More Reports Point To NFC or iWallet In Next Gen iPhone

We’ve had a couple of different reports coming in over the last few weeks, all saying different things about Apple’s suspected iWallet and NFC (near field communications) coming in the iPhone 5. One report says that it won’t happen in the iPhone 5, Apple’s next iteration of the iPhone. However this was quickly countered with another report saying that an entrepreneur has heard from an “inside source” at Apple that it is definitely coming.
Well today the New York Times has decided to add their source to the mix as well. They’re saying that Apple is looking to deploy new Qualcomm chips in the future models of the iPhone. These chips would have NFC technology built in, but the report never say’s that they’ll find their way into the iPhone 5.

According to two people with knowledge of the inner workings of a coming iteration of the Apple iPhone – although not necessarily the next one – a chip made by Qualcomm for the phone’s processor will also include near-field communication technology, known as N.F.C. This technology enables short-range wireless communications between the phone and an N.F.C reader, and can be used to make mobile payments. It is unclear which version of an iPhone this technology would be built into.

It’s expected that this NFC technology will allow users to make wireless payments via their iPhone to iTunes accounts or even use it as a form of wireless payment as a substitute for credit cards and the like.

NFC in a Nokia Phone

While this report doesn’t really tell us if NFC technology will actually make it into the iPhone 5, it does seem to confirm that Apple are definitely looking into it, and I’d be surprised if they weren’t