In the relentless tidal wave of rumors flooding the blogosphere ahead of Apple’s anticipated iPhone 5 release next month, it can be a bit daunting trying to sort through the often contradictory reports that we’re exposed to.
On Tuesday, for example, sources close to the Apple production chain indicated that near field communications (NFC) technology may not arrive with the refreshed Apple smartphone after all
As MMW reported just yesterday, Chinese news site Apple.pro recently published what allegedly appear to be photos of the new iPhone in assembly. And a new component never observed in previous models is being taken as evidence of NFC’s presence.
But that was 24 hours ago. Today, we’re hearing something different.
“Given the primarily metal backside of the new iPhone, it’s highly unlikely that NFC is in the cards for this generation,” write Brian Klug and Anand Lal Shimpi for AnandTech. “In fact, given the very little space at top and bottom dedicated to those glass RF windows, you can almost entirely rule it out.”
The report from AnandTech (via The Loop) suggests that the curious component depicted in the photo isn’t related to NFC and, instead, could simply be a touch and display control device for the in-cell touchscreen that the new iPhone is expected to deliver.
