Apple using Magic Band technology

[yankeesfan123]

Apples new watch is going to allow for payments to be made from your wrist, access to hotel rooms (for partner chains), and even tells time!

Ok, I guess a MB can't tell time, but it's cool to see Disney be a real trailblazer when it comes to this technology.

Let's see if the iwatch catches on.

PS: apparently disney is going to accept payments from the iwatch next year, too, along with other retailers.

[joonyer]

They may seem similar at first, because they both do neat tricks while you are wearing them on your wrist, but that's about where the similarities end. The Magic bands just have an RFID chip, pretty simple, and not new, technology. The iWatch, and other clones, have computer chips, touchscreens, and can piggyback off your cellphone (you actually have to have a compatible cellphone on your person or nearby) to make and receive calls, texts, etc, and much, much more.

[LittleDreamer]

I believe it's just the Apple Watch, not the iwatch

[yankeesfan123]

I was obviously not saying that the watch is a magic band....

I said that it is incorporating features that were made prominent by the magic band and disney.

[VWL Mom]

I said that it is incorporating features that were made prominent by the magic band and disney.

I said the same thing when I was watching the event yesterday.

[Bay Lake]

Maybe Disney MB are using Apple technology. Steve Jobs was on the board before his death, and most of these things are 4-5 years in development

[BrerGnat]

Maybe Disney MB are using Apple technology. Steve Jobs was on the board before his death, and most of these things are 4-5 years in development

Neither Disney nor Apple invented or even pioneered NFC technology.

I have been able to use my phone to pay using NFC based Google Wallet for a couple years. This technology is nothing new. Apple I just attempting to make it more mainstream and "cool". FWIW, Google Wallet hasn't really caught on because the bottom line is, it is simply annoying to use a phone or smart watch to pay for items at a checkout. Swiping a card is infinitely faster. I would argue that even using MBs takes longer since you have to enter a PIN and getting the sensor to actually read your MB isn't without it's failures. I spent almost 5 minutes at blizzard beach trying to use my MB to pay for lunch. After numerous failed attempts, to include removing my wristband and having the CM manually enter my band number (still didn't work), I reached into my pocket and pulled out my backup gift card which I brought in case this exact situation came up. A quick swipe and done.

I predict Apple Pay to go nowhere for similar reasons. People are impatient, and these gimmicky payment options will never be faster or more convenient in the long run.

And $350? Insane.

[dnickels]

Neither Disney nor Apple invented or even pioneered NFC technology.

Exactly, this stuff has been around for awhile, but many of us just think "Oh just like Disney does" because that's where we're familiar with it. Heck, anyone remember Exxon Mobil (I think it was just Mobil at the time) and their SpeedPass pay system? Same thing, and that was introduced way back in 1997!!!

[yankeesfan123]

Exactly, this stuff has been around for awhile, but many of us just think "Oh just like Disney does" because that's where we're familiar with it. Heck, anyone remember Exxon Mobil (I think it was just Mobil at the time) and their SpeedPass pay system? Same thing, and that was introduced way back in 1997!!!

Obviously this stuff has been around for years. RFID is not new.

The technology that IS new is the wearable payment method. That has not been done with credit cards, google wallet, Speed Pay, or anything of that sort.

Disney took it a step further.

Yes, it is even possible that Disney and Apple shared these ides, but who knows.

This is a technological breakthrough in which Disney was the first real pioneer. Royal Caribbean is following.

Giant Apple is going to only make this even bigger.

[mickeyman42]

Exxon SpeedPass was probably the closest they got to RFID wearable payment (assuming the Speed pass trinket was on your keychain), and some highway tolls have now completely changed to electronic windshield passes, but credit cards haven't gotten to RFID yet.
Back in the 80's/90's, they were still fooling around with Smart Chips that you tapped against the reader, but that never did quite catch on for convincing the public that it was convenient.

Interesting that you mention that, as all of the major credit cards and debit cards in Canada now (and I mean in the last 2 years) have switched to "tap" features and "inserting your chip" into the reader at checkouts, no swiping anymore, no signing, just put in your pin, or tap, and you're done. I find it strange to swipe my card when I go to Florida now.

[Patricia]

Agreed, mickeyman42.

We are always surprised to still see people writing checks (cheques) in Florida shops.

I'm a happy card tapper in Canada. So easy.

There is a limit on spending amounts with tap.. over a certain price point and you need to insert the chip and use a pin number. A safe guard for lost or stolen cards.

[yankeesfan123]

Interesting that you mention that, as all of the major credit cards and debit cards in Canada now (and I mean in the last 2 years) have switched to "tap" features and "inserting your chip" into the reader at checkouts, no swiping anymore, no signing, just put in your pin, or tap, and you're done. I find it strange to swipe my card when I go to Florida now.

Many American credit cards can do the same thing.

Swiping is still the standard though.

[kbean]

Great, first we had people looking silly with those blue tooths on their head making it look like they're crazy and talking to themselves. Now we are gonna have people walking around looking at their hand and talking to it.

[1DisneyNut]

As has been mentioned, Disney didn't invent or create anything with the magic bands, they just adapted existing technology to their particular use.

Apple isn't doing anything revolutionary either....just putting the technology in their device you can wear on your wrist. Nothing ground breaking there.

The wrist device is pretty useful for a captured audience such as a theme park but the likelihood of the mainstream public wearing them just for the convenience once or twice a day when making a purchase isn't very great. In the US, where could you even use them anyway?

Great, first we had people looking silly with those blue tooths on their head making it look like they're crazy and talking to themselves. Now we are gonna have people walking around looking at their hand and talking to it.

Yeah nobody uses bluetooths but d-bags. lol They are even made fun of in movies and tv now.

The wrist devices are most likely going to be a flop as well. Samsung has had them out for a while now and you never see one.......Apple's will be no different I would think. I was reading about these things probably 4 years ago and it was being said that it was highly unlikely they will be very popular. The main reasons were, people don't use their smartphones as actual phones to make calls much anymore, people don't like their calls on speakerphone, bluetooth devices are well you know.....goofy and finally people mostly look at email and the internet on their devices and who wants to do that on a small wrist device?

[Tekneek]

The Apple Watch seems like it would be a nice device, but hardly necessary. You can, legitimately, make the case that a "smartphone" is very useful as a pocket computer. This Apple Watch is just a gadget that is not particularly useful without the phone. I can't even imagine the amount of money I would need to have in order to feel like buying one of these. There are so many other things I would finance and seed before getting to a $350 device that is useless without a $600+ (unsubsidized iPhone prices) phone to pair with.

While the magic bands are not cheap, they are not "smart" devices. It is an RFID chip that is assigned to you. The system sees that and matches it to you on the back-end. The chip knows nothing about you itself.