iPhone 5 NFC- We don’t need it…..

The Phone 5 has finally been announced and as per any Apple launch millions of people are rather excited. However there is one area in particular where the latest IOS device is woefully lacking, and I don’t mean this from the perspective of an Android fanboy. The new iPhone has great specs, and it will sell well, however as an Android user I am very disappointed that Apple chose to leave out Near Field Communication.

Many people will be throwing their hats into the air with delight, ready to gloat to all Apple Fanboys that their phones are deficient when put next to the latest and greatest Android offerings. And this annoys me. NFC is a great technology, but it is still very much in its germ. I use a Galaxy SIII everyday, and its fabulous, and it has NFC. Do I use NFC? No. I would if I could, but in the UK there are few payment systems that work alongside the technology, and these few are carrier specific.

Sure I can root my phone and hack Google Wallet onto it, and that works, but it is still very limited. And this is why I hung my head after the iPhone was unveiled. NFC is exactly the technology that needs Apple to really take off. As much as I am loath to admit it Apple is fantastic at taking existing technologies and pumping money, advertising dollars and most importantly public interest in their direction, something Android (perhaps because of its fragmented nature) has failed to do.
NFC will of course take off without Apple, yet I can’t help thinking that a push from everyone’s favorite fruity company would give it that invaluable and ineffable ‘halo effect’ that they still seem capable of producing.