Government-controlled fiat is a bad idea, and shifting the centralization to private companies doesn't fix anything but merely compounds the problems. When will people learn?
Bitcoin isn't exactly immune from scammers either. Any new technology is going to be exploited or hacked by thieves looking for their paycheck. Both people, governments and corporations need to be one step ahead and keep themselves as secure as they can.
One difference is, you can protect yourself in bitcoin by using your own wallet and having complete control over your security setup. Do it right and no one can touch you. Whereas with Apple Pay (etc.) merchants and users will find the hard way that they are never completely safe because they've handed control over to others. In the article hope is expressed that the Apple Pay system will mature and the scamming will end. That doesn't account for the fact that scammers will also learn and grow their capabilities.
Again, the difference is that while bitcoin scammers certainly exist, people can and are learning how to permanently put themselves out of reach of the scammers. I don't believe the same capability will ever be reached with trusted-3rd-party systems without making them so cumbersome they are unusable. (Like a digital equivalent of going through all the extra-special security checks at an airport.... ugh.)