Apple plans to introduce “Near-Field Communication” services in its next iteration of the iPad 2 and the iPhone for AT&T, enabling the mobile devices to be used in making purchases, according to “Bloomberg Businessweek” (http://macte.ch/v1ods).
The services are based on “Near-Field Communication,” a technology that can beam and receive information at a distance of up to four inches, due to be embedded in the next iteration of the iPhone for AT&T Inc. and the iPad 2, said Richard Doherty, director of consulting firm Envisioneering Group, told ” Bloomberg Businessweek.” Both products are likely to be introduced this year, he said, citing “engineers who are working on hardware for the Apple project.”
Apple’s service may be able to tap into user information already on file, including credit-card numbers, iTunes gift-card balance and bank data, said Richard Crone, who leads financial industry adviser Crone Consulting LLC in San Carlos, California. That could make it an alternative to programs offered by such companies as Visa Inc., MasterCard Inc. and EBay Inc.’s PayPal, said Taylor Hamilton, an analyst at consultant IBISWorld Inc., notes “Bloomberg Businessweek.”