Apple Hiring NFC & Mobile Payment Personnel

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Apple Hiring NFC & Mobile Payment Personnel

No sooner do rumors start flying about Apple's plans for near-field communications (NFC) and mobile payments systems in iPhone 5 and iPad 2 than job listings appear to back up the claim. Apple is now advertising for three jobs, including one engineer position and two global mobile payment platform managers.

The first listing is for an iPhone hardware test engineer, but lists the unusual requirement of "Good practical IR and RFID (ISO/IEC 14443) knowledge and experience." Neither technology is currently among the iPhone's specifications. RFID is a form of NFC that is often used in retail and payment applications, like MasterCard's PayPass . As a side note, IR is most often used for remote control devices. Maybe Apple is looking to make its devices universal remotes, too?

The other jobs that suggest Apple is indeed interested in moving forward with mobile payments are for "Manager Global Payments Platforms." Both openings carry the same description. Here's an excerpt of how Apple defines its Global Payments division:

Global Payment Platforms is responsible for managing the customer payment options and business partnerships (internal and external) that allow Apple's customers to purchase product at our Online Store, iTunes, and Retail stores. The group is cross functional in nature, and will focus on developing global solutions to support these business units.

The individual in this role will contribute to the analysis and development of new payment types and processes for the various business units.

While the first paragraph suggests that the position is related to Apple's existing payment platforms, the second indicates that there may be more to the position. Apple also lists among the job's responsibilities "explor[ing] new global payments initiatives and expansion; research and understand global payment rules and regulations" and "assist[ing] in managing partnerships with Associations, Card Schemes, Banks, and payment processors."

As AppleInsider points out, Apple made a significant hire related to mobile payments last year, when it brought Benjamin Vigier on board. While alone, none of these moves or reports indicate definitively Apple's commitment to mobile payments, taken together, they stand as a fairly solid indicator that Apple is at least seriously exploring the field's possibilities.

Would you pay with Apple, given the chance?

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