NFC TimesThe premier source for news, analysis and commentary on
Near Field Communication and all contactless technology

Doubts are growing that Apple will include NFC in the next iPhone, with sources from some mobile operators reportedly saying Apple has told them it would not adopt the technology this year.

Apple has posted two new job openings on its site, adding fuel to rumors that the company is planning to incorporate NFC in its next iPhone and might support payments–though neither of the job postings mentions NFC by name.

Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs unveiled the fourth-generation iPhone today and, as expected, there was no mention of Near Field Communication.

A new attachment that turns iPhones into payment devices is expected to get its first test drive from Visa employees this quarter, with banks to follow.

If recently published patent applications are any indication, Apple wants to put its popular iPhone at the center of the retail-payment experience if it adopts Near Field Communication technology.

In a new NFC patent application for the iPhone, Apple for perhaps the first time casts the phone in the role of a contactless-payment device.

The iPhone would serve as the “resource-sharing” hub for a variety of devices, from home computers to game consoles to TV set-top boxes to presumably also the new iPad–using Near Field Communication and other wireless technologies, according to a new patent application filed by Apple Inc.

Another patent application filed by Apple has emerged, describing how an NFC-enabled iPhone could unlock computers and other personal devices, as well as the physical locks of users’ homes, offices and automobiles.