Apple has joined the Near Field Communication (NFC) Forum, an entity formed to advance the use of NFC technology by developing specifications and ensuring interoperability among devices and services. The announcement was made by NFC Forum director Paula Hunter. “We are delighted to welcome Apple to our board of directors as an NFC Forum sponsor member,” she said, as cited by NFC World.
Almost a year has passed since Apple’s first NFC-enabled devices launched: first, it was the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, followed by the iPad Air 2 and iPad mini 3, and then the Apple Watch launched this April.
The sponsor membership was tailored for those committed to and involved with seeking the most influence over the future of the NFC Forum and its deliverables. As a sponsor member, Apple is entitled to a board of directors seat, propose initiatives, and contribute to the development of Forum deliverables, among other things.
Apple is represented by Aon Mujtaba, a director on the company’s Wireless Systems Engineering team for the iPhone. He is now listed among representatives from Broadcom, Dai Nippon Printing, Google, Intel, MasterCard, NEC, Nokia, NXP Semiconductors, Qualcomm, Samsung, Sony, STMicroelectronics, and Visa.
