It would be nice if Apple went ahead and released the iPhone 5S already, so stories about whether the company is about to disrupt the mobile payments ecosystem can be put to rest. (If only putting speculation to rest were that easy.)

At any rate, there is no shortage of opinions on either side of the question. Apple bought the mobile security firm AuthenTec last year, which many observers took as a sign that the tech giant has its eye on mobile payments. Rumors have flowed that the iPhone 5S will include a biometric device tied to the home button, though many scoff at the notion that biometrics will have anything at all to do with mobile payments. They see it as a security play.

But with Apple reporting that it holds some 575 million credit card numbers or other payment information through its iTunes store, the notion that the company is pointing toward mobile payments seems plausible to many.

Count The Motley Fool's Steve Heller in that camp. In the video below, Heller explains why he sees Apple plunging into mobile payments soon. And whose investors should worry about this the most? He thinks that's eBay's PayPal.

Watch the video here:

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