No NFC For iPhone 5 Claim Carriers

Despite plentiful patents and leaks suggesting otherwise, Apple will reportedly not be including NFC functionality in the upcoming iPhone 5. According to The Independent's sources among UK carriers, Apple has confirmed in private meetings that NFC will be absent over concerns "by the lack of a clear standard across the industry."

It's not the first backtrack we've seen in recent months regarding Apple's supposed ambitions for NFC. In February, an analyst claimed to be significantly misquoted over suggestions that the iPad 2 and iPhone 5 would be NFC-enabled and mark the start of a significant near-field communications drive by the company.

However, Apple is still believed to be working on its own home-grown system, integrating credit card information already stored in iTunes accounts with NFC functionality on its mobile devices. Any delay over standards, therefore, looks to be on the vendor side of the equation, something VeriFone is hoping to change by making the short-range wireless technology standard across all its new payment terminals.