New Reports Put Apple Pay in Japan in 2017

It’s been one of the biggest and strangest lapses in the mobile payments market so far: Japan and Apple Pay just aren’t working all that well together.

However, some reports dating as far back as last month said that was a development in line to change, and the newest reports suggest that Apple, thanks to a new connection with Sony, is set to bring Apple Pay to one of the planet’s biggest markets.

The reports from a month ago suggested that Apple was getting together on some level with the FeliCa mobile payment technology, though those reports were unclear about dates.

The newest reports put that launch as sometime in 2017, owing in large part to some negotiation issues between Apple and various service providers, as well as retailers, to make sure that there’s a place to actually use Apple Pay when it arrives.

After all, what good does it do to roll out a payment platform that absolutely no one accepts? It’s like that scene in “The Simpsons” where the family goes to Itchy & Scratchyland, and Homer changes the family’s money into the local park’s money, only to discover signs all over the park noting that no one accepts the currency. Plus, there’s the matter of fees and suchlike to be handled.

Despite a new iPhone set to arrive this fall, the service still won’t be available, which is something of a blow to users. However, the knowledge that Apple Pay will be arriving soon isn’t exactly an unwelcome one.

The problem is, though, has Apple moved too slowly to really take much of the market here? Mobile payments have been around for a while now; Apple Pay itself is approaching the start of its third year in existence with October’s arrival, and there have been no shortage of new entrants into the field.

By now, those who were interested in mobile payments may have found better alternatives, and that would be bad news for Apple.

There’s still some time, though, for Apple to plan its upcoming new launch and potentially get some incentives behind its operation out there. It may well need a few extra rewards plans to get some interest going; there’s been a lot of lag in that region between launch and this newest release, and that lag may be too much to effectively overcome.