One currently has no mobile wallet product, the other has one that failed, but the ironicreality is that all eyes in mobile payments presently are fixed ontech giants Apple and Google.

As for Apple, the buzz is loud that the next iPhone will bereleased mid-September. As per its custom, Apple is close mouthedabout specifications, except it has announced a new wallet app, tobe integrated into the next release of the mobile operating system(iOS 6), that is called Passbook.

Said Apple on its iOS 6 Web page: “Your boardingpasses, movie tickets, retail coupons, loyalty cards, and more arenow all in one place. With Passbook, you can scan your iPhone oriPod touch to check in for a flight, get into a movie, and redeem acoupon. You can also see when your coupons expire, where yourconcert seats are, and the balance left on that all-importantcoffee bar card. Wake your iPhone or iPod touch, and passes appearon your Lock screen at the appropriate time and place — like whenyou reach the airport or walk into the store to redeem your giftcard or coupon.”