“There has been a lot of talk about the addition of an NFC (near field communication) chip to the next-gen iPhone. This will allow the phone to be used as a swipe-it-yourself credit card. I consider this technology to be the most onerous ever,” John C. Dvorak writes for PC Magazine.
“This ‘good idea’ isn’t about the convenience of paying with a phone swipe, but the idea of running your tab through the phone company,” Dvorak writes. “If you think your banker is a gouger with dubious fees and no-leeway, what do you think the phone company will be like? Yes, let AT&T handle all your money for you, and see how that works out in the end.”
Dvorak writes, “Do not let AT&T or Verizon or any phone company anywhere near your day-to-day financial transaction business! You’ve been warned.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Speaking of screws, Dvorak’s tinfoil-covered head has more than a couple loose. Unlike Mr. Dvorak, we’ve decided to wait until (1) there actually is an iPhone that allows for NFC payments; and (2) the details of how transactions will be handled are presented, before we issue grim proclamations and dire warnings.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Jeff T.” for the heads up.]
I, for one, agree with DVorak. We don’t need to wait for the next atomic bomb to know it’s destructive power will be great. Just the same, we don’t need to wait for this technology to come out to know it’s going to be a train wreck.
At least it should be a feature we can disable if it even exists in the next iPhone. And thankfully it’s only a rumor.