Here are your Apple rumors and AAPL news items for today:
Upcoming iPhone Will Replace Your Wallet: An analysis of hardware codes purportedly for Apple‘s (NASDAQ:AAPL) next-generation iPhone indicates that the handset will have Near Field Communication (NFC) controllers linked to its power system, 9to5Mac says. That means Apple is planning a phone-based payment system to compete with Google (NASDAQ:GOOG), which has been trying to encourage payment processing in Android phones. Apple has unveiled various applications that might support phone-based payments, including Passbook, which analysts speculate could support credit card transactions. NFC capability could also be used to support rapid data transfers between phones.
Apple Store Salaries Critiqued: Workers at Apple’s retail stores generated more revenue per square foot than employees at any other retail operation in the U.S., but many earn about $25,000 a year, according to a lengthy article in The New York Times. By comparison, CEO Tim Cook was given stock grants worth more than $570 million over 10 years. Almost three-quarters of the Cupertino-based company’s U.S. workforce are Apple Store employees, who do get better than the minimum wage, as well as health care, a 401(k) plan and discounts on Apple products and shares. In light of media questions, the company has started informing some Apple Store employees that they will receive “substantial raises.”
Microsoft Faces Risks With Surface Pricing: A Deutsche Bank (NYSE:DB) analyst warns that Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) could anger its manufacturing partners if it tries to price its new surface tablets too low, Apple Insider says. Redmond hasn’t disclosed pricing for the tablets yet, but has insisted that it will be competitive with Apple’s tablet. For the Surface tablets to gain market share, the analyst contends the lower-end models will have to be priced lower than the iPad. However, if Microsoft does that it will it will undercut its manufacturing partners, collapsing their profit margins.
For more about the company, check out our previous Apple Rumors stories.
