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No Contactless Payment System In Next iPhone

RedEaredSlider writes "Citing fears over a lack of an industry standard, Apple has ditched plans to include near field communication technology in its next iPhone, The Independent reports. The technology, which allows users to make payments simply by waving their devices over special readers, is widely believed to be the next major step in both cell phone and payment technologies. Apple's decision to avoid it is a significant blow to its adoption."

17 of 239 comments (clear)

  1. it would make it too wide! by master_kaos · · Score: 4, Funny

    Can't have something in the device that would add 1 mm to the thickness!

    1. Re:it would make it too wide! by cayenne8 · · Score: 4, Insightful
      I say thank God for this!!

      I seriously don't want something in my phone that hooks in any way into a payment system whether it digs directly into my checking account..or even a special one. Just a great way to get charged for money by a thief. I prefer to just carry cash most of the time.....I don't even like the ATM cards that are also debit cards, and have had to tell the bank I don't want one....only an ATM card, and they sent them to me...

      Aside from the privacy and security problems I have with it..do I REALLY need a new, overly convenient way to spend more fucking money?

      Hell...I'm trying to save for a house and retirement some day....I don't need more temptations to spend easy cash.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    2. Re:it would make it too wide! by currently_awake · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If you lose your wallet the cash is gone. If you lose your phone the thief can run up thousands of dollars in PHONE charges. If you lose your contactless payment device: the thief can spend till your daily limit, or until the police track him down by the built in gps, or until you remotely disable the device. Also there is no reason your phone couldn't have a passcode required to spend money or to spend over a transaction/daily limit. Given the choice the lost contactless payment device might very well be the cheaper theft.

  2. Extra Extra! by WrongSizeGlass · · Score: 4, Funny

    Extra Extra! Apple may or may not be including something that has been previously rumored in their next iPhone! Won't somebody think of the children??

  3. Most Likely Reason by Freaky+Spook · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Apple hasn't figured a away to get fee's from sellers and customers yet.

    1. Re:Most Likely Reason by Goaway · · Score: 5, Informative

      Apple is the main patent holder in the MPEGLA group

      Wow, that's the most hilarious thing I've read all day.

      They hold ONE patent in the h.264 pool. Out of several hundred.

      Yup, that's a "main patent holder" all right.

    2. Re:Most Likely Reason by dudpixel · · Score: 3, Insightful

      From the article: "Citing fears over a lack of an industry standard, "

      From wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_field_communication#Standards

      so these claims turn out to be bogus...who knew? could it be that Apple doesn't like it because Apple doesn't control it?
      Also, its an open standard...oh noes.

      But Apple didn't leave us guessing as to their real motive:
      From the article: "But Apple isn't completely abandoning the idea of mobile payments. Instead, the company plans to implement its own contactless payment technology"

      and to finish off (and prove the GP correct):
      From the article: "the company's answer to mobile payments will run through its iTunes store. This would likely allow the company to reap a portion of transactions, as is the case for many products purchases through iTunes."

      The "leopard" never changes its spots.

      --
      This seemed like a reasonable sig at the time.
  4. Has slashdot degenerated (further) by line-bundle · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Has this become the official iPhone gossip site?

    Every too often an article like this comes which has no substance. It's not news for nerds, it doesn't matter.

    1. Re:Has slashdot degenerated (further) by ModernGeek · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Slashdot has been the official Apple gossip site ever since they announced Mac OS X.

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  5. hardly by Tumbleweed · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Apple's decision to avoid it is a significant opportunity for Android phones. Apple is learning the wrong lessons from Microsoft.

  6. No way by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Right now I'm very resistant to any sort of NFC device - too many "security" decisions seem to be driven by vendors who keep their heads intentionally planted in the sand. These folks seem to think we live in a world where the bad guys would never overpower a remote reader, where gathered data is then only transmitted over secure wireless networks, and where design decisions never trump best security practices.

    And no - I don't have any RFID-enabled credit cards.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
  7. Re:Prediction by c0lo · · Score: 4, Informative

    Prediction: if there's no accepted standard within a year, Apple will create one. Further prediction: Slashdotters will universally hate it. The remaining 99.999% of the world will love it.

    Ah, what an relief for ATM-skimmers: no contact required, ISO standard doesn't yet specify any protection against man-in-the-middle. Even if it would be so, the communication is small in size and one can easily jam the receiver and force the attempt of the same transaction enough numbers of time to have a good base for a cryptographic attack... especially since part of the encrypted information is known (the total of the docket).

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  8. Re:Smart move... by dudpixel · · Score: 3, Insightful

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_field_communication#Standards

    Just because Apple say there isn't a standard doesn't mean you have to blindly believe them.

    About time the iDrones started using the grey matter between their ears and thinking for themselves again.

    Its got ISO certification and everything, and the support of most manufacturers in the industry.

    I'm not sure what part of it Apple consider to be not a standard....?

    oh wait...they want to build their own incompatible system, and they want to profit from it. business as usual for Apple.

    complaining about lack of industry standard and then proposing to create your own standard that will only work with your own devices...kind of hypocritical isn't it?

    --
    This seemed like a reasonable sig at the time.
  9. Re:Give the anti-anti auto-reflex a rest. by dudpixel · · Score: 3, Insightful

    but surely we can, you know, turn it off when not in use. or have it manually activated at time of purchase.

    and Apple aren't avoiding it on those grounds, they are avoiding it because they want to do their own incompatible system that they can profit from.

    time for you to give the if-its-not-apple-i-dont-like-it reflex a rest sir.

    --
    This seemed like a reasonable sig at the time.
  10. Re:Smart move... by ToasterMonkey · · Score: 4, Funny

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_field_communication#Standards [wikipedia.org]

    Just because Apple say there isn't a standard doesn't mean you have to blindly believe them.

    Then explain to us the "standard" process for something simple like.. securely purchasing a bottle of coke with a NFC device.

    Innnnnn.. Canada.
    No, Mexico.

    1. Bits are sent over the air from one NFC device to a receiver located at ???.
    2. ???
    3. Drink bottle of coke.

  11. Re:Apple may not be as relevant as you think... by dafing · · Score: 3, Insightful

    ...the tech world has learned to move on with or without Apple.

    What kool aid did YOU drink? I'll stick to my Apple Water thanks :-)

    Where would Samsung, HTC and "the rest" be without the iPhone? Windows Mobile 6. something? ;-) Shit, those idiots cant even get tablets out to compete with the now SECOND generation of iPad!

    They cant keep up, much less innovate, without Apple

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  12. Re:Wrong by vlm · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The whole point of the contactless payment systems is you wave your phone over something and it's paid for.

    I never understood the whole point of contactless payment, in that I'm already burning 30 minutes driving there, an hour walking around, at least ten minutes standing in line, perhaps ten hours of labor at work to pay for it, and thats all OK, but 2 seconds to pull out my wallet, WELLLLLL thats just an insurmountable obstacle, what do you expect me to climb mt Everest here, that's crazy talk, gimme a contactless system or I'll never shop here again?

    The other mystery I never understood is I always have a backup plan. My visa card got stolen or declined or whatever (actually happened to me once in the 90s) thats no problemo I got a mastercard right here, and an american express too. And cash. And a check card. Furthermore I will not bore you with the details but I "need" to use certain cards at certain places because one gives the most cash back at the gas station, the other gives the most cash back at the convenience store, and the other is a "shared" card for shared family expenses such as food store. So a contactless system for me will have to hold multiple accounts and I'll have to F around with some manner of menu system to select which I want/need to use and hope I get it right each time. Of course it would be a hell of a lot faster and easier to pull out my wallet and whip out the correct card.

    Finally I don't understand this whole "I don't want to carry a wallet only my cellphone" thing. First of all until they put drivers licenses on contactless it would be illegal for me to be outside of my house without my wallet for all practical concerns, because how would I get there other than driving without a license? Next, assuming you're somehow legally outside without ID, in some states (although not mine) if you're the wrong skin color and you have no ID, the cops will put you thru absolute hell up to and including attempts at deportation ... or you could just carry your wallet. I could go to the bar without my wallet, thats fantastic, err uh, well actually I don't care, but I can't anyway because they'll want to card me, so I guess I'm bringing my wallet.

    It does seem like a very expensive solution in search of a problem.

    --
    "Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger