At Wall Street Journals AllThingsD conference, Eric Schmidt claimed that, while Android has NFC now through Google Wallet, everyone else will have it very soon. While he didn’t specifically mention Apple, his meaning came across as indicating such.
Near Field Communications (NFC) is a wireless standard that will turn mobile smartphones into electronic wallets and keychains. It has been rumored on the iPhone for years, of course, but does “very soon” mean next Monday when Steve Jobs takes to the stage at WWDC?
Schmidt’s comment was made while Google’s new Groupon competitor, Google Offers, was being demoed on stage as part of Google Wallet. Essentially, you can get the deal on your computer, and it will be saved to your Google Wallet, which you can then use to redeem the deal at the merchant.
While this matter isn’t exactly clear, I find it an interesting possibility for both Apple and Google.