Many companies are now rolling out or testing their own versions of mobile wallet programs that allow consumers to use their smartphones as they would their credit cards, making use of near-field communications technology to complete purchases without swiping. But one of the world's best-known tech giants has largely stayed out of the game to this point, and some experts now believe that won't last much longer, according to a report from the New York Times.

The amount of revolving credit carried by consumers in April fell 4.8 percent on a year-over-year basis, after spiking somewhat in the month of March, according to the latest statistics on consumer credit issued by the Federal Reserve Board. Revolving credit is typically considered to be any balance that can be added to or subtracted from between one month and another, and is most commonly associated with credit cards.

Mobile wallet systems work by having consumers load their payment information into a smartphone embedded with near-field communications technology, then use that as a means of making a purchase instead of swiping their card the old-fashioned way. That physical disconnect might be problematic for some, according to a report from the Hartford Courant.

The total number of new credit cards issued in the U.S. last year rose by more than 20 percent from the amount seen in 2010, driven largely by continued extension of new accounts to borrowers with subprime credit ratings, according to the latest data from the credit reporting bureau TransUnion. In all, 24.2 percent of new credit cards were issued to consumers with low credit ratings in 2011, up from the 21.8 percent seen the year prior.