I agree with you on several fronts.
Apple isnt' buying USAT; maybe SoftCard, but probably not. No one is buying USAT. That was a bogus rumor started by someone with a plan like a crooked trader with chips in the game, trying to pump the stock up and selling short on the way down.
Apple is providing an added tool with NFC; not a different technology. This isn't like an iMac competing with PC's.
The Apple platform is so popular and their users are so young and savvy, they will be trained to use the new payment method.
I also basically agree with you that I think this whole process is 5 - 10 years in the making. Nothing is happening over night. No company's payment processing equipment is going to become antiquated that fast. That's because there aren't enough users demanding it, and financially to costly to do over-night; for every one. EVERY soda machine vendor and other providers in USAT's service categories are in the same position.
This isn't just a USAT equipment issue.
That said, equipment needs to be upgraded on a regular basis anyway. USAT already saw what was happening and they have a JumpStart on the process.
We'll see how it plays out. The $8 million lease equipment deal is all supposed to be for NFC enabled stuff.
Apple is a game changer. They have the power to pull everyone forward. But their wallet is just that, their wallet.
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