Wearables Wednesday: the Apple Watch (again)

You may not be aware that today is “Wearables Wednesday”, which means covering a relevant piece of wearable tech, gadget or news item.

To kick things off, even though most tech sites on the planet have already contributed thousands of lines of opinion about this particular device, I feel the Apple Watch is an unavoidable first topic, simply because it is without doubt the hottest thing in wearables at the moment. Ewan has already written about the watch keynote, and we ran an online poll that found 58% of our audience intend to buy the Apple Watch Sport. It seems our readers are a tech-savvy, early adopter crowd (of course).

Rather than go into the minutiae of the various models, prices, and straps (or bands, as Apple seems to prefer calling them) – that information has already been covered elsewhere – let’s discuss the appeal of the Apple Watch in general and consider whether it really will kick off a revolution in wearables.

When I started writing for Mobile Industry Review in September last year, one of the very first pieces I wrote concerned the iPhone 6 launch event, where watch was also revealed for the first time, and I recall letting out an audible ‘whoop’ when the watch was presented. It really was that incredible to imagine all the potential benefits the device could have…

“Nobody wears a watch anymore”

That’s what I hear from the naysayers around me every day, and on countless online forums, about the reasons not to buy an Apple Watch (henceforth I will refer to it simply as the  Watch, as per it’s official name). To me, this is an irrelevant argument, because plenty of people do wear a watch in the modern world, but nowadays perhaps less so to tell the time; rather, a fashion statement of sorts, or simply because it just feels nice to wear an attractive timepiece.

From my perspective, I seldom leave the house without a watch (either a Tag Formula 1, or a Casio G-Shock Giez – yes, I own two watches already), mainly because I’m so used to it and feel quite naked without one. There is one situation however where I don’t wear a watch – when typing, when the metal strap on the Tag might scratch the finely crafted exterior of my MacBook Pro.

But the whole point against the argument that ‘nobody wears a watch because you can use a mobile phone’ is somewhat redundant. Regular watches don’t give you the ability to make a phone call and pretend you’re Dick Tracy, regular watches don’t allow you to instantly see a map and navigate a strange city by gentle taps on the wrist, or alert you to all kinds of useful notifications. You could pull out a phone, but surely having everything right there on your wrist is infinitely preferable to constantly checking a phone in your pocket or sat on your desk?

While on the topic of limitations, the battery life is one such bugbear that’s frequently mentioned in relation to most wearables. After perusing the  Watch battery information page, it does confirm that the device probably needs to be charged daily (or nightly) by moderate to heavy users, but that when in Power Reserve mode, it can still be used as a regular watch for up to 72 hours – that’s a reassuring figure. I’m still not sure why anyone thinks charging a watch for 2 hours is an inconvenience – as we are all accustomed to charging the gadgets we love each day, already.

All about the apps…?

It seems that reaction in the media to the  Watch has been mixed. On the one hand, there are those that fawn over it’s superb design and craftsmanship, while others point out its shortcomings, such as an expectedly low battery life, and loss in value when a new model is released.

Many have wondered whether there’s really a need or a killer app for a wearable wrist-worn device – Apple is positioning the device as a fitness device, and sort of advanced notification gadget. But the real usefulness and utility of the thing will surely become clear in time, as the thousands of developers out there create amazing, unexpected, and totally original apps. Much like the original iPad (and a lesser extend the iPhone), the true benefits of the watch will slowly reveal themselves over time…

Making life easier, more seamless

Imagine life in the very-imminent future where you just walk up to your car or home and open the door without having to fiddle about with real keys. Or paying for groceries with a tap at Boots, with no need to talk to the checkout staff (Ewan would appreciate this one), and any free vouchers just get added to your online wallet or Apple account.

It’s also surely going to be much more convenient when leading a busy, hectic lifestyle, catching trains and generally needing to travel anywhere in rush hour, that having the ability to quickly call someone or reply to a message on a watch is infinitely more preferable than fumbling for your phone while you’ve got two hands full of laptops, briefcases, shopping, or whatever.

Credit cards at the ready

The  Watch can be preordered in the UK from April 10th – I admit that as an early adopter and user of many Apple products, I shall be online at midnight on the 10th with my credit card ready to order – and my model of choice, like Ewan, is the Sport model. I shall purchase, with luck, the 42mm Space Grey model and black band.

Here it is in all its glory – now tell me this isn’t an incredible device!

The Apple Watch Sport in Space Grey aluminium, 38mm and 42mm sizes.

From a personal perspective, I am anticipating the Apple Watch immensely, and shall no doubt thoroughly enjoy sending Ewan random digital scribbles when the mood takes.

Roll on April…

Gemalto study finds young people love mobile banking

It’s no surprise that the younger generation are keen users of mobile banking, considering the benefits it offers and the prevalence of smartphones among the age group.

Gemalto recently conducted a study (“An international study of youth attitudes to banking and online banking services.”) to find out more, polling more than a thousand people aged 16-24 using online polls and a consumer database across the UK, the US, Mexico, Brazil and Singapore.

Over half UK adults manage money online

According to the UK’s Office of National Statistics, half of adults and more than three-quarters of 25-34 year olds manage their money online. One in five people have made some kind of payment using their mobile, and a quarter use it to check their bank balance. In the US, 33% of all mobile users have used a mobile banking app in the past 12 months, up from 28% a year earlier.

Gemalto’s detailed report contains dozens of fascinating insights into mobile banking – here’s a quick summary of some of the key points and findings.

The company notes that they expected a lot of enthusiasm for mobile banking among ‘generation m’ as they’re the first to have opened bank accounts with tried and tested mobile banking apps already in place, without needing a bricks-and-mortar, real world experience first.

Unsurprisingly, the report cites that financial institutions and banks that don’t offer a mobile portal or app often trigger a defection to a service that does. Not only that, but a poor mobile experience also does – this means that financial providers face irrelevance if they don’t provide ways to access their services on mobile devices.

Simultaneously, the younger generation won’t tolerate poor security, and there’s an expectation that the banks will keep them and their details safe or risk losing their trust.

Banking habits

The way that young people access banking services has seen a huge shift. Nearly four in five (77%) use online banking services, with 42% using them five times a month or more. More than three in five (62%) use mobile banking apps and almost half (47.6%) bank by phone. Over a quarter (27%) of respondents in Gemalto’s study never visit their branch in person anymore, and a further quarter (27%) goes just once per month.

Trust and Security

Although mobile and online are increasingly the preferred methods of choice for accessing banking services, trust in banks remains high; which is surprising in the post-2008 economic crash era, where global trust in banks has arguably fallen to an all-time low.

Only 16% of respondents in the study said that they trust their mobile provider more than their bank. But security is still near the top of the agenda, with two thirds (66.5%) admitting to concerns about the risks of using a smartphone or tablet for banking.

Quality of service

When it comes to mobile banking, the range of services on offer is important. Young people are using their banking apps for a variety of tasks– from applying for loans (3.7%) and viewing their balance (9%) to making domestic transfers (25.6%) and paying bills (40%).

Ease of use is crucial and they don’t have much patience when it comes to bad service – 68.4% would use apps less if they were difficult to use, while 36.6% would be prepared to change their bank altogether, highlighting the importance of the mobile channel within this segment.

Gemalto’s advice rings true

Gemalto highlights some lessons that banks need to take into consideration as they look to the future:

Don’t ignore mobile. No matter where the banks globally, the proliferation of smartphones and tablets among young people is huge. They are also being used more than you might have imagined, with almost four in ten (37.7%) using them for more than five hours a day. Mobile banking in particular is here to stay – two thirds of young people are using these services already and a quarter sees them as “essential”.

Build out banking app feature sets. A mobile banking app needs to be more than just checking a balance. Young people increasingly don’t want to visit your branches in person, so you need to offer them the same services via their smartphone or tablet. Whether it’s applying for a credit card, making international transfers or paying bills, banks need an app that will support young customers in whatever task they want to achieve.

Make the experience the best it can be. Young people don’t have the patience to persevere with banking apps or services that are hard to use. The app benchmarks come from the pure internet players and social media giants so your app can’t afford to compare unfavorably. They have come to expect mobile experiences that are innovative, seamless and easy to understand, and they won’t hang around for long if the banks can’t provide them.

Don’t let security issues damage their trust. Confidence in banking institutions took a big hit after the crash in 2008, but it seems that negative sentiment isn’t necessarily felt by the younger generation, who retain a high level of trust. But banks need to make security of mobile services a priority, since many young people will jump ship to a competitor if they think they’re at risk.

Make them aware of the risks. You might assume that digital natives are most aware of how to protect themselves, but the high percentage of young people that would happily use mobile banking services over unprotected public Wi-Fi shows that might not be the case. Education and awareness around these issues will help protect them and keep them loyal.

Critical kit: the Sonos wireless music system

As part of a regular new content series, we aim to cover some of the essential tech and seriously cool items that you can easily buy in the UK.

For the first article, we’ll take a brief look at a product that enables music lovers to stream high quality audio around the house, all controlled by a smartphone or tablet.

Sonos makes smartphone-powered music a reality

In the past, it wasn’t easy to listen to your music collection wirelessly anywhere around the house. You would need to either move your hi-fi kit from room to room, or suffer a tangled web of wires and cables across floors, stairs and up the walls (or spend a huge sum on a dedicated wired-in home setup).

With the rise in digital and cloud-based music and services such as iTunes, Spotify, and Rdio, it’s possible to make your entire audio collection portable.

However, until the last few years, it still wasn’t easy to create a system that didn’t involve cables trailed all over the place. That’s where the benefits of wireless audio become apparent, while also taking advantage of the popularity of tablets and smartphones to make controlling the whole shebang that much simpler.

Nowadays it is possible to stream high quality audio from a multitude of devices to speakers all over your home, wirelessly, and without compromising the sound quality (or at least, not noticeably). There are a couple of different ways to achieve this, but one of the most notable companies offering suitable product is Sonos.

What and who is Sonos?

Sonos is a US-based company, established in 2002, that aims to make it easy to fill your home with digital music. The main draw is the flexibility their systems afford and the features on offer. And if you’re anything like me, you’ll already have a vast array of digital music, stored across multiple computers and online services.

Sonos’ system works by connecting wireless speakers to your home network in order to play music (which can be kept locally on network attached storage, or online). You can add lots of Sonos devices (up to 32) that deliver music securely using their own dedicated network called Sonosnet.

Sonos offers two types of players – all in one players such as the PLAY:1, and additional CONNECT-branded devices that can turn your current audio gear into a Sonos zone. For example, the CONNECTallows you to stream music into an existing amp and speakers, and the CONNECT:AMP enables you to stream music directly to existing speakers by acting as an amp and receiver for music. The company also offers a powerful subwoofer and a sound bar to hook up your television.

Sonos currently offers three speaker models, each increasing in size and quality – the PLAY:1, thePLAY:3 and the PLAY:5 (prices on Amazon today are approximately £169, £249 and £349respectively).

Each speaker will form part of a dedicated Sonos wireless network when it’s connected to your router via Wi-Fi (or an Ethernet cable), with a little interaction from the Sonos app needed to setup each device – which only takes a few minutes.

Sonos can be used to stream most of the online music services – including Spotify, Napster, Deezer and Last.fm (you will, however, need subscriptions for those services). Unfortunately, it won’t let you stream your iTunes content.

Sound quality

Friends of mine recently purchased a complete Sonos system for use with Napster, and demonstrated the system’s flexibility at a party – playlists were created in Napster using an iPad, and a couple of PLAY:1 speakers were used in different rooms.

As something of an audio aficionado (I used to have a collection of expensive hi-fi separates and good speakers), I must admit that under the somewhat uncontrolled listening conditions, the sound quality was exceptionally clear and compelling.

Sonos is one of those systems that really takes advantage of wireless technology, smartphones, and digital music. Anyone that appreciates listening to great music and loves the flexibility of wireless, will surely agree that such systems are critical tech for the gadget lover…

The mobile revolution is changing how we work

As consumers, mobility and smartphones have undoubtedly changed our lives, with more than 90% of the British population owning a mobile phone. Most adults in the UK use a smartphone, mainly for personal activities like checking email, surfing the web, and online shopping, but organisations are also being revolutionised by the proliferation of mobile devices.

The mobile workplace and “supermobility”

Technology can help to increase efficiency (and enjoyment) of many aspects of living, and there is very little that a modern smartphone cannot do. They may persistently eat into our time, but there are of thousands of useful apps mobiles that can help us to utilise our time more effectively, and to be more productive at work.

Today’s businesses seem to recognise that, and instead of using technology solely for communications, more companies are are starting to create mobile apps for the purpose of simplifying our everyday activities and making it easier to access information wherever we are.

In “Revolutionising the Future Workplace”, author Jack Uldrich predicts that smartphones will grow to 2.4 billion units by 2018 – a ratio of six-to-one when compared with PCs.

He says that we are entering the age of “supermobility,” where mobile devices will provide all of the tools and technology that employees need to be productive when on the move, including voice, video and content collaboration solutions. This supermobility leverages technologies such as NFC, Wi-Fi, ultrasonic and other wireless tech, to support easier and more secure access to enterprise tools.

But even when considering a typical workplace today, it’s fair to say that mobile devices (especially with the advent of ‘bring your own device’) have already had a huge impact on the workplace, and the way in which we work.

Companies are already developing and using apps that enable employees  to securely connect and access company emails and documents. Partnerships such as the recent agreement between IBM and Apple are also leading to hundreds of specialised vertical apps, for sectors like the aeronautical industry, sales teams, and financial institutions.

But the more ordinary, typical workplace has also been affected by the new wave of mobile-carrying employees, who demand access to their communications and documents when they’re at home or travelling. And being on the road is perhaps the most obvious example that has been fundamentally changed by smartphones and wireless technologies such as 3G and 4G.

Taking my personal experiences as an example, it has been nine years since I have worked in a ‘traditional’ office where each and every employee had a desk and a PC. Mobile networks, smartphones and laptops have enabled me to work more flexibly, while still keeping in regular contact with colleagues via Skype, GoToMeeting and the ability to remotely log into a PC anywhere.

In recent years, I have worked at several small technology companies whose employees travelled frequently and normally spent their working day online at home, or checked emails and carried out duties between flights and meetings.

We’ve already written about the life of digital nomads, but for most people it’s still necessary to commute to an office every day, without the ultimate freedom of home-working. Even for these people, the majority, many companies have realised they need to provide mobile-accessible versions of business tools and systems. There are of course questions about security, information security, and concerns about expecting employees to be ‘on-call’ 24 hours a day – in general though, the ability to quickly check off a few important work emails and tasks whilst at home has become a part of everyday life for many of us.

According to Cisco, corporations are increasingly using mobiles to enable staff to view documents, access employee portals, email, and calendars. Video and photo applications are also gaining momentum, with more than half of organisations (even as far back as 2012) implementing apps that allow employees to watch videos – for example corporate training, or video recordings of meetings and conferences.

The benefits of mobiles taking on key roles at work include increased employee responsiveness and decision-making speed. They are also leading to faster internal issue resolution, but there are also customer-focused benefits such as responding to customer enquiries more quickly, acting on support issues in IT ticketing systems, and in general just being more aware about relevant issues within a company regardless of your physical location.

Ultimately, it’s clear that wireless technologies, apps and smartphones have had an incredible impact on the way we live and work, and that is surely set to continue in even more astonishing and unexpected ways in future.

Mobile app revenues are booming, but for how long?

It’s a shame that more than 90% of apps are languishing in a fairly lonely state, with small numbers of downloads for the vast majority.

However, iOS app revenues topped Hollywood movie revenues in 2014, driving app developers to spend large sums of money to drive app installations. Is this shift in ad spending permanent or just a temporary measure until mobile search and the entire mobile web experience improves?

The app installation economy

It has been estimated recently that the percentage of people who open an app more than once (in any given three month period) ended last year at just 12%. However, other reports seem to indicate that engagement with apps is high when compared with the mobile web. Unfortunately, the number of apps that do enjoy high engagement with users are few and far between – those such as Facebook and Twitter are amongst the lucky few that people tend to use on a daily basis.

MUST READ: Mobile video advertising has a huge future

This chart from Statista.com indicates how frequently different categories of apps are used on mobile devices – social network, unsurprisingly, is one of the most-used categories of mobile apps.

SOURCE: Statista.com.

Many of the other apps we have on our smartphones languish in an underused state, just begging to be used. Google has indicated that 52% of apps on the average smartphone (in the US) have not been used in the last month.

MUST READ: Mercedes and mobile advertising: Constantly in the wrong gear?

Data from BI Intelligence finds that US mobile app-install ad revenue will top $4.6 billion this year and grow to $6.8 billion by the end of 2019, increasing by a compound annual growth rate of 14% from 2014. BI Intelligence states that the app installation revenue makes up 30% of all mobile ad spending, with an average click through rate (CTR) of just under 1% in the first quarter of 2014, in contrast with an average CTR of 0.24% for every Facebook ad type across desktop and mobile. That indicates a business with considerable room for growth, however it’s not exactly the type of growth that has been typical of mobile in the past.

$2.2 billion dollars of growth in app-install ad revenues is a sizeable sum, however 14% compound annual growth is surprisingly low considering the explosion in mobile apps. A large proportion of the growth in mobile apps comes from non-game related apps, but at some point, as the Internet and high-speed networks catch up in terms of the user experience and functionality, we may return to the situation that we face with desktop…

So long, isolated apps

Today, most apps are fairly standalone entities and largely behave as isolated programs.

A former Google employee, Paul Adams (who now works at Intercom), believes that:

The idea of having a screen full of icons, representing independent apps, that need to be opened to experience them, is making less and less sense. The idea that these apps sit in the background, pushing content into a central experience, is making more and more sense. That central experience may be something that looks like a notification centre today, or something similar to Google Now, or something entirely new.

If that notion comes to pass, the app becomes less important. In its place are contextually relevant notifications and messages presented to the user at the right time and place.

Adams says that we’re already seeing this change as increasingly, “notifications are the app” – and they allow users to interact without even needing to open one.

In Apple’s iOS 8, notifications have indeed become much more interactive (and useful – for example, you can reply to messages or interact with emails right from the notification itself.

As the concept develops, notifications may be able to provide a fuller experience with more independent actions – such as commenting on a Facebook post, or re-tweeting a tweet, even things like purchasing music or tickets. In this scenario, the mobile operating systems become more important than ever. Apps start to take a back seat, and the data they use that sits on some remote server becomes even more key to the overall user experience.

One of the predictions for mobile apps is that “Isolated apps are out, ‘micro-moments’ are in”, and that  the market is shifting away from apps, and toward more contextually relevant micro-moments, delivered across families of devices, that are personalized to anticipate unique customer needs. Indeed, Forrester analysts Jeffrey Hammond and Michael Facemire believe that standalone apps will lose their lustre in 2015 (as well as other predictions that will affect mobile development).

For now, the mobile app in its current form seems here to stay at least for a while yet. Revenues are still impressive and developers are spending huge sums on advertising to drive app installs. Unfortunately, many of those apps are rarely opened. It remains to be seen how mobile apps will evolve going forward over the next few years, and how developers can promote and drive their apps to stand out from the pack.

Tidal enters the crowded music streaming scene

Last week, some of the biggest music industry stars came out on stage to announce the launch (though it was actually a relaunch) of Tidal, a new music streaming service that supports a lossless, high quality format aimed at audiophiles. The announcement involved stars such as Madonna, Jay-Z, Kanye West and Jack White, who signed a declaration to ‘take back the music industry’.

Music streaming is starting to become almost as popular as download services, and it’s generally expected that its revenues will surpass the more traditional method of buying digital music in the next few years.

Tidal joins the music streaming scene

The force behind Tidal is none other than rapper Jay-Z, who acquired Aspiro, Tidal’s parent company for a cool $56 million. He says that Tidal will offer artists transparency (something which other services lack, apparently), and subscribers will benefit from exclusive content provided by the co-owners and endorsers.

In terms of pricing, it’s currently being offered for $19.99, which is around twice the cost of its competitors, however a ‘Premium’ subscription which offers all the same features except the lossless streaming (in FLAC format) will also be available for $9.99.

Can Tidal make an impact on the crowded streaming space? As there are already dozens of companies competing for the money of music fans. Aside from Pandora, most of these services have unfortunately failed to separate themselves from the crowd, offering almost the same features and benefits.

The following chart illustrates the state of the US streaming music scene:

Music streaming revenue surpasses CD sales in 2014

The rise of music streaming services is not surprising given the convenience, and relatively inexpensive prices for an all-you-can-eat subscription. And many of those listeners are using smartphones to consume music at home or on the go (Tidal in fact offers both the lossless stream format and a more regular compressed version for mobile users to save data charges).

Last year, a watershed moment occurred for the music industry – for the first time ever, music streaming services actually generated more revenue than CDs in the US. Since the 1990s, CDs have been the most important source of income for the music business, but were dethroned back in 2012, the same year in which digital downloads reached their peak.

According to the Recording Industry Association of America, CD sales amounted to $1.86 billion last year while streaming services such as Spotify, Pandora or iTunes Radio contributed $1.87 billion to the music industry’s total of almost $7 billion. Revenue from permanent downloads amounted to $2.58 billion, continuing the downward trend as consumers turn to streaming services instead. Within three years, the number of paid streaming subscribers more than tripled from 1.8 million to 7.7 million.

The recorded music industry in the U.S. now generates roughly two thirds of its revenue from digital sources, indicating how drastically the music market has changed since the beginning of the 21st century.

Who are the streaming leaders?

As shown in the previous charts, Pandora by far leads in the streaming music space, but outside the US it’s perhaps Spotify that is the best known service.

As of December 2014, Spotify had 15 million paying subscribers worldwide, up from 6 million paying subscribers in the first quarter of 2013.

Spotify allows users to browse through a catalogue of music, licensed through multiple record labels, and create and share playlists with other users. Additionally, users are able to listen to music for free with advertisements or are also given the option to purchase a subscription to allow for unlimited ad-free music streaming.

As of 2013, Spotify had a smaller user base compared to Pandora, accumulating only 24 million users compared to 69.5 million from its competitor. However, Spotify’s popularity continued to grow, particularly in Europe, and is considered one of the most popular services globally, with over 4.5 billion hours of music streamed collectively in 2013.

The generation gap

Despite the popularity of streaming music, both on mobile devices and PCs, there is apparently a huge generation gap in the adoption of streaming services.

According to Edison Research, 77% of respondents polled aged 12-24 and 61% of those aged 25-54 had streamed music within the month preceding the survey, whereas only 26% of those aged 55 and above had done so.

The steep drop-off in usage from the age of 55 can be observed across all of the most popular music services, as the chart below from Statista.com illustrates.

Final Words

Today’s streaming services are undoubtedly making a dent in the revenues of download services. Pandora, iTunes Radio, iHeartRadio and Spotify are the industry leaders today, but it remains to be seen whether upstarts like Tidal can make an impact – perhaps their hand-curated playlists and music recommendations can help them stand apart from the crowd.

In future, Apple’s iTunes service is expected to incorporate elements of Beats Music, the company it purchased last year. So far, there are few details about how Apple may choose to bolster its own music streaming and digital download services, but the company may have an uphill struggle against the industry’s stalwarts that already have millions of subscribers.

Ultimately, it’s clear that music streaming is the future of digital music, and it surely won’t be long before downloads go the way of CDs…

Mobiles are revolutionising the way we travel

In another of our “how mobiles are revolutionising…” series, we briefly consider how smartphones and mobile technology is changing every aspect of travel – for example from booking flights to hailing a cab in a strange city, finding a restaurant to unlocking your hotel room door wirelessly. There’s practically nothing travel-related that hasn’t been touched by the mobile revolution.

It wasn’t so long ago that travelling anywhere meant planning carefully where you were going, booking tickets on the Internet on a PC, and maybe even printing off a few maps or ticket details. Mobile phones certainly could help to look up the odd train time or send a message that you’d be late, but before smartphone apps took off, our day to day travel (and holidays) was largely conducted the same way for years.

But today it’s a completely different situation, and one that is set to change even more in the coming years…

Traveler’s nightmare

Imagine the typical traveler’s nightmare – you have already reached the airport, but you’ve remembered you’ve left your passport at home and you have no boarding pass, the flight is delayed, and you don’t even have enough money to buy a few drinks at the bar to commiserate your poor planning and forgetfulness.

No problem – just whip out your smartphone!

Today, apps such as Passbook are the first step in what will eventually led to a paper and cash-less airport experience. Companies are increasingly jumping on the Passbook train, by offering a seamless booking and ticketing experience – from how we check into airports, to what we buy when in transit – smartphones are making travel easier, faster and safer.

Digital experts even believe that eventually passports will become increasingly redundant, with the digital equivalent eventually becoming the norm.

In the case of Passbook (and the plethora of related apps), travelers can carry all their documents such as boarding passes and hotel bookings on their phones. New devices such as the Apple Watch and Android Gear-based smart watches will also make it even more convenient to check our various bookings and schedules with a glance at the wrist.

Apple isn’t first to promote mobile boarding passes, as they have been around for years with airlines like AirAsia, Cathay and Japan Airlines offering various services since 2007 at least.

Apple isn’t the first to the punch — mobile boarding passes for individual airlines such as AirAsia, Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines have been around since 2007.

Some major airports, such as Changi in Singapore, already have their own dedicated apps that show you airport services and flight information, including flight updates. With the introduction of beacon and location-based tracking technology, there are going to be even more useful apps that point us in the direction of relevant and useful services at airports, train stations, and more.

“Virtual use of boarding passes on mobile phones is supported at any big airport and a growing number of people are using it because it’s extremely convenient,” says Ben Wood, director of research at mobile analyst firm CCS Insight.

Making travel easier, and quicker

There are dozens of apps aiming to make airport travel more convenient, and airport maps a thing of the past. Travelers who want instant, real-time information are an obvious target for apps such as Gate Guru (owned by TripAdvisor), which offers guides to gate locations, security and amenities within the app.

But the next step for airport mapping apps is to use your smartphone’s location to find you the quickest route to the gate.

The Android equivalent of Passbook is calledPassWallet, and in addition to boarding passes, can display movie tickets, loyalty cards and tickets. That means airlines and other vendors can share data on who you are, where you are and perhaps most valuable (for them), what you buy. Merchants are then able to link offers to flights, encouraging people to shop at the airport if they have time to kill.

For example, imagine you have your coffee shop loyalty card at the ready on your phone – a notification could pop up when you’re near the store in the airport, and the app can offer a discount or free latte. All this technology is here and available today, and gradually being introduced to more apps for both iOS and Android.

Digital smartphone passports?

Now that we can check in online and view boarding passes on the phone, get directions to the gate and discounts on airport stores, book a room in Bangkok and arrange an Uber car all from various smartphone apps, perhaps the next step is to do away with the paper passport entirely?

For a passport to be stored on a phone, there are obvious security issues – governments would need to invest in technology and common standards for verifying virtual passports, and travelers will need to feel comfortable using them. It’s never easy to get governments to embrace new technology, rightly so when it comes to securing international borders.

The digital passport is surely going to arrive one day in future, but it may well take a very long time. Until then, we’re pretty close to having a more efficient, seamless and enjoyable journey to the airport and onward travel.

Just make sure you don’t forget your passport…