• Bloomberg et al, Tuesday, January 25, 2011 2:54 PM

Aligning mobile technology, commerce, and consumer data like never before, Apple reportedly plans to add "Near-Field Communication" technology to the next iPhone and iPad.

Simply put, consumers will be able to make purchases with the NFC-supported devices, which will have direct access to all manner of data from credit-card numbers and bank information to iTunes gift-card balances and prior purchase histories.

"The main goal for Apple would be to get a piece of the $6.2 trillion Americans spend each year on goods and services," reports Bloomberg, citing comments from financial industry adviser Richard Crone.

"By encouraging consumers to use cheaper methods -- such as tapping their bank accounts directly, which is how many purchases are made via PayPal -- Apple could cut its own costs and those of retailers selling Apple products," writes Bloomberg.

"If Apple can nail Near-Field Communication (NFC) and tie it directly into their already-established iTunes payment system ... It could change everything," writes TechCrunch. "It could transform Apple from the biggest technology company in the world, to the biggest company in the world, period. By far."

"Not content to take your money, now Apple reportedly wants to be your money," Fortune suggests.

As Crone tells Bloomberg, NFC technology could also be used to improve targeted advertising.

"It would allow ads to know exactly where you are and potentially fetch higher rates in the process," notes VentureBeat. "Since NFC requires close contact to transfer information it could be much more useful to targeted ads than relying on GPS alone -- which notoriously has trouble locating users in busy cities and indoors."

Along with the fact that NFC is already showing up in Android devices, Apple has every reason to adopt the technology -- "Especially because it represents a major opportunity to capitalize on Apple's existing success with digital transactions made through the iTunes and App Stores," GigaOm writes.

As PCWorld points out: "When [then Google CEO Eric] Schmidt introduced NFC to the Android crowd, he mentioned that 'People don't understand how much more powerful these devices are going to be.'"

Read the whole story at Bloomberg et al »