One of the features rumored to be coming to Apple's iPhone 5 this summer, besides a bigger display, is near field communication support for mobile payments and remote computing. Now we're hearing that NFC won't make it into an iPhone this year thanks to a "lack of a clear standard across the industry." This news comes from sources at multiple U.K. carriers that claim to have met with Apple in the past. That doesn't mean that the folks in Cupertino aren't working on an iOS NFC solution, though, as those same tipsters claim that Apple is working on its own NFC implementation that would "link payments with iTunes" and could be introduced in an iPhone next year.

This certainly isn't the first time that we've seen Apple skip a feature because it didn't feel that it was ready for primetime, even if their competitors already support it. Android already has some NFC support, and leaks have revealed that several upcoming BlackBerrys will feature it as well. Still, NFC hasn't really caught on just yet, so Apple may be ok without an NFC-enabled iPhone this year. We'll just have to wait and see what kind of support the other platforms bring and if consumers will adopt it. Do any of you think that lack of NFC capabilities would be a deal breaker in a handset purchase, or is the feature not a big enough deal yet?

Via 9 to 5 Mac, The Independent