Apple has done a few things lately that make me wonder what exactly it has up its sleeves. No, nothing to do with Verizon iPhone rumors, what I am talking about here is Apple’s hiring of a near field specialist and recent filing of patents for mobile payment systems that use near field technology. (Near field technology is used for credit/debit cards that can work without being actually slid through a scanner and instead transmit data over very short distances.)

But why is Apple trying to get in on this? What kind of schemes are going on through Steve Jobs’ mind right now? I shudder to think of an Apple with even more control over what we do, but it looks like the next iPhone could work like a debit card of sorts. If you think about it, Apple already has experience with its iTunes store. It wouldn’t be awfully difficult to get some large venues to start offering an Apple payment option on-site. Just think of the media spectacle of thousands of iPhone 5 (or 6) users lining up outside a concert and paying through their phones.

Are we going to see iTunes become Apple’s real moneymaker? The company already has plans for streaming media, rentals, etc. through the website/store/service. You can even purchase Apple hardware through iTunes App Store apps. Apple has a very strong advantage over other smartphone manufacturers with iTunes and I expect it to keep pushing iTunes as the real solution to everything.

Coming back to Apple’s mobile payment system plans, there is little reason to think that the company will fail. Apple simply has outclassed a lot of its chief rivals at critical junctions in technology history. MP3 players? Remember the Zune? Smart phones? Who doesn’t want a touch screen now? App Stores? How many BlackBerry apps are out there? Almost as many different BlackBerry App Stores online. (Okay, not true, but you get the point.)

I know you have an opinion on all of this. Should Apple try to get into the mobile payment options market? Credit card companies are having trouble getting people to use the short range wireless abilities of their cards. Is iTunes going to dominate the world eventually? I shudder to think about something like that happening. Drop a comment and weight in.