Nerfed NFC. WTF, Apple?

gravage

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So, they crippled the NFC. They couldn't just implement it like everyone else (Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone, etc). They locked it down so it could ONLY be used for NFC payments, specifically for Apple Pay?

iPhone 6 NFC can only be used for Apple Pay, at least for now | News | TechRadar

I'm sure a lot of the Apple faithful aren't accustomed to using NFC, but I use all platforms and I use it all the time. I have Bluetooth Speakers with NFC, headphones, and other devices. It's really handy for pairing or transferring and if you have NFC stickers, it gets really interesting.

I have had every iPhone since the first and it just seems like Apple has some kind of aversion to implementing technology the way everyone else does. The first iPhone was 2G when there were 3G phones everywhere, one of the more recent iPhones didn't let you surf the web over LTE while you were on a call (restricted to 3G) despite the fact that everyone else was using superior technology. The list goes on.

They waited THIS long to give us some version of NFC and it's limited. Really?

Sent from my Surface Pro 3 using Tapatalk
 

scorpiodsu

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I honestly think we're a little lucky that it's going to be enabled on all carriers. Some carriers were known to disable it altogether. It's really not a concern for me since I've had NFC for a couple years and haven't used it once. But I do understand your point and would seem to be better to be opened. But at this point, these are the things I expect out of Apple.
 

Just_Me_D

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If I have learned anything about Apple it is this; They are going to make sure that their features will be easy to use, and safe to use to the best of their ability. Having said that, Tim Cook has been doing various interviews discussing security and other stuff in regard to Apple. Why would he risk that security by opening up its NFC feature to 3rd party developers especially when big name companies are joining him to promote ApplePay? If ApplePay ends up being the preferred method used by retailers then saying that Apple crippled NFC on its devices will turn out to be moot.
 
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HankAZ

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If I have learned anything about Apple it is this; They are going to make sure that their features will be easy to use, and safe to use to the best of their ability. Having said that, Tim Cook has been on various interviews discussion security and other stuff in regard to Apple. Why would he risk that security by opening up its NFC feature to 3rd party developers especially when big name companies are joining him to promote ApplePay? If ApplePay ends up being the preferred method used by retailers then saying that Apple crippled NFC on it's device will turn out to be moot.

I absolutely agree with this assessment. The bashers and naysayers can go pound sand. It will all work out in the end. As is often repeated here, Apple may not always be "first" with a technology implementation, they are almost always "best" with their implementation. #Apple #itjustworks
 

tigerinexile

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It's Apple being Apple. No real surprise.

Question is whether these existing phones can be opened up later (or with a jailbreak!), or whether it's like the antennas where because it would take a firmware upgrade only the new phones got AWS bands.
 

anon(52425)

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So, they crippled the NFC. They couldn't just implement it like everyone else (Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone, etc). They locked it down so it could ONLY be used for NFC payments, specifically for Apple Pay?

iPhone 6 NFC can only be used for Apple Pay, at least for now | News | TechRadar

I'm sure a lot of the Apple faithful aren't accustomed to using NFC, but I use all platforms and I use it all the time. I have Bluetooth Speakers with NFC, headphones, and other devices. It's really handy for pairing or transferring and if you have NFC stickers, it gets really interesting.

I have had every iPhone since the first and it just seems like Apple has some kind of aversion to implementing technology the way everyone else does. The first iPhone was 2G when there were 3G phones everywhere, one of the more recent iPhones didn't let you surf the web over LTE while you were on a call (restricted to 3G) despite the fact that everyone else was using superior technology. The list goes on.

They waited THIS long to give us some version of NFC and it's limited. Really?

Sent from my Surface Pro 3 using Tapatalk

You're surprised by this?
 

gravage

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If I have learned anything about Apple it is this; They are going to make sure that their features will be easy to use, and safe to use to the best of their ability. Having said that, Tim Cook has been doing various interviews discussing security and other stuff in regard to Apple. Why would he risk that security by opening up its NFC feature to 3rd party developers especially when big name companies are joining him to promote ApplePay? If ApplePay ends up being the preferred method used by retailers then saying that Apple crippled NFC on it's device will turn out to be moot.
It's not about opening up APIs or security. It's literally just about letting NFC work the way it was designed. I know the Apple loyal are accustomed to having their options limited for their "own good", but stop drinking the Kool-Aid long enough to realize that this is not for your benefit.

There is absolutely no reason to limit NFC to the extent that it can't be used to pair with Bluetooth devices, at the very least. You're basically taking a slight hit on battery life just so you can use Apple pay once in a while.
 

Evilguppy

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Throughout my years of phone hopping, I have come to realize this:
Apple does indeed roll out features later than the competitors, and oftentimes in limited fashion, that is true.
But when they do, it's been tested and retested, tweaked, fixed, tested again, and by the time it shows up in the customer's grubby fingers, it works... like butter.
I guess it's a quality over quantity thing.

Do I like the multi bells and whistles from Androids? Hell yeah. ... Until they start hiccuping and sputtering and acting like a bipolar jumping bean on crack, that is.

So, I'll bite smaller, chew longer... And not choke. :D
 

Just_Me_D

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It's not about opening up APIs or security. It's literally just about letting NFC work the way it was designed.
It is designed to work in a manner that is both convenient and secure, and ApplePay can provide both.
I know the Apple loyal are accustomed to having their options limited for their "own good", but stop drinking the Kool-Aid long enough to realize that this is not for your benefit.
It is safe to say will all certainty that you obviously don't know me. If anything, I'm open minded, but I'm also practical, and for you to tell me, based on one response, to stop drinking the [Apple] Kool-Aid long enough to realize that this is not for [my] benefit tells me that you are neither open-minded or practical.

There is absolutely no reason to limit NFC to the extent that it can't be used to pair with Bluetooth devices, at the very least.
Apple is known for its closed system, and yet time and time again, people ignore that fact and gripe about not getting what "they" want in a device that they themselves did not build. Yet, nonApple devices that have the capabilities they want get overlooked.
You're basically taking a slight hit on battery life just so you can use Apple pay once in a while.
If that slight hit doesn't affect the majority of buyers then it's a non-issue.
 

ben182tx

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I feel like I am part of the majority of consumers, which is this: They either don't know or don't care about "NFC"...

Apple knows that the majority of cellular phone users feel/think this way. That's why they made a big focus on Apple Pay and not focusing on the NFC label.

Apple making the NFC only usable with Apple Pay is smart. Apple wants to protect their customers, and to be honest with you, NFC is very unsafe. Making it only work "their way" is protecting the privacy and information of the customers. Eventually I see it being "opened up" after more testing/development is done in regards to protecting everyone's information.
 

anon(4698833)

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Everyone is freaking out about this "limited" NFC function...but they keep skipping over the very clear fact that is consistently mentions the limitations are an initial move, not a permanent decision. They talk about using NFC to open hotel room doors in the keynote itself!
 

gravage

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Why use NFC for Bluetooth when there's a BluetoothLE? Apple supports that already...

If you ever had a Bluetooth speaker with NFC, you'd understand. Your phone can be off, playing music and all you have to do is touch it to the speaker and it starts playing after a short connection period. It's very convenient and cool.
 

gravage

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Everyone is freaking out about this "limited" NFC function...but they keep skipping over the very clear fact that is consistently mentions the limitations are an initial move, not a permanent decision. They talk about using NFC to open hotel room doors in the keynote itself!

Yeah, well that will be in the next update, but that'll be it. After that, you'll be able to use Apple Pay AND open Hotel doors, but that's it.
 

gravage

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It is designed to work in a manner that is both convenient and secure, and ApplePay can provide both. It is safe to say will all certainty that you obviously don't know me. If anything, I'm open minded, but I'm also practical, and for you to tell me, based on one response, to stop drinking the [Apple] Kool-Aid long enough to realize that this is not for [my] benefit tells me that you are neither open-minded or practical.

Apple is known for its closed system, and yet time and time again, people ignore that fact and gripe about not getting what "they" want in a device that they themselves did not build. Yet, nonApple devices that have the capabilities they want get overlooked. If that slight hit doesn't affect the majority of buyers then it's a non-issue.

I'm neither open-minded or practical? Who doesn't know who? You make the bold statement that I don't know you then proceed to make wild assumptions about me. Brilliant!

You people seem to fail to understand that NFC functionality is totally separate from Apple Pay. Apple can still make Apple Pay secure without gimping NFC functionality. One does not necessitate the other. Apple Pay simply uses NFC technology to accomplish a task.

I searched Google today, but I failed to find any confirmed instances of someone hacking a phone through NFC. So, I guess it's not as much of a security risk as some would like us to believe.

Just because we know it's a closed ecosystem doesn't mean that it's okay. This is a forum. Forums are used for discussion and sometimes venting. I'm allowed to gripe about the way a company chose to implement a feature on a $1000 piece of hardware (that I bought). I'm not obligated to perceive it as a perfect product, just because it was designed by a certain company.

On Android, you can turn off NFC, if you're not using it. It remains to be seen if you can do this on iPhone, but if you can't, you're basically getting (slightly) reduced battery life for the privilege of one feature, which, let's face it, many average consumers probably won't use to begin with. I'm not saying it'll be a drastic hit, but if you're going to force me to leave NFC on all the time, at least give me other uses for it.

At the end of the day, this post went about how I expected. If I had posted it in an Android forum or a general forum, there may have been a few objective responses. Instead, I posted it in an iPhone forum where the blinders are on in full. It's funny that you accuse me of not being open-minded or practical when I'm the one who owns multiple smartphones from multiple platforms, with a new iPhone on the way. If anything, I'm the most objective person here. And I'm sorry if living in the Apple Ecosystem for so long makes some people incapable of objectivity because when you blindly defend a product's flaws, you come across as a cultist.

I suppose that limiting the original iPhone to 2G when 3G was prevalent was okay. Or choosing radios that would not allow you to surf the internet over LTE while on a phone call was all "part of the plan". Even though other manufactures had no issue implementing these features in their phones. You can rationalize a defense for anything if you're invested in a product. Being objective is much harder.

I bought an iPhone 6 Plus because I wanted one. But, like every other product on the market, it's not perfect. This post wasn't about bashing Apple. It was literally about asking "why would they do that"? I guess I'm just not as complacent is some of the rest of you.
 

John Yester

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Surely this topic came up back in the day regarding music and how it's handled on those devices........

Not that big of a deal IMO
 

tigerinexile

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Apple is notoriously cautious about feature roll-outs.

It's annoying sometimes, and it saves us from ourselves at other times. Anyone who gets Apple devices must know that this is how they roll. It's just how it's going to be, period.
 

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