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iPhone 5 to Include NFC Wireless Connectivity

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When Apple launches a new iPhone later this year, the chances of it featuring the latest tech buzzword ‘NFC’ are extremely high.

While Android smartphone manufacturers were starting to implement NFC chips into their products last year, Apple steered clear of it with the iPhone 4S. With many more tablets and smartphones from rival manufacturers launching since then, it seems that Apple doesn’t want to miss out on the action.

9to5mac reports that Apple is currently testing prototype iPhone 5 models at its Cupertino headquarters with NFC chips tucked away inside. What’s more, the NFC chip is linked directly to the power management unit, which means Apple could use it to do infinitely awesome things.

So what could Apple do with NFC now that it has bided its time? The recently announced Passbook app for iOS 6 is a likely target; an app that aggregates e-tickets, vouchers and passes into one place is just crying out for contactless interaction. Think about pulling up your e-ticket for a gig on your iPhone and simply touching it against the scanner as you enter the venue, or similar when boarding a flight.

It may also create an iPhone 5-exclusive NFC file transfer system, akin to Android’s NFC Beam. Touching two iPhones together would result in the wireless and immediate transfer of a small file, such as an image or webpage.

Google has partnered with banks and retailers to create Google Wallet, an NFC-based contactless payment system for Android devices. Most recently Microsoft has announced the same for Windows Phone 8, so it’s likely that Apple will follow suit with something very similar.

The possibilities with NFC are endless, and Apple is usually pretty good at partnering with big name brands to create a pretty sweet system. We’re excited to find out what the Cupertino Company have in store for us.

Let us know your thoughts on our comments below or via our @Gadget_Helpline Twitter page or Official Facebook group.

Via: 9to5mac
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