We first talked about Near Field Communication last year; Eric Schmidt showed it off on the Google Nexus S with it coming as part of the recent Android Gingerbread OS. It seems that Apple also wants to get in on the action with NFC hotly tipped to feature on the upcoming Apple iPhone 5 and iPad 2.
The speculation comes after Apple posted details for three new jobs all based around the upcoming technology. Two of the jobs involve global payment platforms and will require the successful applicants to “research and understand global payment rules and regulations.”
The third position requires an applicant educated to a very high standard with ICT experience with a specialism in radio frequency identification (RFID) – both required for NFC.
So we know that future devices will likely feature near field communication bringing Apple handsets bang in line with the latest Android offerings, whether this will come in time for the iPhone 5 or iPad 2 release date is unknown.
Apple is rumoured to be unveiling their second generation tablet sometime in February or March in time for an April release date, the iPhone 5 is predicted to come no earlier than Summer 2011.
Do you think Apple should include NFC on their next line of iOS devices?
