Apple hires NFC expert to spearhead mobile commerce efforts

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) has named Near Field Communications veteran Benjamin Vigier product manager of its mobile commerce unit, fueling increased speculation that future iterations of the computing giant's iOS mobile software platform will prominently feature m-commerce technologies. Vigier previously served as product manager for mobile wallet, payment and NFC services at mobile financial solutions provider mFoundry, overseeing m-commerce initiatives for clients including PayPal and Starbucks--prior to mFoundry, he led m-commerce and NFC efforts at flash memory manufacturer Sandisk and French operator Bouyges Telecom.

The Vigier hire follows on the heels of a series of NFC-related Apple patent filings. The filings include iTravel, an airport check-in system that promises to do away with paper ticketing, extending beyond airline check-in to embrace baggage identification, auto rentals, hotel reservation and related travel services. According to the Apple patent, the user's iPhone will interact directly with airline kiosks, baggage systems, boarding gates and even security checkpoints to accelerate and simplify the check-in process. In addition, the iPhone camera would enable users to scan and import ticket data from printed documents.

A similar Apple project, dubbed Concert Ticket +, would eliminate paper ticketing for concerts, sporting events and movies, enhancing the consumer experience with the addition of exclusive content, live recordings and merchandise sales as well as discounts on parking and refreshments.

For more on the Vigier hire:
- read this Near Field Communications World article

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Apple patents iTravel check-in application
Apple patents Concert Ticket + system for iPhone