There has been a lot of talk in recent months about the potential for Apple to introduce its own mobile payments platform. While there has been little in the way of information about that system, the company recently revealed the power it might have when it launches.

Apple's iPhone is one of the most popular mobile device in the world, and its iPad tablet PC has also gained significant favor among consumers since it was introduced, and all those adopters could be a benefit for the company's mobile payments platform plans, according to a report from the New York Times. So far, the company has allowed its users to download some 15 billion applications for its mobile devices, and with those comes millions of users.

Worldwide, Apple has roughly 400 million active accounts in its iTunes program, all of which are linked to credit card information, the report said. This would be a significant boon for Apple because, unlike other mobile payment platform developers, which are going to be required to build customer bases, the company already has a sizable base of iTunes users with their data ready to be used.

And in a way, Apple has already begun converting many of its users to the possible system, which many speculate would be known as iWallet, the report said. Already, when a consumer uses their iPhone or iPad to log into iTunes and make or sync a purchase, of either apps or music, rather than doing it through the version on their computer, that device is automatically linked to the account with the payment information.

How might the new system look?
At a recent press conference, Apple chief executive officer Timothy Cook showed off a new app for the mobile operating system iOS known as Passbook, the report said. This program would allow consumers to store everything from airline boarding passes, gift card accounts, movie tickets, and the like on their phone, and then have them scanned at a point of sale or other such device. It may not be a stretch to assume that, if Apple were to launch its mobile platform, it would do so in a similar fashion to passbook, perhaps even in that app itself.

Consumers who have been polled about this type of possible mobile payment platform have largely expressed concerns over the security of these programs. However, experts advise that they can be far more secure than traditional credit card use because of the way data is encrypted.

However, those who want to make sure their finances are in order should also take the time to order copies of their credit reports. By doing so, they may be able to identify any potential unfair markings that could be dragging down their credit ratings without cause. Fortunately, working with a credit repair company can often help to get these problematic entries cleared up relatively quickly.