What could be on tap at Apple's Sept. 12 press event

04.09.2012

We say: .

: Apple unveiled its new Passbook app at WWDC in June, but the limited time Apple spent discussing it left us with more questions than answers. The program is designed as a centralized location for all your reward and stored value cards, along with digital versions of concert and sports tickets; tap on a card and youll see a barcode for the retailer to scan. The suggests that among the companys partners are Target, Fandango, Starbucks, Amtrak, United, the San Francisco Giants, and the W Hotel; its hard to imagine the company would use those as examples if it didnt already have some partnerships in place. Apple could definitely take some time at the September event to explain Passbook further and unveil a few powerful new partners to make the app shift from confusing to a compelling offering.

We say: .

: Weve already seen Apple demo Mapss spiffy new 2D and 3D offerings, as well as long-awaited turn-by-turn directions. But could there be more that Apple has yet to show off? The mapping app removed user-favorite options like Street View and Transit directions in iOS 6, as Apple no longer uses Googles Street View and transit databases; theres been no mention of a different partner for street-level view, but Apple may add more 3D city renderings to its mapping database to compensate. We may also hear more about Apples plan for dealing with transit directions, and the third-party routing apps who are partnering with the company.

We say: .