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Analyst: Apple has reached deal with China UnionPay, could include NFC in iPhone 6

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According to Shanghai Mobile analyst Frank Hill, Apple has reached a deal with mobile payment provider China UnionPay that would enable the next iPhone to make purchases at millions of supported Chinese point-of-sale devices. This would work in conjunction with NFC hardware said to be included in the next iPhone model.

UnionPay works with many of China’s major banks, and is the only domestic mobile payment company operating in the country. Several banks have reportedly been invited by UnionPay to participate in the development of a new system that is compatible with iOS devices.

While rumors of NFC in the iPhone have been relatively rare compared to some previous upgrade cycles, this isn’t the first time this year we’ve seen mentions of the technology finally making its way into Apple’s smartphone. Last month a report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo indicated that we’d see near-field communication in the upcoming device.

A patent filing uncovered in January also indicates that Apple is planning some sort of iPhone-centric payment system. A job listing posted on Apple’s website near the end of last year hinted that the company was looking for mobile payment developers. Though the company claims this is for new EasyPay systems that will be used in its retail stores, the same developers could be working on consumer-facing iOS payment software.

Going back to the China UnionPay deal, Hill states that users will be able to use special cards in the iPhone’s native Passbook application to facilitate NFC payments. Unfortunately there’s no word about any deal with mobile payment providers in the United States just yet.

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Comments

  1. Alex (@Metascover) - 10 years ago

    NFC? It’ll be dead soon.

    • Duston Foster - 10 years ago

      Why… NFC is the future of “tap” payments. Where I am from every merchant has a NFC enabled pin pad. I know SO many people who put there credit card in there phone case so they can tap their phones to buy stuff.

      • Aryl Indolyl - 10 years ago

        No, I’m sorry Duston, but it’s not. Bitcoin and like-currencies are. I mean, shit. I know Satoshi. Satoshi and others like him have ideas—ideas which something like NFC can’t even begin to compete with. Not only does Bitcoin itself have the ability to be used in a NFC manner, but it also has countless other uses. Many of which, I might add—by myself, by Satoshi, by others—are being developed as we SPEAK.

        Bitcoin, my friend. Bitcoin.

      • Kirk Otis - 10 years ago

        Agreed, the comment about Bitcoin is misplaced. Bitcoin is a currency, NFC is a payment mechanism and if you could use NFC to make transactions via Bitcoin, Bitcoin would have wider use and acceptance.

  2. Joe Barnickel - 10 years ago

    Every time a new iPhone comes out, it is rumored that it will have NFC. I think these Anal-ysts are just blowing smoke up their…..

  3. NQZ (@surgesoda) - 10 years ago

    Hah! Mr. Schiller said when the 5c/5s came out that NFC was useless and “doesn’t solve any current problems” — what a douche bag. Innovation at Apple is nonexistent. Nokia had NFC 2-3 yrs ago.

    • Steffen Jobbs - 10 years ago

      Nokia had NFC 2-3 yrs ago***

      Who cares? Nokia was on the verge of bankruptcy 2 years ago. Nokia was lost without Microsoft.

  4. Scott D. Brown (@hwdyb) - 10 years ago

    Why NFC when they have iBeacon??

    • Ron Holmes (@holmesrg) - 10 years ago

      Very good question Scott. NFC and Beacons are just about the handshake some data transfer and not the transaction. The transaction happens in terminal or in the cloud.