(Telecompaper) Apple CEO Timothy Cook said that 1 million credit cards activated on Apple Pay in the first three days that the mobile wallet went live, the New York Times reported. The CEO made the statement during a tech conference in Laguna Beach, California. Apple made deals with many merchants, including Whole Foods, Walgreens, McDonald's, Macy's and Nike. Some retailers are still holding out, with Rite Aid and CVS disabling Apple Pay from working with their stores. The shops are part of a group that is working on a competing mobile payment system. Cook suggested it was only a matter of time before the retailers came around. Cook also spoke about his desire to protect consumer privacy, following up on reports that the tougher security in Apple's new mobile software system, iOS 8 drew criticism from law enforcement officials, who said the new encryption methods would hinder investigations. Cook said that if a company were to design a way for the police to gain access to a user's data, it could end up in the wrong hands.