The Cupertino, CA-based maker of the iPhone announced the Apple Pay start date as a feature of its new iOS8.1 operating system. iPad Air 2 is a more powerful and thinner version of the iPad Air with new iSight and FaceTime cameras, faster wireless and Touch ID. 

With millions of consumers? credit card information already on file through iTunes, Apple Pay is set to become a force in mobile payments, just as the more than 675,000 iPad-supporting mobile applications in Apple?s App store set the stage for the new iPads to make an impact this shopping season.

?Leading up to this event there has been an overwhelming amount of pressure on Apple to come out with a very strong product that will reinstate them as the market leader in the tablet space,? said Scott Hirsch, CEO of Appsbar, a free mobile-application development platform. 

?We saw incremental updates to both the next-gen iPad and iPad mini, comparing the thinness of the iPad Air2 to a pencil is a great visual, and speaks to the technological prowess of their engineering, but from a marketing perspective the real updates that matter to marketers are with iOS8.1.?

The proceedings at Apple?s headquarters included the announcement that 500 banks and many big-brand retailers have signed off on Apple Pay.

?We see the true effort and resources Apple is dedicating to owning the mobile wallet space," Mr. Hirsch said. ?Once Apple Pay becomes fully integrated with Apple?s iBeacons there will be an unprecedented ability to personalize marketing and advertising efforts.?  

Apple has a history of holding their announcements just prior to the holiday shopping season and with Apple Pay becoming available on Monday it ties in nicely to their overall strategy of dominating the mobile payment ecosystem, he said. 

?However, we have yet to find out whether or not consumers will be willing to use a 9.6-inch device to make their payments.?

Apple Pay removes the act of actually entering one?s credit card number when making a mobile purchase, which most times equates to time for consumers to rethink the purchase and change their minds. 

?With mobile payments already showing growth in 2014, heavyweights like AmEX, Mastercard, and Visa already on board, and removing the time it takes for consumers to think out their purchases, we?re looking at a formula for a surge in mobile commerce through the end of 2014,? Mr. Hirsch said.

The timing of Apple?s presentation, coming just weeks before the biggest retail season of the year, was in itself significant.

?This was really an opportunity for Apple to showcase why consumers should be buying new tablets for the holiday season,? said Julian Zehetmayr, founder of MobFox. ?The time Apple spent on their improved photography capabilities, combined with a lower price point for both products, is proof that they're trying to push iPad purchases hard for holiday season.?  

Tablet sales have been cooling faster than expected as cost-conscious consumers hang on to them longer and put money into lower-priced smartphones, laptops and wearables.

Last month, International Data Corp. cut its 2014 global outlook for tablet shipments after a second straight quarter of weaker-than-expected demand while forecasting strong growth in smartphone shipments. The contrasting results underscored a perception that smartphones are must-have items while tablets are luxury items, especially as phone screens get larger.

Apple also made it easier to make app store and in app purchases, and possible other ecommerce purchases, with the new tablets by integrating Touch ID, but fell short of adding capabilities to the new iPads that will enable them to be used in store. 

The iPad Air 2 is just 6.1 millimeters thick, or 18 percent thinner than its predecessor. It also can take pictures in burst mode and slow-motion HD video. Both the iPad Air 2 and the 7.9-inch iPad mini 3 will be available for pre-order today.

The 16GB Wi-Fi versions of the iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 3 start at $499 and $399, respectively. Both will feature Apple Pay.

Apple Pay was expected to become a huge force as more and more merchants who signed on as consumers adopted the new iPhones.

Despite an increasingly crowded mobile payments playing field that includes PayPal, the current leader, Google Wallet and Isis, Apple Pay?s advantage is that it already has millions of consumers? credit card information on file through iTunes, making enrollment and use easy for consumers.

That said, the timing of the Apple Pay launch means consumers will have little time to get in the habit of using it, limiting its ability to make a significant impact this holiday shopping season.

Apple?s presentation served as an eye into the long-term future of the in-store experience, which is primed for innovation. 

?Apps like Cover and OpenTable are already using advanced payment processing at restaurants,? Mr. Zehetmayr said. ?Apple Pay will bring this same experience to traditional stores.?