There are established people in this space with very easy to setup solutions, like Zettle (PayPal) for example - who also offer connected receipt printers, barcode scanners, tablet/phone terminals and integrations with ecommerce, accounting and so on. The only real advantage I can see Apple having is if they charged a lower transaction fee, but it's going through Stripe, so no - 2.9 % + 30c versus 1.75 %. I don't think waiting for hardware is a major factor - you can get a terminal shipped next day if you want.
I mention Zettle because it's hugely popular in the UK. A lot of market traders use them, which has probably saved a lot of businesses that would traditionally be cash-only. COVID has helped to encourage cashless purchasing too. Europe generally has always been pretty ahead with contactless payments (Zettle was a Swedish fintech before PayPal bought them).
Stripe might lower their rates for Tap to Pay. I also think you underestimate the friction of getting extra hardware for a small business and the advantage of using hardware you already have (iPhone).
I mention Zettle because it's hugely popular in the UK. A lot of market traders use them, which has probably saved a lot of businesses that would traditionally be cash-only. COVID has helped to encourage cashless purchasing too. Europe generally has always been pretty ahead with contactless payments (Zettle was a Swedish fintech before PayPal bought them).