Apple launches mobile payments service in China to mixed response

Apple Inc launched its mobile payment service Apple Pay in the Chinese mainland on Thursday, pitting itself against strong domestic rivals.

But some analysts think the new service - which uses near-field-communication or NFC technology - will struggle to win market share as domestic vendors, too, are poised to launch their own array of new handsets featuring the same functions.

Using a chipset installed in smartphones, NFC technology allows contactless data exchange between devices and point-of-sale terminals.