NFC Times Exclusive: Despite the announcement by Apple of its first NFC-enabled iPhone, released Friday, promoters of NFC-enabled attachments targeting the iPhone contend they will not lose business.
The CEOs of U.S.-based DeviceFidelity and Israel-based On Track Innovations, along with the former CEO of Wireless Dynamics, say they believe the launch of NFC-enabled Apple Pay in the iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus and Apple Watch will increase demand for their products in non-NFC-enabled phones, including previous versions of the iPhone. It could also increase demand for attachments for Android phones, including mid- to low-tier models that don’t support NFC, say DeviceFidelity and OTI.
The accessories suppliers are also hoping the restrictive nature of Apple’s new payments platform–with Apple tightly controlling access to the secure element embedded in its devices–will help boost demand for their add-on products, for both payment and nonpayment applications. Still, when it comes to Apple devices, the accessories suppliers will have to make do with enabling previous generations of the company's iconic smartphone.