Phil Schiller explains why the iPhone 5 doesn’t have NFC

This year, similar to years past, a lot of folks expected to see Apple add NFC to its new smartphone. And even after previous reports all but ruled out the tech, a last minute scoop made it a possibility again.

Alas, the iPhone 5 event came and went, with no mention of Near Field Communications. And the company has since confirmed that the handset does not contain the wireless payment tech. Here’s why…

In an interview with AllThingsD, Apple’s Senior VP of Marketing explained why they decided not to go with NFC:

“In an interview, Apple Senior VP Phil Schiller said that Passbook alone does what most customers want and works without existing merchant payment systems.

It’s not clear that NFC is the solution to any current problem, Schiller said. “Passbook does the kinds of things customers need today.”

Passbook, as most of you know, is a new app in iOS 6 that allows users to store things like gift cards, boarding passes and event tickets. And a lot of folks thought NFC would make a great companion to the service.

Schiller also touched on wireless charging. The tech world wasn’t expecting the new iPhone to be capable of cordless power-ups, but Nokia’s new Lumia 920 is and that poses a valid question: why not Apple?

“Schiller notes that the wireless charging systems still have to be plugged into the wall, so it’s not clear how much convenience they add. The widely-adopted USB cord, meanwhile, can charge in wall outlets, computers and even on airplanes, he said.

“Having to create another device you have to plug into the wall is actually, for most situations, more complicated,” Schiller said.

Finally, Schiller commented on Apple’s new “Lightning” dock connector, saying that trying to build devices as thin as the new iPhone and iPod “simply wasn’t possible” without changing the size of the cord.

But don’t worry, he assures that this will be Apple’s dock connector for many years to come.