Apple's New "Passbook" Looks A Lot Like a Wallet

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One of the newest apps baked into Apple’s iOS mobile operating system looks a lot like a wallet.

The app is called Passbook, and it’s designed to store each of a user’s QR code or barcode-based “passes” — be that the Starbucks payment barcode, or a ticket to a movie from Fandango, or a boarding pass for an upcoming flight. Each of those three examples was cited at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC), which began Monday morning.

An image provided by tech blog The Verge reveals an even wider array of retailers already set up to integrate with Apple’s Passbook application.

Moments before debuting this new technology, Apple revealed that it had extended its lead as the largest store of credit card accounts, with one-click access to more than 400 million cards through iTunes.

“This could be a boon for consumers, but bad news for Square and other startups,” wrote TechCrunch’s Anothony Ha shortly after the app made its debut. On the subject of Square, Ha notes that Passbook’s storage capabilities could directly compete with some of the loyalty features in Square’s Pay with Square location-based payment application.

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