Apple Pay: Seamless in Stores, but Quirky Online
AFTER I used Apple Pay for a day of shopping in stores, a few things became clear: The new payment system is convenient, problem-free and even fun. — The same can't be said for using Apple Pay to shop via apps on my phone or tablet.
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple Pay launched days before this review, and early coverage had already staked out its strongest claim: an in-depth look argued it could be the safest way to make a credit card payment. The Times' day-long test now splits that promise down the middle — the NFC store experience works as advertised, while paying inside apps on phones and tablets comes across as quirky and error-prone.
The story traveled widely, picked up by MacRumors, 9to5Mac, Mashable, TUAW and others, reflecting how much launch-week attention rode on whether Apple's first hardware wallet felt finished. Within weeks the answer tilted positive: retailers like Whole Foods and McDonald's reported a significant lift in mobile payments, with the attention spilling over onto rivals Google Wallet and Softcard.
First-order effects
- Early adopters get a genuinely convenient in-store checkout, but shoppers hitting the same wall inside apps face friction that sends some transactions back to typed card entry or desktop checkout.
- App developers whose purchase flows depend on Apple Pay inherit the rough edges reviewers documented, since their conversion rates sit directly downstream of the payment sheet.
Second-order effects
- Merchants already reporting a payments lift from Apple Pay have an incentive to push Apple on smoother in-app flows, while Google Wallet and Softcard can position themselves by contrast rather than imitation.
- The tokenized-card design cuts both ways once volume grows: analysis later showed Apple Pay let hackers run credit cards stolen online through retail terminals, meaning the security story needs constant tightening as usage scales.
Third-order effects
- If Apple closes the in-app gap, the natural next step is extending the wallet beyond native apps — which is exactly where it landed with Apple Pay on the web, making it far easier for websites to acquire customers on mobile.
- A working wallet also gives Apple a merchandising surface: the later Shopping category on the App Store spotlights apps built around Apple Pay, tying commerce, apps and devices into one funnel — and each new Apple device strengthens the ecosystem's gravitational pull.
The trend: Consumer payments are consolidating into platform-owned wallets where the device maker controls both the checkout experience and the commerce surface around it.