For the last few months, we have been hearing that Apple will be implementing NFC (Near Field Communications) technology in the next generation iPhone. At this point in time, it is all speculation with no hard evidence of whether the iPhone 4S or iPhone 5 will actually feature NFC technology. This may soon have to change if Apple is paying close attention to what its competitor, Google announced today. Just recently, Google announced that it’s jumping head-first into the business of mobile payments with the new “Google Offers” and “Google Wallet” programs, which is rooted in NFC. Google hopes to fuse the retail and mobile experience together in an effort to create “tomorrow’s best shopping experience.” The services will bring together coupons, discounts, and payments simultaneously when people make purchases via their mobile device. Google’s VP of Commerce, Stephanie Tilenius said the following regarding their new service: “Google Wallet combines offers and payments at the point of sale, makes it easy for partners and third-parties to create better consumer experiences, and drives brand new shopping experiences for everyone…Your phone will be your wallet. Just tap, pay and save.” Just earlier this month, Wall Street research firm Bernstein released a commentary to investors effectively confirming (from its sources) that the new iPhone will be released with the much anticipated NFC chip. That was before Google made today’s much bigger than expected announcement. This coupled with the fact that by 2014, 50% of all smartphones will be NFC enabled (150 million devices), it is pretty clear that Apple will not be able to dodge NFC for long if it wants to remain the industry standard in cutting-edge mobile devices. So what do you think? Is NFC in Apple’s immediate future? If it is, there is a good chance we will find out on June 6th, when WWDC 2011 kicks off. You can stay tuned for the latest news and info on the topic by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and/or subscribing to our RSS feed. Authors: