Although Apple announced last week the iPhone 5 does not include a Near Field Communication chip, the payments industry has seen a number of NFC-oriented announcements since then. Plenty of devices beyond smartphones are now being equipped with NFC, including tablets, laptop computers, and the controllers for Nintendo’s next video game console. Although Apple supporting NFC would have hastened the growth of the technology, NFC is continuing to develop regardless. For example, laptops that enable consumers to make contactless payments for ecommerce transactions are in the works.
From a PaymentsSource article:
Intel and MasterCard emphasized that development of such a laptop is in the early stages, but provided demonstrations at the forum showing how a consumer could initiate a contactless transaction by tapping a credit card on a laptop trackpad, rather than inputting credit card data onto an online payment page.
In addition, French supermarket chain Casino Group has introduced a store centered on NFC. Shoppers would use their mobile devices to access product information, scan their items during checkout, and pay for their transactions. This system is expected to go live in October.
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