Not For Commerce: As Apple declines support, more retailers drop NFC

10 years ago

“For years, Apple pundits’ favorite game was to guess when the iPhone would finally support NFC, or Near Field Communication. If only Apple would support NFC, then mobile payments would take off, and we could finally stop paying cash and credit cards,” Ben Zigterman reports for BGR. “But Apple never did support NFC and it appears it made the right decision: According to GigaOm, major retailers Best Buy and 7-Eleven are ditching their NFC sensors in their stores. ”

“…The biggest blow to NFC has been Apple’s refusal to adopt it on the iPhone,” Fitchard reports. “Retailers are unlikely to put their muscle behind a payment option that the most popular phone in the United States does not support. While Android may have higher marketshare than iOS, iPhone users are typically wealthier and more willing to spend money.”

“n addition, Apple has been hinting for a while that it may have a mobile payments solution of its own. With iOS 6, Apple launched Passbook, an application to collect gift cards, tickets, and other passes. And with iOS 7, Apple added AirDrop, which allows users to transfer various types of data between iOS devices. Apple has also supported Bluetooth LE since the iPhone 4S, and with iOS 7, it introduced iBeacon, a system for interacting with nearby iOS devices. iBeacon has already received a surprising amount of support from large retailers, including in Apple’s own stores,” Fitchard reports. “While none of these are a mobile payments solution on their own, they certainly point to a potential iWallet down the road.”

MacDailyNews Note: Plus, Touch ID, of course.

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: Apple customers are retailers’ Holy Grail. If Apple says NFC stands for “Not For Commerce,” then NFC will have to find another raison d’être or die.