before. There was that period about two years
ago when Samsung wanted to show Google who
really was responsible for Android's success and
developed the Tizen OS. Now, following the word
that Samsung has acquired mobile payment
company LoopPay , the two tech titans would
appear to be at odds once again.
Following the word that Samsung had officially
purchased LoopPay, many wondered about
Samsung's commitment to Google Wallet. David
Eun, head of Samsung’s Global Innovation
Center, admitted that Google is an important
strategic partner for Samsung, but also said that
the focus is on Sammy's customers. He said that
the manufacturer is "committed to creating the
different experiences and devices that they (the
customers) want. "
LoopPay and Google Wallet use two different
methods to allow users to make payments by
tapping the phone to a POS terminal. Google
Wallet uses NFC connectivity which limits its use
to retail locations outfitted with NFC. LoopPay's
system is based on the magnetic stripe on the
back of a credit card and doesn't require NFC.
Because most retailers already use a magnetic
stripe swiping terminal, Samsung's new mobile
payment system is already accepted in over 10
million locations, swamping the smaller (but
growing) number that can accept Google Wallet,
Apple Pay and other NFC based systems.
Samsung executives have already said that the
LoopPay system will be available for the Samsung
Galaxy S6 which will be unveiled March 1st at
MWC in Barcelona. That means that the new
flagship might offer two different mobile
payment platforms for users to employ. Tim
Sloane, a payments analyst at Mercator Advisory
Group, says that this could be confusing for some
users.
Surprisingly, Google executives are said to be
okay with all of the duplication. One person
familiar with the company's thinking says that
Google believes that multiple mobile payment apps
can live side-by-side on a single phone.
source: WSJ
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