Again, presumably, the iWatch would be loaded with all the features of Passbook, and could serve as convenient hands-free access to boarding passes, frequent shopper fobs, retail couponing, etc.
In my mind, that growing number of retailers vendors along with the favorable reception from the integration with Major League Baseball can be argued as the tipping point for Passbook.
Apple controls the hardware and the mobile OS, and now with Passbook, it provides brand app developers the ability to link their products to a centralized and easy management of gift cards, coupons and tickets.
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Still, with Passbook waiting in the wings, the patent can't help but fuel speculation that Apple is getting more serious about an iPhone with near-field wireless in the future.
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While many were initially disappointed that the iPhone 5 did not come with near-field communications (NFC) from the likes of NXP Semiconductors (NXPI), with Passbook Apple has created something rather elegant.
Apple may choose to partner Passbook with new hardware support in the iPhone 5, such as NFC.
The service, which recently integrated with Apple Passbook, allows customers to download and store coupons which they can redeem directly from their phones.
The credit card company's Passbook functionality will include notifications for new account transactions, along with the ability to view your current balance and redeem membership rewards points.
ENGADGET: AmEx, Starbucks announce plans for Passbook integration: both live by end of the month
The coffee chain's Passbook functionality looks to be quite similar to its partnership with Square, which will be the go-to mobile payments option for non-iOS customers when it launches this fall.
ENGADGET: AmEx, Starbucks announce plans for Passbook integration: both live by end of the month
If Apple combines Passbook with its new location platform, the company will open both a new revenue stream and a new competitive front with Google.
The brand new, redesigned Fly Delta app for iPhone was also released today with the ability to book tickets and other features including integration with Passbook and iPhone 5 features.
ENGADGET: Delta introduces Fly Delta app for iPad, iOS 6 Passbook integration
Starbucks, which was featured in an early Passbook demo at WWDC, also announced the timeline for its integration with the service, tweeting today that an "update is coming at the end of the month" and offering no further details.
ENGADGET: AmEx, Starbucks announce plans for Passbook integration: both live by end of the month
Today, we see the rudimentary basis for how our lives could be made much simpler with Siri, Maps and Passbook.
FORBES: What's Going To Be Apple's Next Killer Product? Not A New iPhone - Artificial Intelligence
The ability to utilize the coupon code offering has yet to materialize for Passbook, but odds are that along with others companies offering reward cards, coupons, and other Passbook-integrated features will come in time.
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