Apple has hired Benjamin Vigier, an NFC expert, previously of mFoundry, to run the mobile commerce product platform in what is the clearest announcement of their intentions to date.

While Apple have made no secret that payments was on the product roadmap, the hiring of Vigier strengthens the belief that Apple will be actively working to translate a host of NFC based patents into commercial products.

The following article outlines some of the areas Apply may focus on:

http://www.nearfieldcommunicationsworld.com/2010/08/13/34302/apple-hires-nfc-expert-as-mobile-commerce-product-manager/