Apple looking to build mobile-payments service, report says

Apple already lets users buy music, books, and apps through an iTunes account. But the tech giant has plans to expand its mobile-payment efforts, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.Citing anonymous sources, the report says Apple is exploring moving beyond the realm of digital goods and letting users pay for physical goods and services -- such as clothes or a taxi ride -- with an iTunes account. The Journal says Eddy Cue, the Apple executive in charge of iTunes and the App Store, has already met with industry executives to discuss the topic.The company has also moved Jennifer Bailey, a longtime executive who is running the company's online store, into a new role building the payments business, the article said.Expanding into a mobile-payments business would leverage the hundreds of millions of credit cards Apple already has on file thanks to iTunes. The move would put the company in direct competition with services like Stripe and eBay's PayPal.The space has been heating up of late. Stripe recently raised $80 million in funding, at a valuation of $1.75 billion. And activist investor Carl Icahn has also called for eBay to spin off PayPal. Later, he said Apple would make a good suitor for the mobile-payments service.Apple did not immediately return a request for comment. We'll update this post if we hear back.

Apple looking into new iPad Wi-Fi issues

Apple is investigating Wi-Fi connection issues on the new iPad, according to a report at 9to5Mac.The Apple-centric Web site has posted what it says is an AppleCare internal document citing "intermittent connectivity...slow Wi-Fi speeds...[and] Wi-Fi network not seen." At the top, the document states in red, "Issue/Investigation in Progress" and, under that, "Products Affected, iPad (3rd generation)."Retail stores and "contact centers" are instructed to "capture" third-generation iPads if they exhibit any Wi-Fi issues, according to the document. In this case, capture refers to picking up a unit and shipping to Apple engineering centers, according to 9to5Mac. Related storiesHow to fix Wi-Fi issues on the new iPadThis isn't the first time this issue has been raised, but it appears to be the first evidence of official Apple documentation recognizing the problem. Wi-Fi connectivityhas been discussed extensively on Apple Support Communities. Apple did not respond to a request for comment.