When Apple announced that the iPhone 6 would feature NFC, fans and analysts began to speculate about how the company would take advantage of the new technology. Since the smartphone launched, Apple Pay has dominated the conversation, but The Information reports that Apple is currently in talks with other potential partners in order to build upon the utility of the NFC chip.
According to the report, Apple’s next move could be to replace transit cards, like the ones that the New York, Los Angeles and Chicago subway and train systems use.
“The Apple representatives have talked to technology providers like HID Global and Cubic, which enable secure access to buildings and transit fare systems, respectively,” people briefed on the discussions told The Information. “Spokespeople for the companies declined to comment about any discussions with Apple, but executives there discussed how they could integrate their systems with the iPhone.”
9to5Mac notes that Apple has already announced one partnership along these lines with Starwood Hotels, which allows visitors to use an Apple Watch instead of a keycard, but this will employ Bluetooth technology rather than NFC.
Pharmacies and retailers have made it clear that they are willing to fight mobile payments, but the more ubiquitous NFC technology becomes, the more difficult it will be to turn customers down.
