Rumor: iPhone 5 will use NFC for remote computing

This has been in the news since September, when New Zealand switched over.

Some extra info on iphone 5 and their rumored NFC. What does this mean.

http://www.fouaditani.com/archive/technology/featured/apples-iphone-5-will-include-nfc-to-allow-wireless-computing-and-mobile-payments-what-does-this-mean/

At the risk of sounding like a loon Steve, I gotta ask that you reconsider linking or even reading MacDailyNews. All that site does—literally—is rip off entire articles from other sources and then wrap their ads around it. They're the exact kind of site that caused you guys to add disclaimers at the footer of all your RSS feed items.

They quote the entire article and place a tiny "you can read the rest of the article [here]" link at the end. Go back and check this one. The whole thing was copy and pasted from Cult of Mac.

Very awesome idea, hope we see it this decade, ha. I disagree that it will be in iPhone 5, maybe iPhone 6. Also, I think it would only be Mac-to-Mac, not create a Mac on a PC. That just won't happen. Question for you, TUAW's Steve (Mr. Sande). What application did you use to make that pic? Looks very good.

Apple announces new technology that will allow you to wave your iPhone at ANYTHING and it will instantly turn into a Mac

Mum, I thought they are working on something like this... But what I really want is a face recognition authentication. Have that function and ditch that stupid password entering process and go directly into my account.

This is a neat idea for Corporate Offices but who in their right mind would want to use that concept on a public pc in a hotel or an Internet cafe. At least I would prefer to keep my personal data off these types of untrusted machines.

I would like to use it for auto locking my Mac at work when I leave the desk ..

T

I seem to recall Steve hyping something along these lines several years ago but at the time it involved the iPod. Wasn't it called something like "iPod @ home" or "Home on iPod?" Anyway I remember that the idea was that you would carry your home folder around with you on an iPod and that any Mac you plugged into would magically turn into your Mac and display your desktop and all of your files. Somehow it never made it to primetime but as we all know Apple will not release a product or service until they are sure it's going to work and will have significant adoption.

Ah, here it is...it was a feature slated for Panther but pulled from the final release.

Home away from home
Ever thought you could carry your home in the palm of your hands or in your pocket? You can. Panther's Home on iPod feature lets you store your home directory - files, folders, apps - on your iPod (or any FireWire hard drive) and take it with you wherever you go. When you find yourself near a Panther-equipped Mac, just plug in the iPod, log in, and you're "home," no matter where you happen to be. And when you return to your home computer, you can synchronize any changes you've made to your files by using File Sync, which automatically updates offline changes to your home directory. (http://www.macrumors.com/2003/10/08/pulled-panther-feature-home-on-ipod/)

I understand using RFID and NFC for things like digital wallets and credit cards, but why would Apple not also enable this over Bluetoth or WiFi?

Then any existing iPhone, iPad, or Touch could act as your "Home" folder on nearly any current Mac. Just pair them up like you currently do with Apple TVs and Apple Remote apps. Or simply allow encrypted WiFi connections to a password-protected "folder" on an iOS device.

As far as I can see, NFC hardware brings nothing to this particular party...

Except requiring you to buy new hardware.

That's an awesome concept. And if Apple could use NFC technology to temporarily convert the nearest Wintel pee cee into a Mac, it would be extra super awesome.