Morning Report: Apple Pay Limitations, No RAM Upgrade Path for 2014 Mac mini

In just a few short hours, iPhone 6 owners will be able to download iOS 8.1 and start using Apple Pay at retail stores — but before you head out to the store, there are a few limitations you should be aware of, as outlined in our Monday Morning Report. We've also got some bummer news about upgrading RAM in the new Mac mini (spoiler: you can't), and a unique solution for making eye contact while chatting on an iPad. Click ahead to read more!

Eddy Cue Tempers Expectations Ahead of Apple Pay Launch

The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that Apple Pay may not be a home run right out of the gate — despite nabbing the support of the six largest credit card issuers who handle 83 percent of all transactions and 500 banks on the way, the system has a few limitations Apple executives haven't talked about until now.

Among them are a lack of support for corporate credit cards, prepaid debit cards, and store-branded cards — even those from launch partners like Macy's and Bloomingdale's. (A Macy's spokesman says support is coming "eventually.") But the biggest issue of them all may be the absence of near-field communications enabled point-of-sale terminals at retailers.

“We’re trying to do something that I think is a game changer and it requires a lot of people to play together,” Apple Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue said in an interview. “There’s a lot to do here and we have a lot of work to do, but it should be huge.”

Apple anticipates the largest share of initial Apple Pay transactions will come from in-app purchases, as well as those from web stores. The latest iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3 models shipping this week can also take participate in such payments, but can't be used at retail stores, which is limited to the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus for now.

There's No Way to Upgrade RAM in Latest 2014 Mac mini

Aside from the $100 price cut, Apple's late 2014 Mac mini upgrade appears to have brought more bad news than good, with Cupertino axing the build-to-order quad-core processor option and capping dual-drive storage options at 1TB. According to MacRumors, the biggest limitation of all might be the inability for owners to upgrade RAM on their own.

In a blog post on Macminicolo, Brian Stucki confirms that RAM on the new units are "not user accessible" because Apple has soldered the memory to the motherboard. Users can upgrade to 16GB of RAM, but that option can only be done at the time of purchase. Users apparently will be able to replace or upgrade the hard drive in their late 2014 Mac mini, but at the risk of voiding the machine's warranty.

iTOi Video Producer Brings Direct Eye Contact to iPad

Video chat is great, but one big limitation is the absence of direct eye contact between users. The iTOi Video Booth attempts to solve this problem with patented optical technology that makes it possible to look directly into the iPad camera while still being able to see who you're chatting with on the other end. Compatible with FaceTime, Skype, or Google Hangouts, the Video Booth can become a mini production suite with the free companion iTO Video Producer app, which converts any iPad into a teleprompter. iTOi Video Booth is now available exclusively at Brookstone for $149.99.

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