If you are looking to buy your loved one an iPhone for Christmas, a phone which is sure to be top of many shopping lists, you will need to ensure your have either a credit card or a debit card when paying.  Why? Apple have taken the amazing decision to refuse cash purchases of the iPhone, as they are insisting upon a way to trace the original owner of any phones which turn up, unlocked,  in other areas of the world.  Is this the start of a new trend?

Thankfully it seems highly unlikely that this is the start of the “cash less society”, more a case of Apple protecting their intellectual property, and safe guarding the release of the iPhone in many other areas of the world.  However, it does prompt the question, do credit card and debit card purchases actually infringe your privacy?

Apple may well have opened up a whole new debate about “big brother” watching you, with the revelation that they would (where required) use you personal address details to question you about any anomalies with your mobile phone.  Is this a move too far? What else can they do with your credit card records? Will there be a major consumer back lash?

While we may see some short term discussions about the issue of privacy, if the truth be told, the credit card companies have been watching our spending patterns for years, with sophisticated software available to forecast your future spending patterns.  Slowly but surely the “unpredictability” of consumer spending patterns is being eroded, and we are being monitored continuously - so what’s new?