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No NFC Payment System in iPhone 5, Pushed to iPhone 6?

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Apr 12, 2001
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In January, Apple was rumored to be including NFC (Near Field Communication) hardware in the next generation iPhone and iPad to allow customers to use those devices to make purchases at retail stores.

Clearly, the iPad 2 was released without any NFC technology, and it seems now that the upcoming iPhone 5 won't be getting it either. According to a report from The Independent (via 9to5mac), Apple has decided it will not be including this "wave and pay" system in the iPhone 5 this year.
One source close to the discussions said: "The new iPhone will not have NFC, Apple told the operators it was concerned by the lack of a clear standard across the industry." Yet Apple is understood to be working on its own NFC proposition, which would link payments through iTunes.
Click to expand...
Instead, Apple is said to be working on the technology for introduction "next year", which would presumably be introduced alongside the iPhone 6 (2012).

It's clear that Apple has been working on the technology over the past year or two. Apple has hired NFC experts and published a number of patent applications related to the technology. One patent detailed how the iPhone could be used to pay a bill at a restaurant with the NFC system.

Article Link: No NFC Payment System in iPhone 5, Pushed to iPhone 6?
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2011/03/13/no-nfc-payment-system-in-iphone-5-pushed-to-iphone-6/
Last edited by a moderator:
koobcamuk said:
Won't happen in the West for a while yet... no infrastructure yet.
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Is it different in the US? In Canada all the credit cards have PayPass that allow you to tap it on the machine and not sign rather then swipe it and sign.
 
Is Apple planning on taking a 30% cut of any transactions when a person decides to wave their iPhone rather than debit card?
 
Why would I want NFC in an iphone? Seems like an inherently dangerous (from a consumers prospective) technology.

cheers
JohnG
 
NFC was the only reason why I was going to be upgrading to the iPhone 5 (and the only thing missing from the iPhone 4), dang it, now I have to wait until 2012 to upgrade.

boo Apple, the next iPhone is going to be an epic fail.
 
Fine with me. I don't see the point of NFC if its just a credit card replacement. Definitely would be at the absolute bottom of my wish list of things to see in iPhone 5.

What I WOULD like to see:

-A shared file management system like the Finder in OSX for connecting to network drives, memory sticks, saving email attachments, sharing files between apps, etc. Seems like they could just create a Finder app with very little effort.

-The iPad2's screen mirroring capability. Would be nice if it worked over Airplay too - I would definitely buy an AppleTV just for that.

-The ability to use external pointing devices (mice, trackpads, etc.) along with the external keyboard option that exists now. Obviously would require the option of an on-screen mouse cursor, but would be very handy when used with a mirrored screen, especially in presentation situations.

-Thunderbolt.

In that order of priority.
 
DeathChill said:
Is it different in the US? In Canada all the credit cards have PayPass that allow you to tap it on the machine and not sign rather then swipe it and sign.
Click to expand...

Some have it, some don't. Certainly not widespread in the US. I haven't had a debit card that has one, and my Discover card does have one but that is because I was chosen as a "selected" customer to test it out. Coincidentally, they also gave me a little keychain like card that had adhesive on the back to stick onto a phone.
 
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jav6454 said:
That wasn't the case with the RAM update in the iPad to iPhone 4 transition, or gyroscope, or FaceTime. iPhone 5 may have NFC still.
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+1 read my mind... iPad seems to usually be behind iPhone with technology released same year not ahead
 
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Bad bad bad.

Places like Japan use this lot. Just because the US is behind doesn't mean they shouldn't include it. Apple has stiff competition in Japan with Android; Android is on Japan's larges carriers while Apple is not, and there are Android phones there with NFC. Apple needs this in their next iPhone.
 
johnnymg said:
Why would I want NFC in an iphone? Seems like an inherently dangerous (from a consumers prospective) technology.

cheers
JohnG
Click to expand...

Not really. From a security stand-point, the NFC stuff is harder to clone than the magnetic strip. (That can be done with an iPhone and less than $200 of off-the-shelf hardware.) It also still requires that the card be passed within a few centimeters of the reader, and that a PIN of some sort be entered at the terminal.
 
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johnnymg said:
Why would I want NFC in an iphone? Seems like an inherently dangerous (from a consumers prospective) technology.

cheers
JohnG
Click to expand...

It's mainstream in other markets and Apple needs to compete with Android, whose phones have NFC.
 
Odds are they're letting Google do the beta testing a bit with the Nexus S and seeing that it's not going anywhere and no one seems remotely interested.

Saving it for iPhone 6, which should be the next major revision, might be a smart idea. Make iPhone 5 improvements to the specs, speeds, etc. like the 3GS.

Funny I see people saying that iPhone 5 will be a failure when the 3GS was the same thing and no one said that and if they did it was proven entirely wrong.
 
So, I wonder what is the compelling feature for iPhone 5? For iPhone 3GS users, if it has everything the iPhone 4 has + A5 processor + 1GB RAM + maybe even 64GB of internal memory. Maybe even a megapixel upgrade or 1080p video?

However, if that is the case it is not compelling for iPhone 4 users to upgrade.
 
beebler said:
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It's mainstream in other markets and Apple needs to compete with Android, whose phones have NFC.
Click to expand...

There's one Android phone that has NFC that's on the market now, right?
 
jarofclay73 said:
So, I wonder what is the compelling feature for iPhone 5? For iPhone 3GS users, if it has everything the iPhone 4 has + A5 processor + 1GB RAM + maybe even 64GB of internal memory. Maybe even a megapixel upgrade or 1080p video?

However, if that is the case it is not compelling for iPhone 4 users to upgrade.
Click to expand...

4 inch screen; that will be THE feature of the iPhone 5.
 
jarofclay73 said:
So, I wonder what is the compelling feature for iPhone 5? For iPhone 3GS users, if it has everything the iPhone 4 has + A5 processor + 1GB RAM + maybe even 64GB of internal memory. Maybe even a megapixel upgrade or 1080p video?

However, if that is the case it is not compelling for iPhone 4 users to upgrade.
Click to expand...

dual-core A5.
No need to bump the memory.
Capacity bump.
Megapixel bump to 7, maybe 1080p.
FaceTime HD camera.

But overall, more of the same. It's evolutionary, not revolutionary.
 
DeathChill said:
Is it different in the US? In Canada all the credit cards have PayPass that allow you to tap it on the machine and not sign rather then swipe it and sign.
Click to expand...

Bigger issue is no one in the U.S. is looking for this; pay-by-tap is not a compelling application for most consumers. An infrastructure beyond credit-card readers (public transit, venue check-ins and admissions, etc.) is what needs to be in place for anyone in the U.S. to care.
 
The phones that are all coming out right now with NFC have to locations where the secure element can be kept because carriers want it in one place (on the SIM) and the handset makers want it in the other (on the phone).

I presume Apple is watching how this pans out.

It is up to the carrier whether they order the Samsung Galaxy S2 with or without NFC - Samsung is making it in two versions to keep the carriers happy. Releasing iPhone 5 with the secure element in the phone only risks making carriers unhappy.
 
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