14 DAY TRIAL // The tech media seems undecided on whether Apple will implement near field communications (NFC) in its next-generation iPhone, but the latest rumors suggest this is, indeed, the case with iPhone 5.
Recent reports citing people allegedly familiar with Apple’s plans said NFC was not coming to the iPhone until 2012.
The reason cited by sources talking to The Independent last week was “lack of a clear standard across the industry.”
However, Apple does have such plans, according to Forbes’ Elizabeth Woyke who reportedly tweeted: “Just met with an entrepreneur who says the iPhone 5 *will* have NFC…according to his friend, who works at Apple. Huh.”
A set of short-range wireless technologies that typically require a distance of 4 cm or less, Near field communication operates at 13.56 MHz and at rates ranging from 106 kbit/s to 848 kbit/s.
NFC involves an initiator and a target, where the iPhone would be the initiator, actively generating an RF field that can power a passive target.
Apple is believed to be very interested in having its 200+ million iTunes accounts use the function for various other transactions via its platform.
Apple would be able to route various kinds of purchases through its iTunes platform, and thus generate additional revenue.
Rumors of the iPhone 5 are only recently starting to paint a picture of how the device will look, and what it will pack in terms of hardware features.
According to a source reportedly connected to Foxconn, the company assembling Apple’s iDevices, iPhone 5 will have a design similar to that of the current-generation iPhone 4.
The major aesthetic differences will be a replacement of the back glass panel with a metal shell, and a presumed larger screen that goes from edge to edge on the width of the device, leaving little to no room for a bezel.