Financial Services Tools in First Wave of Apple Watch Apps (March 16, 2015)
The Apple Watch is still more than five weeks away from rollout, but thousands of developers are scurrying to ready apps for April 24 when the device goes on sale. Apple already is prominently touting a handful of approved financial services apps for the watch—along with apps to assist consumers with shopping, travel and dining out.
Among examples is the Citi Mobile app, enabling Citi customers to check their checking, savings and credit card balances, plus access detailed information about their five most recent transactions and optional due date alerts. The Mint Personal Finance app enables Apple Watch users to view monthly spending goals and track progress toward meeting them. The Fidelity Mobile app provides customers with stock quotes and trading alerts for U.S. and global markets, with the option to connect to the iPhone for active trading.
Apple Watch apps integrating Apple Pay likely will be abundant, based on Apple’s initial sampling. The PayByPhone Parking app enables users to use pay for metered parking via Apple Pay and sends a notification 10 minutes before the meter expires, with the option to feed the meter via the watch. And apps to enhance shopping also are getting early exposure. Target Corp.’s Apple Watch app knows where shoppers are inside the store, can sort a shopping list created on the iPhone and guide shoppers to the next item. eBay also will have an Apple Watch app available when the product launches, according to Apple.
The wearables technology market as a whole—from smartwatches to connected cars—is already worth $22.7 billion and will reach an estimated $173.3 billion by 2020, according to a recent Gemalto blog.
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