http://blogs.wsj.com/moneybeat/2014/09/11/apples-lesson-for-bitcoin-think-bigger/There is no Bitcoin CEO, of course. Still, bitcoin’s leading advocates should use Apple AAPL +0.43%’s mobile payments initiative as cause for reflection. For one, they need to recognize the obstacles that Apple itself faces. The near-field communication (NFC) technology behind Apple Pay has been available in smartphones for a decade – it’s used by Google GOOGL -0.39% Wallet in Android phones, for example – and hasn’t taken off. What’s to say bitcoin would have more luck convincing merchants and consumers to adopt it? After all, whereas Apple is boasting that its system is more secure than credit cards, bitcoin continues to struggle with a negative public image of insecurity, one stoked by the Mt. Gox bitcoin exchange, hacking attacks, and connections with drug dealers. And bitcoin transactions are in a currency prone to volatility; Apple’s will be in dollars.
