On iPhone As A Credit Card
A long-running rumor is adding a NFC (near field communications) chip to a future iPhone. Bloomberg now predicts NFC’s inclusion in the iPhone 5 and iPad 2.
I’d love this as a payment system. Already use the iTunes account to purchase music, apps, and movie rentals. The iPhone has replaced my need to carry a point-and-shoot camera, video camera, eBook reader, books / newspapers, handheld game, and even a laptop — and I’ve often thought how great it would be if I could remove some things (credit cards) from my wallet. Heck, I’d love to change the locks on my door and quit carrying a set of keys.
Then there’s mass transit. San Francisco is currently rolling out their Clipper Card service on MUNI, Bart, and CalTrain as a payment system. I don’t have much faith in San Francisco’s bureaucracy to support an NFC enabled iPhone within the next decade, but it would be seriously cool to not have to reach for my wallet while immersed in a puzzle.
Then all the other possibilities come to mind. We could finally get wireless sync with an NFC enabled Mac. Your iPhone could store all your personal settings and documents and any NFC enabled Mac could load ‘em up when you sit down to use it.
Let’s just ignore the other long-running rumor that such chips are part of a global conspiracy to track our every move. At least until AAPL hits $666…