The people that work at Apple Inc. (AAPL) have been known to create news by simply arriving or leaving the company. Late last week that news came in the form of Benjamin Vigier.
Apple has hired the near field communication expert on the heels of a series of patent applications with remarkable NFC components, Near Field Communications World reports. His official new title at Apple is product manager of mobile commerce.
Vigier’s work in NFC technology dates back to 2004. He most recently worked at mFoundry where he designed and managed PayPal Inc.’s mobile service and Starbucks Corp.’s (SBUX) barcode-based mobile payments service. Vigier also developed mobile wallet applications for two U.S. carriers and a major U.S. bank, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Reading the tea leaves of Apple’s patent applications is a tough proposition, but there has been quite a few NFC-related filings in the last few months that suggest what Apple might have in mind for Vigier. Recent patent filings from Apple include services and applications for payments, coupons, marketing and promotions, flight and event ticketing, game control, file transfer and more.
Apple hires NFC expert
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