Passbook

Here’s how Passbook works in iOS 6

If you've been using iOS 6 beta, they you're probably pretty familiar with the default Passbook screen that prompts you to open the App Store. Prior to iOS 6's release just a few hours ago, the App Store page wouldn't load, or at the very most remained blank.

Today, all of that changes. If you open the App Store link from the Passbook app, you'll be presented with a introductory list of apps that currently support the fledgeling venture.

Passbook apps now showing up in App Store

iOS 6 went live today and with it a new feature called Passbook, basically a central repository for coupons, airplane tickets, loyalty cards and other types of digital coupons. Now, Passbook can detect and automatically import these digital items from your email messages and on the web sites you visit.

All web developers need to do is implement support for Apple’s new “.pkpass” mime type, like airlines did. Supporting the new feature, Apple added a new dedicated App Store section that lists third-party programs which support Passbook...

Theme parks also seen working on Passbook support

Passbook hasn't gone public yet, but that hasn't stopped several companies from pledging their support. Most of the major airlines already appear to be on board with the service, and now it looks like theme parks are in as well.

Accesso, one of the largest providers of theme park and attraction tickets in North America, has just announced that it will be one of the first travel industry suppliers to adapt its ticketing platform to work with Passbook...

Delta and American Airlines also working on Passbook support

After months of waiting, we should finally get to see Passbook in action this month. Apple unveiled the app, which stores digital gift cards, event tickets and boarding passes, during its WWDC event.

As cool as the idea of Passbook is, it will only be successful if it can garner support from major businesses. But if the enthusiasm of the airlines is any indication, that won't be a problem...

Airlines reportedly scramble to support iOS 6 Passbook mobile boarding passes

Some airlines are already implementing support for mobile boarding passes via the brand new Passbook app in iOS 6, a newspaper report has it. Specifically, a Virgin Australia traveller says the system recognized the digital boarding pass from Safari, putting up a prompt asking him to save the digital ticket to the iOS 6 Passbook app. If Virgin Australia is already implementing support for Apple's new ".pkpass" mime type, chances are that other airlines are also doing so, especially with the next Wednesday's iPhone 5 announcement and the subsequent public release of iOS 6 approaching fast...

iOS 6 Passbook shopping gets simulated in real-world

iOS 6 brings a new app called Passbook that Apple argues isn't a direct payment product (yet). Instead, the program lets you collect and organize discount coupons, gift cards and some such. Patents, however, reveal that Apple is actively thinking about leveraging NFC technology to turn Passbook into a comprehensive mobile shopping solution, referred to as the iWallet.

You could create fake coupons to play around with in the Passbook app, but I'd bet my shirt that you'd still be scratching your head as to how exactly Passbook is supposed to work in real-life. A nice two-minute clip embedded below will help clear up the confusion by showing some interesting possibilities for Passbook through real-life examples...

Apple granted iWallet shopping app patent

Apple has been granted an interesting new patent today that covers a personal shopping application. The app provides retail and pricing information based on user location and scanned barcodes.

The patent was published this morning by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. And if it's any indication of what Apple's working on, it could mean we're in for some nice surprises  on the iWallet front...

New Bluetooth Sharing menu and other changes in iOS 6 beta 4

We've been combing through iOS 6 beta 4, which Apple released to developers this morning, for any differences in the update, and so far, we've managed to spot a handful of them.

In addition to the removal of the native YouTube application, we've also discovered a new Bluetooth Sharing option in the Privacy settings, as well as some other minor changes...

Apple scores iTravel patent featuring NFC and Passbook integration

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) had a busy morning, publishing as much as 23 newly granted patents for Apple, one of them concerning NFC technology rumored to debut on the next iPhone and Passbook, a new iOS 6 application that Apple's marketing honcho Phil Schiller insists isn't a direct payment solution. The iTravel patent, as it's been dubbed, covers travel services such as a boarding pass and express check-in, amongst other stuff...

On Apple’s plans for a mobile payment system

There have been a few rumors bouncing around the Apple community for the last two years that just won't die out. Among them is the iPhone-embedded, iTunes-based mobile payment system. Pundits believe that Apple, and its 400 million iTunes accounts, has the ability to kickstart the struggling mobile payment industry.

Apple itself added fuel to the fire last month when it unveiled its new Passbook application. It acts like a digital wallet of sorts, allowing users to store event tickets, gift cards, and even creditcards on their iOS devices. But it's still not the end-all mobile payment solution we were all expecting. At least not yet anyway...

How to enable Passbook in iOS 6

One of the more intriguing iOS 6 features that Apple announced at WWDC was the new Passbook application. The app is essentially Apple's first go at a digital wallet.

But unfortunately, Passbook is broken in the developer beta — it's just a splash screen. So there's no way to play with it. That is, unless you follow these few easy steps...

Schiller on app discovery, Passbook not being a direct payment product

Phil Schiller, senior vice president of all marketing at Apple, talked to The Wall Street Journal yesterday about the app ecosystem, how the upcoming iOS 6 mobile operating system helps third-party developers get better exposure for their software and why Apple's brand new app called Passbook is not meant to become a full-blown mobile payment solution...