NEWS

17/09/2014

While Apple has just hitched its wagon to NFC technology, new reports indicate the technology will only be available for use with Apple Pay.

After months of speculation, Apple finally came good on

rumours of NFC functionality at last week's launch of the

iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and Apple Watch. However, the

NFC capability on the new devices is set to be locked down

for use only with Apple Pay mobile payments.

While NFC has been present in Androidsmartphones for

some time -- Samsung, Sony, and Nokia have all rolled the

technology into their flagship device launches -- Apple is a

new arrival in the realm of near field communications.

At last week's Apple event, the company announced Apple

Pay -- a new mobile payments service that utilises NFC

technology in conjunction with its Touch ID fingerprint

scanner for secure payments that can be made from

the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus or Apple Watch.

Apple also announced a number of retailers that would accept Apple Pay for

mobile payments at launch.

However, Cult of Mac reports that NFC will be locked to the Apple Pay platform, meaning the technology will not be available for other

uses.

An Apple spokesperson confirmed the lock down of the technology, saying developers would be restricted from utilising its NFC chip

functionality for at least a year. Apple declined to comment on whether NFC capability would remain off limits beyond that period.

NFC can be used for a wide range of tasks, including pairing a smartphone to speakers for audio playback and sharing contact

information between devices, while NFC tags open up the world of customisable automation to anyone with an NFC-enabled device.

However, this latest word from Apple seems to indicate that after the long wait, Apple fans may not have all the NFC functionality they

desired.

Source by: Apple