Apple iPhone 5 And iPad 2 NFC Rumors Debunked By Analyst That Prompted Them

Rumors that Apple is planning a wholesale assault on the NFC ecosystem, with NFC-enabled iPhone 5 and iPad 2 devices together with freely-distributed payment terminals to vendors have been debunked, by the very source that prompted them initially. According to analyst Richard Doherty, speaking to the NFC Times, he was significantly misquoted in the original Bloomberg report, claiming he had sources among Apple engineers whereas in fact he was the third layer in a string of speculation originating from iOS app developer guesswork.

"Bloomberg erred totally in quoting me as saying (the engineers worked for) Apple," Doherty claims, insisting that "any consultant or analyst who says they know of what Apple is planning to do more than two weeks ahead of time is either a liar, an opportunist or both." His sources were developers at far east equipment manufacturers who supply Apple, they themselves having heard talk of ambitious NFC plans from software developers theorizing about the iPhone 5 and iPad 2.

As for the payment terminals which Apple was expected to distribute, Doherty says he meant only the sample terminals he knows have been supplied to Apple over recent years. Anything beyond that he claims was "overplayed" by Bloomberg's writers and editors. Of course, this could also be an analyst back-tracking somewhat on over-ambitious speculation that got out of hand – or, more likely perhaps, a mixture of the two – but it seems Apple's play for the NFC market may not be quite so enthusiastic as previously suggested.