18 September 2012 7:09am

When Apple failed to include a Near Field Communication chip in the iPhone 5 last week some saw it as a signal that NFC was immature and that consumers are not ready to embrace contactless payments.

That’s not the case. Contactless terminals are now common in Australia’s supermarkets, entertainment venues and even taxis. Cabcharge has already reported that a fifth of all its Visa and MasterCard payments are now made using NFC.

Apple’s continued recalcitrance regarding NFC – it was originally tipped to include NFC in the iPhone 4S – more likely indicates that it is still...