Imagining a Passbook-powered digital wallet
Despite the somewhat mixed reception it got from users, I like iOS 6’s Passbook feature. When it works, it’s a great alternative to more-traditional counterparts: no more paper to carry around; no more rummaging through your inbox at the last minute, looking for an elusive boarding pass.
It really shines when it ties in well to your shopping experience, as is the case with Starbucks’s excellent iOS app, which lets you purchase items and track your loyalty rewards just by waving your iPhone in front of a scanner.
Passbook’s potential, however, remains largely untapped. Each merchant must implement it on a one-off basis, which reduces its convenience: You present your boarding pass or coupon or loyalty card, and the vendor decides what you can do with it and how, resulting in ad hoc systems that yield uneven results and may not work well with one another.
Apple has thus far given no sign that it plans to build a more comprehensive payment system around Passbook. Still, a “digital wallet” that allows users and merchants to exchange data in both directions could revolutionize the way we deal with our finances.
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