iPhone news

Apple is gearing up to incorporate Near Field Communication (NFC) technology in the iPhone 6.

Integrating NFC into the iPhone 6 would be a bit of a surprise move by Apple, as the company’s head of marketing Phil Schiller stated in 2012 that the technology was “not the solution to any current problem.” Notably, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predictedlast month that Apple would integrate NFC chips into the next-generation iPhone alongside a host of other features.

The news also comes as Apple is pursuing plans to develop a mobile payment solution, which will be possibly tied to the Touch ID fingerprint sensor currently found in the iPhone 5s and reportedly headed for the iPhone 6 and next-generation iPads. It is also possible that Apple combines its existing Touch ID fingerprint scanner and NFC technology into the home button, as the company filed for a patent detailing such a system last September.

Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 6 in two sizes of 4.7-inches and 5.5-inches later this year, with the smaller version of the phone launching ahead of the larger model. Aside from a larger display, the iPhone 6 will likely feature a thinner profile, a faster A8 processor, and an improved camera in the form of image stabilization. Apple is also said to be negotating with carriers for a $100 price increase on the iPhone 6.

It’s been rumored that the iPhone 6 will borrow design characteristics from Apple’s fifth generation iPod touch, but regardless of how many photos, mockups, orschematics we’ve seen, there’s no way to verify the design accuracy of these images. It’s very possible that case manufactures are playing a game of telephone with rumored schematics and designing their own models to get ahead of the game.

While these images are consistent with previous rumors and mockups, it’s best to take this kind of stuff with a grain of salt. Don’t worry though, all will be unveiled later this year when Apple officially announces the iPhone 6.

As design drawings and renderings of two larger iPhone 6 models have begun giving way tophysical mockups based on those designs, a new photo of a high-quality physical mockup has been shared by Italian site Macitynet.

Few new details can be determined from the photo, but the relocated power button on the side of the device can be seen, and it is clearly a high-quality mockup given differing materials and colors used for various features such as the rear camera and flash. The size of the device is not given, but just based on the look in the hand it appears to be the 4.7-inch iPhone 6 rather than the even larger 5.5-5.7 inch version depicted in the less refined physical mockup from earlier today.

The latest mockup is reportedly the work of a case manufacturer, and Macitynetunderstands that mockups have been refined over a period of months. According to the source, the version shown in the photo is considered to be “final” for the purposes of ensuring case and accessory compatibility with the expected design of the iPhone 6.

The 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is reportedly scheduled to launch around the usual September timeframe, while the larger 5.5-inch is rumored to be arriving several months later.