Apple has set the internet abuzz with speculation it is targeting mobile payments after hiring NFC expert Benjamin Vigier.
The hiring of Vigier, a former product manager at mobile payment specialist mFoundry, has spawned oceans of ink since it was first reported on Friday.
Google News is currently indexing more than 70 stories on the new hire from the last 24 hours alone.
Vigier has taken the role of product development manager for mobile commerce.
He has reportedly worked on mobile payment projects for PayPal and Starbucks and has held NFC roles at French mobile operator Boygues Telecom and memory maker Sandisk.
Sources told the New York Times that Vigier wasn't the first NFC specialist Apple has recently employed.
This, coupled with the fact that Apple has been submitting a number of NFC-related patents in the past few months, has left pundits certain of an Apple push into the market.