Jason Snell replying to Tim O’Reilly’s essay on payment providers, and O’Reilly’s notion that Uber’s model is truly disruptive while Apple Pay is basically the same old wallet opening action:
To summon an Uber, O’Reilly needs to take his phone out of his pocket, launch the Uber app, and tap a few times. If those steps sound familiar, it’s because they’re not that different from how one would buy some groceries at Whole Foods using Apple Pay. The phone comes out at the start of the process, rather than the end, but it still comes out.
I agree with Jason. While the Uber experience feels new and like something from the future, it really is no different than beeping something at the teller by the exit. O’Reilly’s mixing up the payment experience with the shopping experience.