iPhone 5 to replace keys, credit cards and travel cards?

The iPhone, as Apple are keen to promote, has an app for pretty much anything these days, turning your mobile into a one-stop gadget for most of life’s little problems. And, if a recent high-profile employee appointment is anything to go by, Apple will be looking to make life even simpler by the time the iPhone 5 arrives.

Benjamin Vigier has just been employed as Product Manager of Mobile Commerce over at Apple. Vigier’s background is mainly in Near Field Communication (NFC), the technology used to in Oyster Cards, Barclaycard PayWaves and certain car brand’s keys that allow payments to be made or doors to be unlocked with a simple wave of the item over a compatible receiver. Potentially, NFCs can be used as an outright alternative to physical money or even security devices like keycards or simple house keys.

While it’s by no means confirmation that Apple are definitely looking into adding NFC tech in their next smartphone, when paired with the fact that Apple applied for a patent for a device using NFCs in some way earlier in the year, Vigier’s appointment is sure to spark further speculation.

Even if the iPhone 5 doesn’t let you unlock your front door when you’ve forgotten your keys, Vigier’s experience with mobile payment options for Starbucks and Paypal certainly suggests the next iPhone may well turn out to be a viable alternative to carrying your credit cards around with you at the very least.

Via: NFC World