A tech analyst has said in an interview with Bloomberg that Apple is working on near-field communication technology that will allow users to pay for items with the updated iPad and iPhone models.
Richard Doherty, director of consulting group Envisioneering, says that according to “engineers who are working on hardware for the Apple project”, NFC technology will be introduced into Apple’s gadgets.
This comes after Google introduced NFC tech for its Nexus S smartphone, which allows users to make contactless payments.
Doherty claims that Apple has prototyped a payment terminal small businesses could use to scan the phones, that it will basically give away for free or at a heavily subsidised rate.
He also says that while the payments will be made through Apple, existing banks will still cover all of the transactions.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
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