A very familiar rumor leading up to the iPhone 5 debut last year is making the rounds once again for the iPhone 5S.
Near Field Communication (NFC) has been featured in the Nokia Lumia 920 and Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphones and many high-end Android phones, and it was widely expected last summer to be in the Phone 5 - could it finally make an appearance in the next line of Apple iOS devices?
According to a report by China Times, a Taiwanese chip firm named Chipbond is stating they were selected to provide components to the next iPhone smartphone - the iPhone 5S.
Chipbond further noted they are supporting Apple with a fingerprint authentication sensor and NFC.
The addition of the fingerprint sensor is reported to assist in the NFC's security when making transactions.
The rumor of the fingerprint sensor and NFC is not new in regards to an Apple device.
As Latinos Post reported even a week before Apple's Sept. 12 iPhone 5 launch, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo stated back then that the iPhone 5 would have NFC and a leaked photo heightened such speculation.
NFC was thought to help assist the iOS 6's Passbook, which is Apple's own version of the Google Wallet where transactions occur. NFC has been credited to helping secure those transactions as it has with Samsung's Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Nexus.
Back to the iPhone 5, the latest rumor comes after a report stated wireless charging could be a feature on the next Apple smartphone.
According to DigiTimes, Apple is likely to create their own wireless charging device. At the moment, it is unknown if the next iPhone smartphone will feature the wireless charging built-in or if it'll be part of an accessory.
Production has allegedly started for the iPhone 5S at the Foxconn factory in China.
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