subject: Iphone 5s Passbook The Apples Answer To Nfc For Now. [print this page] It was a surprise for a lot of users when Apple launched iPhone 5 without Near Field Communication (NFC). Apple has tried to bring itself back in the game by introducing a larger display and supporting Long-Term Evolution (LTE) Technologies, but many believe that it still lacks because of the absence of NFC in the new iPhone. In 2011 alone, more than 106 million Android-powered-NFC-enabled phones were shipped yet Apple dropped this feature from iPhone 5. Is Apple waiting for a global acceptance of this technology, or does it have its own answer?
We know that Apple does not invent things but makes them better. It adds the Apple-touch to gadgets and then turns them unique. It seems that the company has decided to create a more elegant solution for mobile payment, or it may have already introduced it in the form of Passbook. In the Worldwide Developers' Conference held on 11 June this year, they introduced Passbook, a new iOS 6 application.
Technology analysts believe that Apple will hardly go for technology, like NFC. It is still not a foolproof technology. Although issues will soon be fixed, yet Apple will not easily stand for something that is not a winner.
iOS 6 upgraded iPhone devices with Passbook that users can use to keep track of boarding passes, event tickets, etc. It can have tickets and membership cards and even credit cards. iPhone developers are taking the app Passbook as Apples answer to Google wallet. People can use Passbook to redeem coupons, boarding passes, movie tickets and loyalty cards. It can also be used in different financial transactions.
Users can use this app as a tool to manage mobile transactions, mobile commerce and even mobile money services. In case Passbook is combined with the new location platform, Apple will be able to open a new kind of revenue and add a competitive edge similar to Google. However, there is no such official denial as Apple will never add NFC to its devices even if services based on this technology get matured.
Users are able to add passes to the Passbook app trough email, and websites of airlines, theaters, stores and more. The device can be scanned to check-in for a flight, get into a movie and redeem a coupon. The app allows users to check the expiry date of the coupons, search concert seats, the remaining balance available on coffee bar card, etc. Passbook can perform lots of other operations. For now, it is Apples answer to NFC, but the company can still add it to its devices if it is ensured as a fail-safe technology. Let us wait for another version of iPhone.
