Apple has always avoided NFC, thinking the technology to be a bit of a fad and not a real solution to mobile payment. With that in mind, I have been surprised by persistent rumours that the upcoming iPhone 6 will finally get a chip with Near Field Communication technology. Another report today suggests that Cupertino will continue to avoid NFC and will instead get some of the biggest companies in the world to help with its own mobile payment system.
As I said, the rumours of NFC in the iPhone 6 have been persistent, and there is seldom smoke without fire in the tech world. However, I just cannot see Apple backing down on its NFC stance, it would be a pretty monumental climb down from a company that does not usually go back on an ethos. Besides, since Cupertino first turned its back on NFC, I and many others have thought making its own NFC competitor was the way to go for Apple.
The Touch ID fingerprint sensor rolled out on the iPhone 5s was the perfect opportunity to do just that, or so I thought. Instead, Apple wanted to grow the idea behind Touch ID, making it more than a gimmick, which is why only this will the company explore its own mobile payment method. Cupertino has reportedly teamed up with MasterCard, VISA, and American Express to create an NFC competitor, although the specifics of the technology are not yet known.
Apple entering the market would make the company huge amounts of revenue, especially if it can tap into its legions of iTunes customers with Touch ID. We expect an announcement of some sort on mobile payment when Apple launches the iPhone 6 on September 9th. Will that be NFC or a Cupertino built model? We are not sure, but right now I would go for the latter.
