Rumored NFC Chip for iPhone 6 Highlighted in Claimed Schematic

NFC in the iPhone would really surprise me.

Low energy Bluetooth seems like a superior technology for a powered device and it doesn't seem like there is enough momentum behind any NFC-based infrastructure (at least here in the US) to force Apple's hand.

I guess we'll see soon enough.

The Phazer said:

Buses in London no longer accept cash. NFC cards only.

Click to expand...

Not so, you can still buy a paper travelcard using cash at a National Rail or tube station and use that.

This will be making Apple look like a follower instead of a technology leader. Why would Apple choose to support NFC now? So I seriously doubt it.

decimortis said:

NFC is right. Noone ********** Cares.

D.

Click to expand...

Apple has this talent to make existing ideas "happen" for lack of a better term.

mp3 players existed long before the iPod but it took Apple's influence to change the music industry and how we consume music.

Tablets existed long before the iPad but it took Apple's influence to make it a household item.

You are correct in stating that no one cares about NFC but if Apple does indeed include it in the iPhone 6 you can bet there is something industry changing behind it.

is NFC mentioned in IOS 8's code? If not then it probably wont be in IP6.

luckydcxx said:

not another wiring schematic ... this had people up in arms over "1 GB of RAM" :roll eyes:

I really see no need for NFC, with everyone that has android and the ability to use it, i have never seen 1 person use it in real life ... ever.

Click to expand...

this must mean you live in US. in Canada and in some European countries NFC compatible credit cards are very common and are very widely accepted. In Canada all supermarket chains, drugstore chains, fastfood chains, most department stores accept them. Many small shops accept them too and they are the last ones to adopt new technology. It took years but the system is becoming ubiquitous here. It's true, however, that most people simply use their credit cars directly for NFC transactions (you just tap your card on the credit card terminal- no PIN or signature needed but it's limited to 50$ per transaction). I haven't seen anybody use their phones for this. I'm not sure if it's possible or not. I would be curious to find out.

KPOM said:

TouchID plus NFC = secure payment system? Two-factor authentication would help address the security concerns while TouchID minimizes the inconvenience.

Click to expand...

My thought exactly. NFC + Touch ID was Apple's plan. They needed to get Touch ID working using 'lower risk' use cases before rolling out their full secure payment solution.

Trapezoid said:

If nfc is in the iPhone, retailers will start adopting it en masse. Guaranteed.

Click to expand...

That's what most naysayers are missing. If the iPhone has NFC payments the tech will become ubiquitous overnight. Every store will want it as droves of customers walk in with iPhones.

Personally, I was really hoping for a wireless payment system on the iPhone 5 and was pretty let down. Not holding my breath for the 6... but still hoping.

britboyj said:

Yesssss.

I would love to be able to buy a drink of powerade or something from a restaurant while running. Swing in, pay $1, get refreshment, continue running.

Click to expand...

You could carry a one dollar bill. Or does that add too much weight to your run?

1Zach1 said:

In 6 hours do we get another schematic update with contactless wireless charging?

Click to expand...

It'd be great to have Qi charging. At last.

It's working just GREAT with my N7 2013.

jlake02 said:

That's what most naysayers are missing. If the iPhone has NFC payments the tech will become ubiquitous overnight. Every store will want it as droves of customers walk in with iPhones.

Personally, I was really hoping for a wireless payment system on the iPhone 5 and was pretty let down. Not holding my breath for the 6... but still hoping.

Click to expand...

Yep, whether or not its right is another debate, but if anyone is going to make nfc mainstream in the US, it's apple. The other companies have been trying for three years.

Of course even when that happens people will still be saying "my insert phone here did this in 2011", not realizing that it was a useless feature when their phone had it (again in the US)

scbn said:

This will be making Apple look like a follower instead of a technology leader. Why would Apple choose to support NFC now? So I seriously doubt it.

Click to expand...

Fear of looking like a follower is never a good reason not to do the right thing.

I don't know if NFC is the right thing, or if NFC will be in the iPhone, but Apple will do what it thinks is best for the iPhone experience, even if it conflicts with some statement Steve Jobs said in 2009.

If a velociraptor were loose in the building and you saw a group of people running away and hiding, would you refuse to run and hide for fear of looking like a follower?

What's the track record about rumors from GeekBar? Macrumors search brings them up exactly two times.

I seriously doubt that anybody outside of Apple Engineering has access to these schematics.
Manufacturers don't need them, so they don't get them. One does not want to make cloning too easy.

dagamer34 said:

NFC is required to be in PoS machines by October 2015 as decreed by EMV (EuroPay, MasterCard, Visa), or the retailer is liable for fraud. So, it's most definitely coming.

Link: http://blog.unibulmerchantservices.com/emv-nfc-mobile-wallets-and-credit-card-fraud-liability/

Click to expand...

That's not what the the banks are requiring. EMV is definitely required. But, NFC is not.

The article is only hoping that merchants will install EMV terminals that also support NFC. If you read through the referenced articles, you will see that Verifone is selling only NFC-enabled terminals. But, they aren't the only terminal vendor. Square and Paypal are explicitly passing on NFC, at least for now.

I've seen a number of EMV terminals installed at major retailers. Some of them have the EMV slot enabled, but most don't. However, terminals that support NFC are clearly marked, and the new EMV terminals I've seen are not.

iolinux333 said:

You could carry a one dollar bill. Or does that add too much weight to your run?

Click to expand...

Turns out it's $1.08 with tax. Luckily, you carried two dollar bills, but now you're running with a pocket full of loose change. If only your phone had some kind of app for paying...

luckydcxx said:

not another wiring schematic ... this had people up in arms over "1 GB of RAM" :roll eyes:

I really see no need for NFC, with everyone that has android and the ability to use it, i have never seen 1 person use it in real life ... ever.

Click to expand...

The first thing I disable on a device. Nails the battery otherwise.

doelcm82 said:

Turns out it's $1.08 with tax. Luckily, you carried two dollar bills, but now you're running with a pocket full of loose change. If only your phone had some kind of app for paying...

Click to expand...

Turns out their nfc machines are down. You're unable to pay because you didn't bring crash. You continue running and collapse from dehydration. When the police try to identify you, they realize you have no ID because you didn't carry your wallet. Your family never finds out what happened to you...

Lol just kidding, you presented a good case there, I was just being silly.

nice but doesnt make up for 1 gig of ram or lack of 1080p

WBRacing said:

The first thing I disable on a device. Nails the battery otherwise.

Click to expand...

I've never seen NFC show up on battery stats. it uses trivial battery

NFC is a "chicken and egg" problem. There's a coming confluence of all point-of-sale terminals having to be replaced/updated to support the new incoming legally-mandated credit/debit card system, and a single dominant product update (iPhone 6) looming which can put compatible technology in the hands of a huge fraction of customers in short order. If POS terminal vendors can be assured that Apple will put NFC in the next and future phones, and Apple can be assured that most POS terminals will be updated for NFC support, then we have a rare opportunity to put such a technology in place overnight. No question POS terminal manufacturers and Apple (plus major Android players) are in talks to make this happen.

Without this confluence, there's little point in upgrading vast numbers of POS terminals to support NFC, and little point in sparing precious space & power & cost to putting NFC in a given phone.

Sometimes big plans do come together.

Of course they got NFC in it.
China is lowering the subsidy to the phone, but phone with a NFC chip could get a USD50 special subsidy, and it does not require the phone to do anything with NFC.

Armen said:

Apple has this talent to make existing ideas "happen" for lack of a better term.

mp3 players existed long before the iPod but it took Apple's influence to change the music industry and how we consume music.

Tablets existed long before the iPad but it took Apple's influence to make it a household item.

You are correct in stating that no one cares about NFC but if Apple does indeed include it in the iPhone 6 you can bet there is something industry changing behind it.

Click to expand...

Exactly.

Old MP3 players were either flash players with a tiny amount of storage space... or they were big heavy devices with 2.5" laptop hard drives.

Enter Apple... who decided to use a 1.8" hard drive in the first iPod... for huge capacity and a small physical size.

And this is exactly what Apple is good at. Apple has a knack for turning off-the-shelf parts into a spectacular device.

Toshiba had created a 1.8" hard drive... but they didn't even know what to do with it.

Apple did.

But the iPod wasn't just about the hardware... it was also the iTunes Music Store that had something to do with the iPod's popularity and the evolution of the music industry. Apple could sell you the hardware and sell you music too.

Most companies couldn't do that.

We might see the same sort of thing happen in the mobile payments industry. Lots of companies have phones with NFC chips... but very few have their own payment infrastructure.

Apple does.

Who knows... Apple could launch "ApplePay" and have a complete solution for buying things with your phone. Apple has what... 800 million credit cards on file already? It's certainly within the realm of possibility.

Once again... that's what Apple is good at... taking an off-the-shelf technology (NFC chips) and integrating it with their own technology (iTunes payments)

Very few companies can provide such a complete solution.

Jony Ive: With our new payment solution, we wanted to make the experience as seamless and beautifully designed as possible, while allowing the user to carry as little as possible. That's why we've partnered with most retailers to allow payments with our new Beats with iWallet by Dr. Dre, powered by Touch ID. While wearing your exclusive Beats with iWallet, just tap your head against the payment terminal, while touching the Beats logo with your Touch ID registered finger, and you've paid for your purchase. No wallet or phone required. It's a truly exquisite solution that we think you'll love, and gorgeous in design.

If they really choose the NFC route and add an NFC chip in the iPhone 6, then I'm mad it wasn't already in my iPhone 5.

I was hesitating to buy it back then, because NFC was present in most new smartphones but the iPhone.

NFC in UK

I've actually been fine with Apple ignoring NFC so far as there was little use for it but actually it'll start to be a problem if the next iPhone doesn't have NFC in the UK. It might not be a deal breaker for me but I'd be more inclined for the first time ever to look into an Android.

If you go to London especially there's loads of places that take NFC payments, the buses now do and the tube will do next month. EE and Vodafone are starting to push their payment systems which are just linked into say Mastercard so they are taken anywhere there's NFC.

iBeacon isn't the answer here, it solves a different problem. Ultimately while it's taken a long time to get going, NFC is going to be the standard for mobile payments. There's enough payment terminals that take it now that it's reached that critical mass point where it'll keep going.

I remember when bluetooth first came to phones and people said what's the point when there's WiFi. It took years and years before it really took off but it clearly serves a different purpose than WiFi. Shorter range, slower but at a much lower power usage. NFC has taken it's sweet time but these next few years it'll really take off now (Other than in the US that still hasn't even got to Chip and PIN )