iPhone 5 leak: NFC chip installed to enable mobile payments

According to foreign media reports, the Apple.pro website discovered the latest photos of the iPhone circuit board and found that this new iPhone is equipped with a near-field communication (NFC) chip, which is most likely used to support mobile payment functions.

　　At first glance, this latest leak doesn't look any different than previously reported parts of the iPhone 5. But Macotakara, a well-known Japanese tech blog, has discovered through some careful observation that the new iPhone 5 will have a special chip that allows users to pay using their phone.

　　The image was first discovered on the Apple.pro website, and Japanese technology blog Macotakara speculated that the square component on the upper part of the front panel might be a near-field communication (NFC) chip. So far, Samsung's Galaxy S III, Galaxy Nexus and several other Android phones are equipped with NFC chips, which are mainly used for information exchange between devices. NFC chips are also used to run payment programs, such as Google Wallet.

　　In fact, there have been rumors for a long time that Apple will add an NFC chip to the iPhone 5, but these rumors were initially proven to be wrong. However, Apple will introduce a new application Passbook as a digital wallet on the new operating system of the iPhone and iPad. Some analysts predict that Passbook is very likely to be Apple's first step in realizing mobile credit card payment.

　　In June of this year, the 9to5Mac website released the parameters of the iPhone 5 hardware code. According to these parameters, the iPhone 5 will be equipped with an NFC chip.

　　

　　iPhone 5 will be equipped with NFC chip