Tag: mobile apps

Companies are making adjustments to how they approach mobile payments

Both Apple and Google are pushing further into the mobile payments space, hoping to establish a strong foothold there in and embrace a dominating position in the market. To do so, both companies are changing the way they approach the mobile payments space, making their services more attractive and robust for those that are interested in mobile shopping. Competition in this market is fierce, however, so both companies will have to work harder to engage consumers effectively.

Wallet is becoming a peer-to-peer payments solution

Google is preparing to unveil its plans for its troubled Wallet platform. Google Wallet allows users to participate in mobile payments, but the service has struggled to find traction with consumers for some time. Wallet was launched in 2011 and experienced a security problem shortly after its launch. The service had also been based on NFC technology, which limited its appeal to consumers due to the rarity of NFC-enabled devices at the time. Google has been working to overhaul the Wallet platform in order to make it more accommodating to consumers and merchants interested in mobile payments.

Improvements to Apple Pay may make it more attractive to consumers

As Wallet is being redesigned to be a peer-to-peer payment app, Apple is also planning on enhancing its own payment service, called Apple Pay. It is expected that Apple will introduce a loyalty rewards program in the coming months, which will reward those using the service regularly. Other enhancements include improved security features and functionality. Such improvements could increase the attractiveness of Apple Pay.

Apple and Google have to work to catch up with the competition that exists in the mobile payments market

Apple and Google entered into the mobile payments space somewhat later than other companies. This places them at a modest disadvantage as consumers have had time to get comfortable with other mobile payments platforms. By enhancing their platforms, Google and Apple may begin to generate more momentum  in this market and become prominent players on the mobile payments battlefield.

The company had previously stated that it would be removing apps that didn’t meet their standards.

Back on May 8, Sega announced that it would be taking down a list of titles of mobile games that had not been meeting its standards for the type of playing experience that it wanted to provide to players, though it did not release the names of the titles at that time.

What was known was that the unwanted mobile apps would be removed from all major app stores.

The company was presumably working on its strategy to place a greater focus on mobile games as it moved away from the console experience. It said that the apps that it would be removing were titles that they considered to be unable to meet their current standards. This announcement was made close to another one that was released by the company that said that players could expect to see 20 new titles in the near future, each of which would have “console quality”.

The mobile games that Sega has now removed have come down from all app stores, regardless of the platform.

The initial list of mobile game apps that have been pulled from the Sega catalog include: After Burner Climax, Altered Beast, Ecco the Dolphin, Golden Axe 1, 2 and 3, Jet Set Radio, Phantasy Star II, Space Harrier II, Streets of Rage 1 and 3, Super Monkey Ball 1 and 2, Super Monkey Ball Tip’n’Tilt 1 and 2, and Virtua Fighter 2.

Sega has explained that if one of these games had already been purchased by a mobile device user ahead of the removal of the option from the app stores, it should still be possible for that person to download it, even though it is no longer available for sale. However, the company also pointed out that there will be no more support provided for that game. It is, therefore, available only to be downloaded and played until the time comes that it will “becomes incompatible with the latest phone operating systems or hardware,” at some point in the future.

That said, the company also suggested that this may not be the end of those mobile games, as “given the right situation,” they may look into recreating the apps within “an updated form.” Sega has not provided any more details about which games could potentially reappear in the future.