Is Google Losing Interest in NFC?

By Erin Kennedy, Evan Niu, CFA, and Jamal Carnette, CFA – Sep 21, 2013 at 10:00PM

NASDAQ: GOOGL

Alphabet

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$1,968B

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(1.27%) $1.98

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$158.26

Price as of April 23, 2024, 4:00 p.m. ET

In recent years, Google has been a big proponent of near-field communications. The technology hasn't taken off meaningfully, though, and it may be time for Big G to seek alternatives.

The innovative Bump app, which made its debut as a clever way to make short-range data transfers on Apple (AAPL 0.64%) iOS devices, has been available for five years now. Yet search giant Google (GOOGL 1.27%) has just now acquired the small company for an undisclosed amount. Meanwhile, Big G just released its Google Wallet app for iOS, while notably removing the requirement to use near-field communications, or NFC.

Combined, these two moves could potentially signal that Google is losing interest in NFC, considering its slow adoption, and may be exploring other options for short-range data transfers.

In the following video, Erin Kennedy discusses Google's buy with Evan Niu, CFA, and Jamal Carnette.

Erin Kennedy, Evan Niu, CFA, and Jamal Carnette all own shares of Apple. The Motley Fool recommends Apple, Google, and NXP Semiconductors and owns shares of Apple and Google. We Fools don't all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.