Apple is reportedly in talks with department store Nordstrom to join as a partner for the company’s mobile payment system, as noted by Bank Innovation. As has been previously reportedly, Apple is also in talks with several other retailers about the possibility of accepting iPhone-based payments, and has deals in place with MasterCard and American Express as well as Chinese payment processor UnionPay to support the feature.
According to the Bank Innovations report, people familiar with Nordstrom’s systems have confirmed that the company’s current point-of-sale hardware is purchased from Apple and recently received a software update to work “with the latest iPhones.” These devices are said to be the same updated EasyPay systems implemented recently in Apple Stores across the country.
Apple was reportedly looking for a a clothing retailer to partner with, and is presumably looking for (or has found) other retailers in a variety of fields to support the feature when the next iPhone is released. The Nordstrom talks appear to be in the early stages, so whether the company will support Apple’s payment system at launch remains to be seen.
These hardware rumors fit in nicely with earlier rumors that Apple is planning to allow physical goods to be purchased using an iTunes account, signaling what seems to be an increased focus on mobile payments in recent months. The iPhone 6 hardware that has leaked has also been noted to contain what looks like an NFC chip, and Apple has been rumored to be relying on Dutch chipmaker NXP to supply these components.
