Rumour: Apple's forthcoming iPhone will feature an integrated NFC chip for mobile payments

According to a report from website 9to5Mac, the next iteration of Apple's iPhone, which will possibly be called the iPhone 5, will house an integrated NFC chip that will allow the smartphone to make mobile payments.

Code taken from the Cupertino company's recently released iOS 6 software apparently makes reference to both an NFC chip and an antenna.

If true, the ability to make mobile payments will likely be tied into Apple's Passbook app, which the company announced last week at its annual WWDC conference. If you aren't familiar with it, it's basically a folder for all of your boarding passes, tickets, store cards, and coupons.

Adding this functionality would allow Apple to compete with Google Wallet and Microsoft's upcoming wallet attempt, as well as offer new sharing options between devices.