Apple Pay Launch: iPhone 6 And 6 Plus Owners Ready To Embrace iOS 8.1

It is time for the highly-anticipated Apple Pay launch, and iPhone users are anxious to give it a try. The new mobile pay service could be a sign of things to come, but will this launch be the big hit the company seems to be anticipating? Not everybody will be able to use it, and many question how smoothly it will work.

As CBS News notes, the new Apple Pay launch starts Monday and owners of the newest iPhone models can start giving it a go. The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus will have the ability to utilize the new service as soon as they upgrade to iOS 8.1. Some say this is the key reason to upgrade to iOS 8.1 right away, though others are less enticed by the Apple Pay launch.

What about those with older Apple devices? As Forbes explains, the older Apple devices are not equipped with the near field communication (NFC) technology like the new devices, so the upgrade won’t generate this magical Apple Pay ability for those devices.

Those who embrace the opportunity to get an Apple Watch will apparently be able connect it to their iPhone 5S or 5C to use Apple Pay, but that’s not going to help all that many users. The iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 do have some Apple Pay abilities for in-app purchases.

Of course, despite the Apple Pay launch going far and wide with the iOS 8.1 update, that doesn’t mean owners can leave their cash and credit cards entirely behind. There are said to be 220,000 retailers that support the NFC technology, but clearly leaves many that do not have it available, at least not yet.

McDonald’s, Subway, Chevron, Target, and Walgreens are a few of the big names that are ready to start utilizing the Apple Pay ability, with many more surely to come as the technology expands. USA Today notes that a number of apps such as Groupon, Uber, and Airbnb are working on incorporating the Apple Pay ability as well.

While some lament that the Apple Pay launch only helps those that have already upgraded to the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, experts note that there have been 10 million units already sold, and the new units only recently were made available. That certainly is not an insignificant number, and this model is one that has generated a lot of favorable buzz, so the sales should continue to be strong.

Heading into the holiday season, with some substantial additions and improvements over previous models, will the Apple Pay launch propel sales of the new iPhones into a new realm? Some suspect that will be the case.

[Image via Forbes]