Bloomberg claims that Apple will be incorporating NFC (Near Field Communication) hardware in the next iPhone and iPad. This feature would allow customers to use the iPhone and iPad to make purchases:
The services are based on “Near-Field Communication,” a technology that can beam and receive information at a distance of up to 4 inches, due to be embedded in the next iteration of the iPhone for AT&T Inc. and the iPad 2, Doherty said. Both products are likely to be introduced this year, he said, citing engineers who are working on hardware for the Apple project.
Apple could potentially tie this payment system into people’s existing iTunes accounts. It’s described to allow customers to walk into a store and make payments directly from their iOS device. Apple may also incorporate loyalty rewards and credit system in iTunes as well. Other possibilities include using location based transactions to improve iAd targeting.
According to this source, Apple has already made prototype payment terminals intended for small businesses to scan NFC-enabled iPhones and iPads. These terminals could be subsidized or even given away to encourage adoption.
Apple has been hiring NFC experts as well as applied for several patents on the technology. A couple of previous reports have also pegged the next generation iPhone as having NFC technology built in.
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While Apple has expressed interest in near field communications (NFC), the short-range wireless technology used for such applications as “tap and go” credit and debit card payments and public transportation fare payments, the company has obviously yet to deploy the technology in its iPhone line.
But as picked up by Engadget, Japanese carrier Softbank is taking steps to bring limited NFC functionality to the iPhone in the form of NFC “seals” or stickers, satisfying the demands of customers in a country where NFC has seen strong adoption.
Japanese carrier Softbank has responded to complaints about the iPhone 4′s NFC deficit — the FeliCa payment system is pretty popular over in the land of sumo, sushi and sun-rising — by introducing a new “seal” for the back of Apple’s latest and greatest. It sticks on, covering almost the entire rear, but is apparently thin enough not to get in the way of using one of Apple’s own Bumpers alongside it.
According to the specifications detailed in the Softbank press release, the sticker is made of polyurethane, weighs 14 grams (0.5 ounces), and covers the entire back of the device with the exception of the camera area. Stickers for three different mobile payment services will be available beginning in February and will be priced at about $36.
As Engadget notes, the sticker doesn’t appear to interact with the iPhone in any way, simply acting as a traditional dumb NFC terminal, but will allow users of some of the most common mobile payments solutions in Japan to ensure that they have their payment methods as long as they have their iPhones in their pockets.
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