Apple Pay: Manage Your Excitement

2. Customer intelligence: Apple, as it's done with Passbook and iTunes, is continuing to wedge itself between the buyer and the seller. As a pervasive intermediary, it will increasingly put pressure on financial institutions for the toll consumers pay as part of transactions. And with these toll booths on all the vital on and off ramps of the financial roadways with Apple Pay, Apple will gain access to consumer intelligence. This will allow Apple to glean significant insights regarding consumer behavior, preferences and profiles, presenting new business opportunities for the company to market hardware (think POS) and analytical services (think data bureau) to retail enterprises.