Apple, Inc.

By Eileen F. Mitchell, [email protected]

Framingham, Mass. -- Mobile payments have more than doubled in popularity reaching over 33% of survey respondents, according to IDC Financial Insights’ eighth annual Consumer Payments Survey.

The new report, “Business Strategy: Results from the 2012 Consumer Payments Survey,” found that those that of whose had made a mobile payment, more than half used PayPal Mobile (56%), with Amazon Payments and Apple's iTunes service statistically tied at about 40%. 

The past few months have seen a flurry of store openings in New York City. Here’s a rundown on some of this summer’s hottest new must-sees as chosen by my go-to expert on Big Apple retail happenings Faith Hope Consolo,  chairman of the retail division at Prudential Douglas Elliman:

Chicago -- A Thursday report by Bloomberg said that the Sprint-owned pay-as-you-go carrier Virgin Mobile will open 10 retail stores on Friday in Chicago, as part of its plan to leverage iPhone’s expansion into the prepaid wireless space.
 
With the openings, Virgin Mobile will become the second U.S. prepaid service to offer the Apple device, following the iPhone’s debut at Leap Wireless International on June 22.

LOS ANGELES — Walmart is offering its customers more ways to connect with the availability of a new prepaid mobile broadband service from TruConnect Mobile.

Walmart is now the exclusive provider of Internet on the Go, powered by the MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot and a service plan from TruConnect with no monthly fee and where the data balance never expires (if used once a year). This is different from other low-cost prepaid monthly services where unused megabytes are wasted at the end of the month – potentially driving up the cost.

Los Angeles -- TruConnect Mobile announced that Walmart is now the exclusive provider of its prepaid mobile broadband service Internet on the Go, powered by the MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot.

The service plan has no monthly fee and the data balance never expires (if used once a year).

New York -- Microsoft Corp. will open its first retail location in Canada at the Yorkdale Mall, the Star reported.

Apple has 23 stores across Canada, including a location at Yorkdale.

The report cited building permit notices which revealed Microsoft has been approved to build a store in Yorkdale center.
 

Armonk, N.Y. -- An IBM "Institute of Business Value" study revealed that self checkout is the preferred way to shop for most consumers today, and more than half said they want to use a mobile device to scan while shopping, and to do final checkout at a self-checkout station. More than 40% want to scan samples and retrieve shopping items for pickup, or have the items delivered directly to their homes.