Apple might give its upcoming iPhones an extra feature exclusively for people living in Japan. According to Bloomberg, the tech titan is planning to add tap-to-pay support for the country’s extensive subway system. To accomplish that, it will equip the devices with FeliCa chips, the Sony-developed mobile tap-to-pay standard in the country. Think of FeliCa as Japan’s equivalent to NFC, except a lot more people use it.
Since the feature would also require being able to store virtual transit cards to the Wallet application, Apple is reportedly in the midst of negotiating with providers. The feature’s launch with the next phone depends on the success of those talks. If Cupertino fails to hash out an acceptable agreement, it will have to delay the feature’s launch.
By installing FeliCa chips, Apple will also give people a quick way to buy from vending machines and convenience stores in the country. Those chips can also store e-money, see, and the technology can process payments in 0.1 seconds — much faster than the time it takes for Apple Pay to approve and process transactions.
While this particular info might not be as interesting if you live in other parts of the globe, there are quite a few leaks and rumors going around that could tide you over until Apple’s September event. In the same Bloomberg piece, for instance, the publication mentions that the next iPhones could drop the Home button completely to focus more on the display.
Source: Bloomberg