Apple has been slow to adopt NFC (near field communications) in any of its iOS devices but a new rumor claims Apple will finally join the NFC party with the release of the iPhone 5S.

Apple will also apparently add fingerprint recognition as an enhanced security feature to be used with NFC, as it purchased Authen Tec, a leader in mobile and network security in July 2012.

If this rumor is true, Apple is adding an extra layer of biometric security to protect its users while using NFC for payment transactions. According to ChinaTimes, sources said of Apple's plans for using NFC with fingerprint recognition in the iPhone 5S:

"The iPhone 5S outgoing will support NFC and fingerprint recognition, fingerprint is more security than passwords, fingerprints cannot be copied and will not be stolen, most secure mobile payment devices would allow the Apple iPhone 5S to work with the devices."

There have been rumors that Apple would be adding NFC and fingerprint recognition to upcoming iPhones, but have never materialized. This new rumor claims that we'll see NFC and fingerprint recognition work together in a much more secure way than current smartphones and tablets that already ship with NFC chips. NFC will not only be used for payments in Apple's devices, it can also be used to transfer data between two NFC devices. Google implements this in Android with its Android Beam feature. Android Beam works by touching an Android smartphone that is equipped with NFC to another NFC-enabled Android device and users can transfer files, website links, YouTube videos, links to apps, maps, directions and more. It's a super-simple way to transfer information between devices.

Since the iPhone 5S isn't expected to be a major upgrade over the current iPhone 5, it's very plausible that Apple will add a few features internally that will tempt users to upgrade to the latest iPhone. Each iPhone that has ended with "S" have only featured internal upgrades to camera and processors, and the "S" in the iPhone 4S clearly stood for Apple's personal virtual assistant Siri. NFC and fingerprint recognition might persuade people into upgrading to the iPhone 5S even though it will reportedly remain largely unchanged on the outside. Will NFC, fingerprint recognition, upgraded camera and a new processor be enough for Apple to compete with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy S4? Let us know in the comments.