支付不能承受之轻——Apple Pay使用初体验

    在苹果公司（Apple）9月9日举行的发布会上，新产品Apple Watch无疑抢尽了风头，但与Apple Pay相比，它只能算是个暖场，苹果的无接触式移动支付系统才是最迷人的新东西。多年以来，由于界面粗糙、支持坑坑洼洼，手机无缝支付始终停留在理论阶段。凭借最新版的iOS手机操作系统，苹果终于正式进军这一市场。这家技术巨头能够实现其他众多公司尚未实现的梦想吗？

    随着iOS 8.1在上周强劲推出，我们终于有机会一探究竟。Apple Pay已经获得美国各大银行、信用卡公司及零售巨头的全面支持，而且个个来头不小：维萨（Visa）、万事达（MasterCard）、美国运通（American Express）、富国银行（Wells Fargo）、花旗（Citi）、第一资本（Capital One）、富乐客（Foot Locker）、沃尔格林（Walgreens）、梅西百货（Macy’s）和麦当劳（McDonald’s）等，均承诺接受新的支付方式。于是很自然地，我脑海里冒出的第一个念头就是去真实体验一把Apple Pay。

    Apple Pay的初始设置非常简单。程序会提示你是否愿意在购买实体商品时采用你在苹果App Store和iTunes中使用的支付信息。我按了“同意”，但是决定再添加几张我常用的银行卡（最多可添加八个账号）。具体流程是：使用iPhone相机拍下你的银行卡，然后准确输入相关信息，认证身份。其中，运通银行卡的操作非常顺利，可大通银行卡由于前卫的竖版设计导致程序出错。于是，我不得不原始地手动输入信息，等着接受验证码短信。最后，我试着添加我的Simple借记卡，结果马上收到短信，提示说银行不支持Apple Pay。郁闷。

    我花了不到5分钟就设置好了Apple Pay，然后起身出发，准备在这个科罗拉多的小镇进行一番实地测试。我的第一站是自己经常光顾的一家本地餐馆。吃完饭结账时，我问：“可以用Apple Pay付款吗？”那位女服务员一头雾水，犹犹豫豫地说：“哦，我们使用iPad，可以刷你的银行卡。”好吧，我想，这毕竟是我进入“后钱包时代”的第一天。然后我递上我的借记卡付了账。

    在回家的路上，我停下来加油。加好油后，我对着付款终端举起iPhone手机，手指紧紧按住Touch ID指纹识别感应器。我满心期待着会出现什么。结果什么也没有。我只得再插入我的借记卡。

    There is little doubt that the new Apple Watch stole the show during the company’s big event on September 9, but it was the introduction of Apple Pay, its contact-less mobile payment system, that was the most intriguing. For years, the ability to seamlessly pay for goods with your phone has been more fiction than reality, marred by clumsy interfaces and spotty support. With the latest version of its mobile operating system, iOS, Apple AAPL 1.55% was finally throwing its hat into the ring. Could the technology company accomplish what so many others have not?

    Last week, we were finally able to find out when iOS 8.1 hit the airwaves. Apple Pay comes with support from a number of banks, credit card companies, and big-box retailers. The list is exhaustive: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Wells Fargo, Citi, Capital One, Foot Locker, Walgreens, Macy’s, and McDonald’s each promise to accept the new payment method. Naturally, the first thing I wanted to do was test it out in the real world.

    Initial setup for Apple Pay is fairly simple. The application asks if you want to use the same payment information used for buying apps in Apple’s App Store and media in iTunes to purchase physical goods. I agreed with a tap of my finger, but chose to add more cards to the service while I was at it. (You can add up to eight accounts.) The process works like so: snap a photo of your card with the iPhone’s camera, then enter a few extra pieces of information to confirm your identity. It was smooth sailing for my American Express card, but my Chase card gave the app trouble, due to its funky sideways layout. So I hand-keyed the information in, like a technophilic caveman, and waited for a verification code to arrive as a text message. Finally, I attempted to add my Simple debit card, but was promptly greeted by a message informing me that the bank didn’t support Apple Pay. Bummer.

    It took me less than five minutes to set up Apple Pay. Then I set out to test it in my Colorado town. My first stop was at a local restaurant where I frequently dine. After eating a meal and receiving the bill, I asked, “Do you accept Apple Pay?” The clerk, unsure of herself, responded with hesitation: “Um, we use iPads and can swipe your card.” Fair enough, I thought, this is the first day of living in a post-wallet world. I handed over my plastic debit card.

    On the way home I stopped to get gas. After refueling my car, I held up my iPhone to the payment terminal, finger firmly placed over the Touch ID sensor. I waited for something to happen. My efforts were futile. I inserted my debit card.