passbook - page 2

Square Integrates With Apple’s Passbook To Help Promote New Gift Card Feature

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Square, the Apple-like mobile payment service that’s all the rage right now, just integrated with Passbook in iOS 6. Before you get too excited, the integration only allows iPhone users to store and use the new gift cards that can be sent via the Square iOS app. Square lets you pay for your stuff with your bank credentials while Passbook still does not.

Now you can send a digital gift card from any merchant that partners with Square, and the recipient can choose to open the gift card in Square’s Wallet app, print it off, or use it in Apple’s Passbook.

Here’s What’s New In Apple’s Latest iOS 6.1 Beta

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Apple released iOS 6.1 beta 3 to registered developers yesterday, but unless your iOS device’s unique identification number (UDID) is registered with Apple’s developer program, you can’t install it. But don’t worry, we can tell you everything that’s new in this version, including some changes to iCloud setup and Passbook sample cards, new mobile-cellular data options, and more.

PassHack Makes It Quicker To Remove Stock Apps From iOS Without Jailbreaking

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Passbook now holds all the links you need to delete unwanted stock apps.
Passbook now holds all the links you need to delete unwanted stock apps.

Last week, we reported on a great little hack that allows you to remove Apple’s stock iOS apps from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch without jailbreaking it first. The only problem with it was when your device was restarted the apps would reappear, and you had to repeat the whole process again to remove the apps that are wasting space on your home screen.

Now the tweak’s been improved somewhat to make the whole process much quicker by using the new Passbook app in iOS 6. And no, it still doesn’t require a jailbreak.

Grab Your Passbook Ticket For Today’s iPad Mini Event Right Here

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"Apple Special Event," indeed.

Apple probably didn’t invite you to today’s iPad mini event, but that doesn’t mean you have to feel left out. You can get your own novelty iPad mini event Passbook ticket right on your iPhone so you can feel like you’re totally legit.

To get the iPad mini event ticket, just open this link in Safari. If you’re opening the link from an iOS device, iOS 6 will automatically preview the ticket and allow you to import it into Passbook.

Here’s what the ticket looks like:

Apple Finally Granted Trademark For Passbook

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The United States Patent and Trademark Office just granted Apple its trademark for Passbook that was originally filed in June. After several months of internal processing on the USPTO’s end, Apple now owns the rights to Passbook and can leverage its trademark against infringing companies.

Passbook was first announced by Apple at WWDC 2012 in June and was touted as the company’s digital wallet technology. After being included in the iOS 6 betas, Passbook launched to the public with the release of iOS 6 on September 19th, 2012.

While its initial launch left much to be desired, Passbook is starting to gain traction with big franchises like Starbucks signing on. Apple has experimented with NFC-related patents, and there’s a good chance Passbook will eventually mature to be Apple’s one-stop mobile payment solution.

Source: Patently Apple

How Apple’s Passbook Could Replace Your Wallet On Our Newest CultCast

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It’s back to the Mac on this week’s CultCast, and on our newest episode, we’ll tell you everything we know about Apple’s rumored 13-inch Retina Macbook Pro, and why you might be seeing it before the year is through.

Then, is Apple’s Passbook really going to take over the world of tickets, coupons, and payments? It’s tough to imagine, especially with how little Passbook can do now. But imagine coupons on your lock screen right when you need them and making payments with nothing but your iPhone. Ready to leave your wallet behind? Passbook may soon let you do exactly that.

All that and our three favorite Mac apps on our latest CultCast! Subscribe now on iTunes, or easily stream The CultCast via Apple’s free Podcasts App.

Read on for the show notes!

Have You Actually Used Passbook Yet? [Let’s Talk]

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Passbook is supposed to be one of the big new features of iOS 6. Its magical card keeping system is supposed to help you ditch all your coupons, tickets, passes, rewards cards, and maybe even replace your wallet all together someday. The only problem is that there aren’t a lot of places you can actually use Passbook yet.

It’s not that Passbook isn’t a great feature. It’s awesome. People really want to use it. The MLB wants it to replace their ticketing system someday. But because it’s only been out for a few weeks, there are a limited number of apps that take advantage of it, which makes it seem like a bit of a let down. On the CultCast last night we talked about how we haven’t had the opportunity to use Passbook much, but we’re wondering what your experience has been with it so far. Have you actually used it? If so, what do you think? If you haven’t used it, what can be done to get more businesses and people on board?

Click here to go to the Cult of Mac Forums and tell us about your experiences with Passbook so far.

Want To Share Your iPhone’s Passbook? It’s As Easy As Taking A Screenshot

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Starbucks in Passbook on iPhone 5

I was craving a pumpkin spice lattee from Starbucks the other day. I didn’t have time to go get one myself, but one of my friends was going later in the day. He offered to pick one up for me. Yay!

Starbucks recently added support for Apple’s Passbook service in iOS 6, and I hadn’t yet been able to try paying for Starbucks with Passbook. I had already added my Starbucks Rewards Gold card to Passbook on my iPhone 5, and I like using my Gold card to pay whenever I can because it earns me points towards free drinks. So I had three choices: pay my friend back in cash, give him my Starbucks card from my wallet, or let him use my Passbook. I went with the third option, and it was as easy as taking a screenshot.

Passbook Gets New Apps, Services, Continues To Grow

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Passbook New Apps

So, the wacky little app-thingy that we all wondered about in iOS 6, Passbook, seems like it’s starting to grow up a bit. Now, when you tap the App Store button in the Passbook App, the new “Apps for Passbook” section of the iTunes App Store, only available via your iPhone running iOS, has quite a few new apps available.

The New Square Directory Will Tell You When And Where You Can Ditch Your Wallet

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I want to be able to ditch my wallet so bad, mostly because I have a tendency to lose it or forget it at home. But I never ever leave home without my iPhone, and yeah, Passbook is cool but businesses aren’t really using it yet and I’m impatient. I just want the future to be here right now.

I’ve been really intrigued by Wired’s Christina Bonnington as she’s trying to live a walletless life, and it seems like one of the biggest hurdle right now is knowing where you can ditch your wallet and pay for goods with a service like Square, and where you can’t.  Right now it seems like Square is trying harder than anyone to help you ditch your wallet, and they just made things a little easier by creating Square Directory so you can see all the places you can pay for goods with Square Wallet.

Passbook Gets Explanatory Paragraph, Still Seems Silly

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Passbook

I have to admit, I was intrigued by Passbook when I first heard of it. An app that keeps my airline and movie tickets together with my coupons and customer loyalty cards seems like a good idea. For now, however, Passbook in iOS 6 seems like a placeholder to me, an app with no real purpose in and of itself, a place to link to other apps.

Apple quietly added a little explanation in the form of a paragraph in the iTunes Store page for Passbook apps which shows, at least, that they’re planning on more and that they understand that we all might feel a bit nonplused about one of the bigger features of the new iOS.

Create Your Own Passbook Coupons And Cards With People’s Card

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iOS 6's Passbook app isn't just for big-business companies to use. Yes, you'll be able to use it to check in to your flights, and to get discounts at your favorite international coffee chain, but now mom and pop stores, your local food cart or even a stall at the local flea market will be able to offer you coupons and membership, using a new free app called People's Card.

Starbucks Coming To iOS 6’s Passbook By The End Of The Month

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If you installed iOS 6 last week, you probably expected to be able to use your Starbucks rewards card in Passbook. For some unknown reason, Starbucks has not yet updated its iOS app with Passbook integration, but the company has confirmed that the update is coming “at the end of this month.”

Passbook, Apple’s approach to a virtual wallet in iOS 6, allows merchants to store coupons, tickets, passes and rewards cards in barcode form on an iOS device. Starbucks cardholders will be able to pay for their drinks and earn rewards with Passbook when the update comes out.

The Ten Killer Features Of iOS 6 [Feature]

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Today, three months after its first preview at WWDC, iOS 6 has been released to the public and is now available to download via iTunes. We’ve already presented you with a comprehensive guide to everything that’s new — big and small — but which of those features really stands out?

So that you can jump into iOS 6 and quickly start using its killer new features, we’ve compiled a list of our top ten for you to check out. These may not necessarily be the biggest features Apple has introduced, but we’re confident that once you start using them, you’ll agree that they’re the best.

Every Single Feature That Is New In iOS 6 [Mega-Guide]

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iOS 6 drops today!

We’ve all been itching to get our hands on iOS 6 since it got its first unveiling at WWDC back in June, and today, three months after that announcement, the software finally gets its public debut. Apple’s packed a ton of new features into this update, including some major new features like Map and Passbook, plus some enhancements to existing apps and features, such as new Siri capabilities and a VIP inbox in Mail.

Apple’s been promoting some of these features on its website, but there are tons you may not have heard about. With that said, here’s your comprehensive guide to everything that’s new in iOS 6.

Three Critical Business Dilemmas The iPhone 5 Will Create [Feature]

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Even before its launch, the iPhone 5 is creating concerns and challenges for businesses and IT departments.
Even before its launch, the iPhone 5 is creating concerns and challenges for businesses and IT departments.

Apple will launch the next iPhone (presumably named the iPhone 5) along with iOS 6 tomorrow. The new iPhone is expected to pack a range of updates that will make it a much more significant release than last year’s iPhone 4S. The biggest expectation is that the iPhone will include 4G LTE support and that, unlike the new iPad, it will support LTE bands used outside of North America.

We won’t know all the details of the iPhone 5 until Apple’s unveiling at the Yerba Buena Center. There are, however, three important issues that business users and IT managers will need to in mind during and after following tomorrow’s launch event – all three of which could have a significant impact on bring your own device (BYOD) programs that encourage users to bring their personal mobile devices into the office.

First Airlines, And Now Theme Parks Preparing To Support Passbook In iOS 6

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Weeeeeeeeee!!!
Weeeeeeeeee!!!

Multiple airlines have already announced plans to support Apple’s digital wallet service called Passbook, and now more companies are jumping on the bandwagon. Accessco, a leading provider for attraction ticketing, will start rolling out support for the Passbook iOS 6 app in the coming weeks. This means that Cedar Fair Entertainment U.S. theme parks (Cedar Point, Kings Island, etc.) and attractions like the Columbus Zoo will work with Passbook on the iPhone.

Google Updates Their Wallet So It’s More Like Apple’s Passbook

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Google Wallet has been out for almost a year now, and it allows you to store your credit cards on your Android phone and make payments via NFC, but because of limited partnerships during its launch, it hasn’t really taken off yet.

Now that Google’s seen some of the features Apple plans to bring to the iPhone with the Passbook app, Google has decided to double down on Wallet and bring in new features so it functions more like Passbook.

What Square’s Starbucks Deal Means For Mobile Payments And An Apple iWallet

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Square scored its big partnership with Starbucks by realizing mobile payments aren't really about mobile payments.
Square scored its big partnership with Starbucks by realizing mobile payments aren't really about mobile payments.

Last week’s announcement that Starbucks is partnering with Square for mobile payments and credit card processing is big news for the nascent U.S. mobile payments market. It was also a warning shot fired by the startup across the bow of traditional payment processing companies, many of which have struggled to bring together an effective and successful digital wallet (or iWallet) solution. The move could also complicate any plans that Apple has to move into that market following the release of iOS 6 and its Passbook feature.

iOS 6 Allows Apps To Use ‘Wi-Fi Plus Cellular’ Connections

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Finally!
Finally!

Have you ever watched your iPhone attempt to load a webpage with a poor Wi-Fi connection, and wondered why it doesn’t just switch to 3G automatically? In currently iOS releases, your device can’t do that. If you’re connected to a Wi-Fi network, it will only use the Wi-Fi network. But iOS 6 changes that. You’ll soon be able to use “Wi-Fi Plus Cellular” connections, which allows apps to switch to a cellular data connection automatically when Wi-Fi is poor.

How Local Businesses And Passbook Could Deliver An iWallet That Beats Any Competition

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Passbook could be a brilliant way for Apple to trump any other mobile payment option.
Passbook could be a brilliant way for Apple to trump any other mobile payment option.

 

Mobile payment technologies have an interesting and complicated relationship with local businesses. On the one hand, local mom-and-pop restaurants, shops, and services are probably the companies that you’d expect to adopt new payment technologies the slowest – particularly if those technologies require new point of sale hardware like an NFC reader. On the other hand, mobile payment systems could be poised to deliver a new wave of business to such local companies.

Making the situation more complicated is the fact that any mobile payment system (Google Wallet, PayPal in-store purchasing, or any system that Apple may be slowly developing) can’t be considered a solid winner or option unless that system strikes it big with local businesses. A system that only applies to large chains, like the in-store purchasing the PayPal rolled out to Home Depot and other retailers, can’t be considered mainstream unless it’s adopted very widely and by a significant percentage of small businesses.

Further complicating the relationship is the fact that many players in the race to create a true digital wallet are on focusing widely varying options for small and local businesses. That means that no one company is leading and no company really seems to have a consistent strategy for tapping this immense and important market.

Apple Granted Patent For NFC Ticketing Service Called “iTravel”

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Could Apple add NFC to the iPhone after all? This patent would suggest so.
Could Apple add NFC to the iPhone after all? This patent would suggest so.

Apple’s rivals are already producing smartphones with NFC capabilities, and although NFC is yet to really take off, it’s still capable of some pretty incredible things that we all want from our smartphones. However, there has been some debate about whether or not Apple will adopt the feature, or create an alternative of its own — possibly utilizing Bluetooth.

Since the company unveiled Passbook in iOS 6, that debate has hit an all-time high. Passbook would work wonderfully with NFC, and would allow us to ditch physical cards and tickets in favor of a “contactless” system in which we just hold our devices up to a sensor. And according to a newly granted Apple patent for “iTravel,” it appears the Cupertino company is just as excited about that prospect as we are.