Apple is venturing into the Near Field Communication or "NFC" technology with the US Patent & Trademark Office granting permission for their patent application on "gifting" downloadable media files with iTunes.
The technology will be included in its next iPhone release, most probably iPhone 5.
Apple's innovative concept will allow users to interact with each other and enable digital media content sharing using iTunes. Users can share playlists by gifting it to friends after paying with the NFC technology.
"Apple's patent generally relates to digital media content and electronic devices being configured to transfer information from one user's account to another user's account. Apple will also allow users to share iTunes Playlists - though at a cost being that it's in context with 'gifting,' as Apple calls it. It sounds like a great idea and it should be available when NFC based iDevices finally debut," according to Patently Apple.
Under this process, users gift their digital content by selecting the media files that needs to be gifted to a receiving device. Users then authorize the gift charge to the user's account created with the media provider. A gift offer will be initiated through the NFC connection and the receiving device would need to accept the offer by sending an acceptance message.
Coming up with this advanced technology is also Apple's way of providing its users with the best innovations one can bring. Downloadable digital media protected with various copyrights and digital media rights has limited its distribution. Apple's NFC technology's intention is to ensure that copyright and transfer of digital contents are still intact. Owners will still receive their due for sales on the media content.
In addition to gifting iTunes, Apple was also granted a patent for "iWallet" which will also be available through the NFC technology . Apple's iWallet will allow users to control their financial transactions through iPhones and keep track of it through NFC.
With a simple touch or placing devices in close proximity of each other, the iPhone 5's NFC technology will allow instant digital communication. An NFC chip can be integrated into phones, cards, toys, or any object to allow digital interaction. Some very exciting things are brewing with NFC with companies such as Nintendo, McDonald's, Samsung, and Nokia investing into the technology.
Nintendo recently leaked video footage showcasing NFC technology on its next-gen console the Wii U. Players are seen placing toys atop their display screen controllers which translates the physical object into digital graphics that interact with the video game. NFC chips may have been embedded to allow the physical interaction within the digital realm.
With iPhone 5 speculated to come with various other features like 4G LTE connectivity, 3.5 inch screen powered by a 1.5 GHz quadcore A6 processor along with 1GB or RAM and retina display of 1280 x 720 resolution, the next iPhone 5 is something to look out for when it launches.
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