Apple to allow purchases from your iPhone and iPod
Apple recently applied for a patent to allow users to purchase items through their iPhone. The last major annoucement for the iPhone from Apple was the ability to purchase songs wirelessly and this appears to be the next evolution of the technology. For a couple of years now, Japanese cell phone users have been able to make purchases from their phone in Japan. This however, seems to be a different technology utilizing the iPhone’s built in Wi-Fi allowing it to be rolled in with the current generation iPhones and iPod Touch. We all know the drill by now, right? Keep your eyes on the upcoming Mac World for the possibility of this annoucement. Or possible not.
Isn’t this already possible with the Wi-Fi iTunes store?
Yes, it is. I’ve even used it several times. I’m confused….
They’re talking about real word purchases for real stuff.
Say I walk up to a coke machine with my iPod touch. I’d click the purchase button on my iPod (or how ever they set it up) the iPod would ask if I was sure, what account, and for a password (or something like that, again depending on how it was set up) and out would come my coke.
A coke machine would just be an example. In theory you could use it for anything from a candy bar to a TV at a store. Really the possibilities are endless. Just a step closer to a cashless society.
read the article, its not about songs its about buying other things. Like going to a starbucks and ordering on the phone through wifi or any other number of stores / restaurants. could be interesting, just have to wait and see.
Ummmm, there are many services that already do this. Another example of Apple trying to patent things that are already out there. I use gomobo.com from my Blackberry almost everyday in NY which does this same thing.
already read this on slashdot
Good for you Galvatron. Why don’t you just use that other site exclusively and spare us your idiocy?
Seems like the next step is to charge robots with murder.
Wonder if the thing couldn’t use fingerprint ID for authentication – get rid of that password step.