iPad NFC in iPad Air 2?

Apple do not, unfortunately see the iPad as their important flagship device.
That's the iPhone.
The iPad always comes second, like the ugly sister.

If it's NFC in the iPhone this year, that could mean another year before the iPad gets it. If at all. As Apple may decide you should not be using your iPad on the move like this

 

I've used wifi for pairing with cameras, transferring pictures from other iOS using wifi, etc.. There is also Bluetooth. Do keep in mind, that NFC is most often uses simply as a way to connect devices and then Bluetooth and Wifi take over from there. I also don't see this as a necessity for iPads. Most aren't going to take out their iPad in order to make a payment at a register (I always find it comical when I see someone using an iPad to actually take a picture or a movie and the odd ways they have to hold it to do so) and since other wifi technologies already do transfers, it makes it less useful.

 

just like apple held off the touch id for the ipad air 2, NFC will come with the ipad air 3

 

Doubt we'd see that. I think their vision is to have the iPhone as the main portable device. They don't put the weather, calculator, stock nor Passbook apps on the iPad though, which is mind boggling. But with Passbook, same concept.

 

iPad Air 2 will be an upgrade like 3-4 minimal. That being said I would love to be surprised

 

Maybe for wireless charging when they get round to it

 

Probable. Last year the new technology TouchID and sapphire lens were in tight supply for the 5S. Which made iPhone priority.

The NFC chip is not going to be in tight supply, they could easily implement inexpensively, and not impact mass production.

 

I don't think Pay would make sense n the full size iPad. In my opinion it would be too big to carry around while having hands full shopping.

 

I'd totally agree. I'm sure there are a few people who would use it like that, especially the iPad mini, but just not enough to justify putting NFC in every iPad. Now maybe it's a possibility on the LTE models since I think you need a data connection anyway.

But Passbook is a part of Apple Pay, and Passbook still isn't on iPads. That itself makes me think Apple Pay is just going to be on iPhones, at least for use in stores. I would be shocked if it wasn't available for use in apps on Touch ID-enabled iPads.

 

Wireless charging is not the same as NFC. Though some devices use the same antenna for both such as the Nexus series, but there's still 2 different chips for it.

I'd love to see NFC in the iPad, not for payment (I doubt that will be supported in Europe anyway) but for using SmartCards. However that would require API access to the NFC hardware which doesn't seem to be present in iOS 8.

Until such an API is provided, NFC in the iPad would be limited to "Pay" and that wouldn't be too useful with a 10" device that you don't always have in your pocket. So while I'd love to see the feature I doubt it'll be in there.

 

I would be very interested if Apple decide to put one of those secure payment chips in the next iPad. Then, with TouchID, and a Cellular connection, Apple could allow full functionality with the Apple Watch. That would include NFC payments, GPS tracking, SMS and phone calls.

I bet they don't though.

 

Would allow them to do Pay without an Watch though.

 

It probably doesn't make sense to put Pay on the Wi-fi versions but it would make sense to have Pay on the wifi + Cellular models.

 

There'd hardy be a reason not to do it... but there's not much reason TO do it either.

Whipping out a full-sized iPad to pay for your McDonalds doesn't really fit the "easy" part of Apple Pay.

If I had to bet, though, I'd say they will.

 

It just gives people another thing to bitch about missing from the iPad lineup.