wrong about that whole ‘no iPhone 5’ thing. http://t.co/PGz1Ol2
UPDATE: I was right.
Some innovative marketing from the makers of one of my favourite Beers.
We know a brand can be a powerful thing, but can it affect your self-esteem?
When someone criticizes a brand that you love, does it bother you? I know I’ve found myself in this situation before, jumping to defend the brand, much like if I was standing up for a friend.
Some research has recently shed light on this response.
Edit: more decent commentary here from some well known Apple fanboys.
