Rumors About NFC on iPhone Begin Anew

One of the more persistent rumors that crop up ahead of every iPhone launch is that Apple's next-gen phone will support near-field communication.

In 2010, Apple hired an NFC developer. The following year, there were reports about NFC on what would become the iPhone 4s, and again in 2012. Oh, and the iPhone 5s was also supposed to include NFC along with that fingerprint scanner.

Thus far, however, Apple has yet to truly embrace NFC, which would let iPhone users pay for things wirelessly with their phones. But Apple iPhone season is upon us once again; invites for a Sept. 9 press event went out yesterday. And, not surprisingly, the NFC on iPhone rumors have returned.

According to The Financial Times, Apple has teamed up with Dutch chipmaker NXP to create an NFC solution for iPhone. According to the paper, NXP will supply the chip that will make NFC possible in the iPhone, bringing Apple's smartphone in line with its rivals when it comes to mobile payments.

As The Financial Times pointed out, this would not be the first time Apple has worked with NXP. A ChipWorks teardown of the iPhone 5's Lightning cable revealed an NXP chip, and it's also a part of the Apple A7 mobile chip.

So, can we expect to finally get NFC at Apple's Sept. 9 event? We'll have to wait and see, though well-known leaker Sonny Dickson seems to think the rumors are true.

The rumor of Apple working with Dutch chipmaker NXP is true!

— Sonny Dickson (@SonnyDickson) August 29, 2014