Apple's iPhone Said To Be Getting NFC Capabilities

Credit cards may soon be obsolete, with Apple among those leading the charge to bring "wave and pay" technology to smartphones.

Near-Field Communication (NFC) technology, which makes contactless mobile payments possible, allows a mobile device to communicate wirelessly with an NFC receiver at short distances. A customer would merely wave or tap an NFC-equipped smartphone in front of a receiver to complete a transaction.

The New York Times reports that an upcoming Apple iPhone--though it may not be the iPhone 5--will feature NFC capabilities.

"According to two people with knowledge of the inner workings of a coming iteration of the Apple iPhone -- although not necessarily the next one -- a chip made by Qualcomm for the phone's processor will also include near-field communication technology," writes the Times.

In addition, an NFC-equipped iPhone will reportedly share data with the customer's iTunes account. According to the Times, "One person familiar with the new Apple feature said the phone's credit card information would be tied to information currently used on iTunes, which would make it simple for customers to set up the new mobile payment method on the iPhone."

Cult of Mac recently reported that Apple is testing a "remote computing system" that allows the user to log into the Mac App store by tapping an NFC-equipped Apple laptop with an NFC-equipped iPhone.

Neither the Times's sources not Cult of Mac's tipster specified which iPhone Apple plans to release with this e-wallet technology.

Could the iPhone 5 be the first Apple phone to feature NFC hardware? Conflicting reports have emerged from different sources, so it's tough to tell at present.

Do you think the iPhone 5 will feature NFC technology? Answer our poll (below), and share your thoughts in the comments. Read on for the latest rumors about the iPhone 5's antenna and new design.

Quick Poll

Will the iPhone 5 feature NFC technology?

Yes

No

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Comments

[jomcty]

09:22 AM on 03/25/2011

Old news. I already have NFC in my Google Nexus S!

[dbw53022]

07:29 AM on 03/24/2011

Before you introduce NFC, how about fixing Facetime? It crashes all the.......

[menschmaschine5]

01:34 AM on 03/24/2011

About time? Yes. Innovative? Sorry, no. Apple didn't think of this one. Sorry, fanboys.

This has been in use in other countries for several years now. Also, the Google Nexus S has the hardware for NFC, it just lacks the software (since NFC in phones has yet to be implemented over here), so the iphone won't even be the first American phone to use it.

[CaptainObvvious]

01:40 PM on 03/24/2011

Use it?

You just said that the Nexus S lacks the software so they can't "use" it.

If this is true the iPhone will have the software, hardware and infrastructure to run it.

[jomcty]

09:24 AM on 03/25/2011

The Nexus S has the hardware and software. The latest firmware update, v2.3.3, added NFC write capability to the existing read capability.

[jsgaetano]

09:09 PM on 03/23/2011

Well that's great.  Now if someone steals your phone, they also get to run up your credit card bill.

[dbw53022]

07:30 AM on 03/24/2011

Not if its password protected. And you can wipe the phone remotely.

[jsgaetano]

11:53 PM on 03/24/2011

But how many iPhone users password protect their phone?
 
I know many, but that's only because we force security policies onto people.

[elicourey]

09:24 PM on 03/24/2011

um, couldn't someone steal your credit card too?

[jsgaetano]

11:52 PM on 03/24/2011

Mine?  No, they couldn't.

[Jeffrey Zacko-Smith]

09:03 PM on 03/23/2011

I love my iPhone - I have tried others and they just feel like junk to me. Plus, I like having all I need, including my extensive iTunes library, all in one place. I currently pay for my coffee at Starbucks with my phone (via their awesome app) and it works perfectly and is soooo convenient. I would totally welcome this advancement.

[a okafor007]

11:55 AM on 03/24/2011

Plus, third party customization (i.e. Jailbreaking). If you jailbreak your iPhone, you have the ability to get most AppStore apps FOR FREE. NO OTHER PHONE HAS THAT CAPABILITY!!!

[Richard Bell]

10:35 PM on 03/24/2011

Relax dude

[Bob Flores]

08:44 PM on 03/23/2011

apple apple apple, that's all we ever hear about. gawd people, who cares?

[cruzy]

11:57 PM on 03/23/2011

The old words of wisdom still ring true: If you truly don't care, then don't waste any precious minutes of your life on it.

It's very simple to scan the headline, see the story is about Apple, which you claim not to care about, and then choose to read something else instead.

It's tech news. If you are interested in it, then read it. If not, don't.

[jayded]

08:10 PM on 03/23/2011

what happens when your battery dies?

[CaptainObvvious]

01:42 PM on 03/24/2011

The iPhone 4 battery lasts all day even under very heavy use.

As long as you charge it at night you're ok and with car chargers and external batteries you can use if you have failed to take every other precaution you should be fine.

[jayded]

06:20 PM on 04/14/2011

for citydwellers like myself, for whom car chargers aren't optional, you'd be better off just carrying you debit card rather than lugging an extra battery in your pants pocket

[Salanry]

02:56 PM on 03/24/2011

There's an App for that...

[dread locks]

03:38 PM on 03/23/2011

I'm surprised apple is talking about this in public. Usually they order a hit on anybody who spills the beans on their upcoming features.

[dread locks]

03:34 PM on 03/23/2011

I cant believe apple is talking about this in public, usually they castrate anybody who spills the beans about their upcoming products and features.

[GunnyJ]

12:49 PM on 03/23/2011

Meet George Jetson....

[Cody Wetzel]

11:53 AM on 03/23/2011

A new age of digital pickpocketing will soon be upon us....

[dread locks]

03:36 PM on 03/23/2011

LOL funny! I hear they already have electronic device that can read your credit card information inside your wallet or purse, just by bumping into you.

[Cody Wetzel]

05:46 PM on 03/23/2011

Exactly my point :)

[a okafor007]

11:56 AM on 03/24/2011

That's only if your credit card has that electronic easy swipe chip

[kidjudas]

09:28 AM on 03/23/2011

Aw- I thought the new feature would be a battery that lasts more than 5 hours. Or new antenna placement. Or the ability to work on any cellular network. So I get to hand over my iPhone to the guy at McDonald's who will rub the screen on his pants & shake my phone when the NFC reader on the counter fails to register. I'm no Luddite, but I'm getting bored with my iPhone. And news like this just seems like it's more headache than it's worth. The more engineers try to make Smart Phones smarter, the more I yearn for my old Motorolla Razr.

[CaptainObvvious]

11:44 AM on 03/23/2011

The battery on the iPhone 4 is incredible and may well be the best in the industry.

I wonder if you actually own an iPhone or are just trying to slander it

[seajewel]

03:25 PM on 03/23/2011

Glad to hear the 4 has a better battery. I own a 3GS and the battery won't make through one day without charging.

I am getting bored with my phone too, it's too tiny. I saw the Droid and it feels right, like the right size, shape and weight, I like the bigger screen. Now if Apple did that to our iphones, I'd be in heaven.

[Thomas River]

08:25 AM on 03/23/2011

January: NFC coming to iPhone
February: NFC not coming to iPhone
March: NFC coming to iPhone

Consumer: We don't really care.

[Sunzuki]

07:51 AM on 03/23/2011

Last months news....

[onejamesp2]

06:51 AM on 03/23/2011

WHAT DO YOU GET WHEN YOU COMBINE obama and steve jobs A BAD APPLE AND STILL NO JOBS FOR AMERICAN WORKERS.....ALL CHINA

[BruntLIVE]

07:31 AM on 03/23/2011

AMERICANS WITH NO DEGREE OR SKILL ASKING FOR HIGH SALARIES AND OUTRAGES BENEFITS. THANK YOU APPLE FOR USING A WORK FORCE THAT DOES THE JOB WITHOUT THE FLUFF. IT DOESN'T TAKE $50,000 A YEAR TO PUT A IPAD TOGETHER. AND WHY ARE WE USING CAPS? GOING TO GET SOME KOOL-AID.

[UnknownTone]

07:37 AM on 03/23/2011

This post made me laugh a bit.

[IJKMNO]

06:07 AM on 03/24/2011

New iPhone technology is a reason to take a zing at Obama?

Go back to your online poker game with Rush. Mom will bring you your breakfast down to the basement and do your laundry soon.

[terry90]

09:50 PM on 03/24/2011

LOLLLLLLLL... :-) this deserves a "like" (why no "like" links on HP comments???)