Apple patent reveals plans for mobile payment services

With lots of handset manufacturers starting to introduce NFC capabilities to their devices, it’s starting to look like mobile payment services might actually start taking off in a big way and may no longer be consigned to a mere novelty feature. But what about Apple? Well for iOS users out there, it seems that the Cupertino company has filed for a patent that seems to suggest that mobile payment services could be a possibility in the future as far as their products are concerned.

The patent above reveals a diagram of what appears to be an iPhone, along with an app dubbed “E-Wallet”. The patent has also been described “the financial transaction rules may be based upon transaction amounts, aggregate spending amounts over a period, merchant categories, specific merchants, geographic locations, or the like.” Apple has never really bent to what their customers or the market are saying, and has typically released products and features which some might argue are “old”.

However it should be noted that this is merely a patent, which does not really indicate if it will be made a reality. Then again, NFC mobile payment services have started to gain more traction, so perhaps Apple might be deciding it is time to hop board that bandwagon. We guess we will have to wait and find out for ourselves.