Before the iPhone 4S was announced there were rumors that the handset would come with NFC (Near Field Communication) capabilities, and now it looks like the rumors have started again, and according to a recent report Apple may launch an NFC enabled iPhone in 2012.
As Android, Symbian, BlackBerry and Bada have supported NFC (near field communication) functions and Microsoft and Apple plan to make Windows Phone and iOS support NFC in 2012, the proportion of NFC-enabled smartphones will quickly increase from less than 10% currently to over 50% in two to three years, according to Taiwan-based smartphone makers.
Of course it is still just a rumor at the moment, but with Google launching NFC enabled devices like the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, we would suspect that Apple are looking into the technology at the moment.
Source Mac Rumors, DigiTimes
Have a look at our handy guide on the difference between the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S and also the difference between the iPhone 4S and iPhone 5 to see all about the new iPhone 5.