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If The iPhone Embraces NFC, Will It Be Too Late To Make A Difference?

Written by Evan Schuman
November 12th, 2009
For years, retail efforts with NFC phones have been far from smashing successes. The technology has limped along from trial to trial, the quintessential answer in search of a problem. The latest rumors out of Cupertino suggest that the next-generation iPhone will ship with NFC pre-installed. If true, will this make a difference to the technology's acceptance, or is it already too late?

A couple of years ago, Near Field Communication was seen in some influential corners—such as at consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble—as the ultimate victor in the fight between NFC and 2D barcodes. Many saw NFC as the better technology, with 2D barcodes being used as a placeholder until NFC was ready. But in the last couple of years, neither technology has gotten very far in the U.S. Few phone manufacturers included the feature and even fewer developers tried to design for it.

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Posted in CRM, E-Commerce, In-Store, IT Strategy/Industry, Mobile/Wireless/Contactless, Payment Systems, Premium Content, RFID
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