A new report claims that Apple is still considering the inclusion of Near Field Communication (NFC) technology in the fifth-generation iPhone. Forbes reports that a source who is working on a “top-secret” NFC product believes the next iPhone will have NFC technology built-in, based on information from a friend who works at Apple. The source added that manufacturers of NFC readers, with whom he has been in contact with for his own product, expect the next iPhone to have NFC and are gearing up for the additional traffic the iPhone will likely bring. This contradicts a report from The Independent published earlier this week that claimed the next iPhone would not have NFC; earlier reports indicated that Apple is working on incorporating NFC technologies into future iPad and iPhone models, including creating accessories that use NFC to offer additional functionality, and building a NFC-based payment system.
Charles Starrett was a senior editor at iLounge. He's been covering the iPod, iPhone, and iPad since their inception. He has written numerous articles and reviews, and his work has been featured in multiple publications.