Jason D. O’Grady writing at ZDNet:
…Apple’s NFC snub puts it another year behind Android devices that already contain NFC hardware (like the Samsung Galaxy SII) and will cost Apple dearly in terms of revenue lost in retail stores around the globe. Maybe Apple will come to its senses and build NFC hardware into the iPhone 6 in September 2013?
By then it will probably be too late.
No, it won’t. Consumers aren’t using NFC. The mobile payment game in North America is nowhere near a resolution. Before NFC can become a factor in smartphone purchases, the banks, mobile carriers, and retailers will all have to agree on who will control what and who’ll get paid. Until then, adding NFC is pointless, and Apple is being smart by waiting on the sidelines. Other than mobile payments, what can NFC deliver for users today? More obtrusive ads? Nobody is clamouring for that either.
