What Steve Jobs knew back in 1984 and why that matters today

Mobile payments. HCE. Mobile wallets. Wearables. This launch, that announcement. Blah, blah, blah... There is so much overlapping noise, confusion and lack of any clear direction in the market right now.

Apple has been flying below the radar lately, on all fronts. Yet, anyone who is active in mobile payments should not forget how disruptive Apple can be when they do come out to play. They already redefined (beyond recognition) several industries, and they are about to do it with payments, both online and offline. 

Yes, there are some other formidable players out there, but it's often the second mice that gets that cheese.

To fully appreciate the power of Apple, have a look at this short video clip where Steve Jobs is describing iPad. It dates back to... 1984.

So, the real question, when it comes to mobile payments, is not about this vs that, but what your company will be doing when Apple shows us what the next big thing is.

The good news: Apple's share of the smartphones market is relatively small outside the US, so there will be a chance to do in respect of Apple what Steve Jobs did with Xerox PARC. Good artists borrow, great artists steal.