Square is the long-run winner in this category. Look at why Starbucks adopted them instead of competitors like GoPago. 1. They invested in getting the pay-by-p

Square is the long-run winner in this category. Look at why Starbucks adopted them instead of competitors like GoPago. 1. They invested in getting the pay-by-phone experience perfect from the start. That's why Starbucks adopted them. Their wallet app makes GoPago's look amateurish. 2. They invested in getting their processing fee simple and low for their initial targets, P2P and cafes/boutiques. It's lower than GoPago, and that's the biggest cost to the business in the long run. Starbucks noted actually saving money with Square. Starbucks! 3. They don't ship crap. It's true their register feature set is not yet sophisticated enough for more complex businesses like restaurants. But rather than overreaching, they're starting from the simplest businesses and working their way up. Square would rather start with simpler cases and make a perfect end-to-end system, including the consumer's wallet app. It's really smart. I'm already paying with Square's app at my favorite cafes and local boutiques. I can't overemphasize the importance of their early focus on a wallet app to their long-term success. BTW, the "it's just slick marketing" jab is one that was often used against Apple. Square is following the Apple playbook.