Apple is releasing the API for Apple Pay. They want lots of people to find innovative ways to use it.
I wouldn't be surprised at all if Bitpay and Coinbase are reviewing Apple's policy, trying to see if they can apply.
I can totally see a future where coinbase has partenered with a major bank and offers an Apple Pay option.
I imagine it now, "Would you like to pay with Visa, MasterCard, debit, gift card, or Coinbase?" When I open the app.
This is really happening folks.
Why would they want to apply? They already have a much better system in place to process payments. There are existing bitcoin wallets that have the ability to send bitcoin to a coinbase (or a bitpay) address when a merchant is willing to sell for bitcoin via coinbase.