Apple Pay Coming To Europe By End Of Year

Apple CEO Tim Cook has been visiting Europe to check up on Apple’s progress in the region, according to new reports.

While in Germany, Cook apparently revealed Apple Pay would be available across all of Europe by the end of the year.

The chief exec reportedly spilt the beans on quite a few secrets to an Apple employee at the Kurfürstendamm Apple Store, while meeting with German representatives.

Apple Pay will first come to the UK, apparently one major bank is the only thing standing in the way of a full launch in the country. Other ‘first tier’ countries include Germany, France, Luxembourg and Switzerland.

Typically Europe has been one of Apple’s least important markets, due to the price-per-sale, various VAT and tax issues and the lack of adoption for iPhone, iPad and Mac in regards to competition. In the U.S., Apple has over 40 percent of the mobile market, in Europe it is less than 25 percent.

The launch of Apple Pay in the region was not the only bit of noteworthy gossip, Cook apparently said he takes his Apple Watch everywhere, including the shower. This would hint at full waterproofing, something even the recently launched Pebble Time does not feature.

Full waterproofing would be an excellent investment, considering owners want to keep the watch on their wrist at all opportunities, however Cook apparently takes it off every night for charging, indicating a low amount of battery life.

It is still unconfirmed if any of what Cook said was true, or whether an Apple employee is simply trying to leak information for headlines. We’ll know all about Apple Watch’s apparent features next month, when Apple reveals any undisclosed features before the launch in April.