Microsoft taps into Apple's Passbook, adds support in Windows Phone 8.1 [u]
With Apple's Passbook quickly becoming the de facto way for developers to create digital tickets, store cards and passes, Microsoft capitalized on ways to strip the data from .pkpass files and recompile them on handsets running Windows Phone 8.1.
Microsoft's native support for Passbook files in the latest Windows Phone release was detailed on Monday by iMore, which showed off how Passbook files can be viewed in Microsoft Wallet with the new 8.1 software update.
The approach is noteworthy because Passbook was developed as an Apple-only platform for iPhone, allowing users to have access to digital wallet items in a convenient fashion. Passbook is not open source or an industry standard, meaning up until now it has not been officially available on other platforms.
But Microsoft's support for Passbook is actually baked in to Windows Phone 8.1, meaning any user running the latest version of the company's mobile operating system can access Passbook passes on their device without the need for additional software or hacks. This is possible because Passbook is based on simple, open structures that allow third-party developers to access some --?but not all --?of the data included in a .pkpass file.
It's possible that Apple could take steps to block Microsoft from reading Passbook files on Windows Phone. Years ago, Apple had an ongoing dispute with Palm, as the rival handset maker would trick Apple's iTunes into thinking a Palm device was an iPod, allowing users to sync music with their handset. In a back-and-forth battle, Palm continued to find new exploits, while Apple continued to patch them.
Windows Phone 8.1 was unveiled by Microsoft earlier this month, with the defining feature being a Siri-like voice-driven personal assistant dubbed "Cortana." At the time, Microsoft made no mention of its built-in support for Passbook files, making it something of a stealth feature added in by the Redmond, Wash., software giant.
Microsoft's native support for Passbook files in the latest Windows Phone release was detailed on Monday by iMore, which showed off how Passbook files can be viewed in Microsoft Wallet with the new 8.1 software update.
The approach is noteworthy because Passbook was developed as an Apple-only platform for iPhone, allowing users to have access to digital wallet items in a convenient fashion. Passbook is not open source or an industry standard, meaning up until now it has not been officially available on other platforms.
But Microsoft's support for Passbook is actually baked in to Windows Phone 8.1, meaning any user running the latest version of the company's mobile operating system can access Passbook passes on their device without the need for additional software or hacks. This is possible because Passbook is based on simple, open structures that allow third-party developers to access some --?but not all --?of the data included in a .pkpass file.
It's possible that Apple could take steps to block Microsoft from reading Passbook files on Windows Phone. Years ago, Apple had an ongoing dispute with Palm, as the rival handset maker would trick Apple's iTunes into thinking a Palm device was an iPod, allowing users to sync music with their handset. In a back-and-forth battle, Palm continued to find new exploits, while Apple continued to patch them.
Windows Phone 8.1 was unveiled by Microsoft earlier this month, with the defining feature being a Siri-like voice-driven personal assistant dubbed "Cortana." At the time, Microsoft made no mention of its built-in support for Passbook files, making it something of a stealth feature added in by the Redmond, Wash., software giant.
Comments
Apple got it right and we want more support for this in world. Microsoft should pay Apple a license to allow Passbook on Windows Phone. The eight people that use it would appreciate it.
Does Apple receive any profits or benefits from this?
Apple should probably block Microsoft from using it, just like they blocked Palm some years ago, like it states in the article.
Apple probably wants it to remain an Apple exclusive only, so nobody else should be allowed to use Passbook. I don't really care about users of other platforms. Let them come up with their own inferior way of doing things.
it's as legal as you created SlurpyPass which was a ZIP file with a JSON file, image assets, and signature inside*, The clever part of all these freely available technologies is how Apple packaged it to make a useful solution. Like iBeacons, which are just BT devices, there is nothing keeping others from creating their own tools for reading this data.
* As I learned recently from MR. I had thought it was HTML, CSS, and JS.
MacRumors say it positive - like NO REVERSE ENGINEERING. But IT WAS ACCEPTED BY BOTH PARTIES.
http://www.macrumors.com/2014/04/14/windows-phone-8-1-passbook-passes/
Only Apple owns PassBook and can use PassBook since it's only on iOS 7-based devices. However, the pass information can be read by anyone that creates a reader for the open code within the open compressed file.
Unless Apple wants to create some locking mechanism to the compressed file (which I doubt otherwise they would have included this option from the start) that would have you input some sort of passcode locally but one that you would have had to set up on the website or app that is generating your passes.
Is this..legal? I'm assuming they have Apple's permission to do this?
Pretty sure it's legal. No permission required to read the files.
Years ago, Apple had an ongoing dispute with Palm, as the rival handset maker would trick Apple's iTunes into thinking a Palm device was an iPod, allowing users to sync music with their handset. In a back-and-forth battle, Palm continued to find new exploits, while Apple continued to patch them.
Lol.... thats awesome. Never knew this happened.
Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1: now with Apple passbook support.
And iMessage & Facetime. Facetime now has Skype Support.
Those would make me happy- only because they would make Android sad.
I agree with this. And really, is this Microsoft who was famous for NIH (not invented here) syndrome, adopting an Apple format this early in the game? I'm shocked!
It's not really adopting anything. It's just making a viewer for PassBook passes in the same way that OS X can view PDF, DOC, RTF, XLS and other file types. In no way is WinPh8 having to trick anything made by Apple into thinking that it's an Apple product, like with Palm's attempt to making it think their devices were iPods.
This all seems insecure, shouldn't the Passbook 'payload' be encrypted?! I would have to look at the technical specifics to learn more, anyone have a good overview link handy?
Microsoft and Apple have long had extensive cross-licensing agreements, including in the mobile device arena. Thus there's far more reason to believe this development was a result of a collaborative effort rather than reverse engineering.
Actually, Apple made just one little change: iTunes now asks the device via a low-level USB query, "what company made you?" If the device replies with anything but "Apple", then iTunes aborts the sync. After Apple did that, Palm issued an update that made the Pre reply "I'm from Apple," then Palm and Apple each complained to the USB standards body that the other company should be made to stop doing what it was doing. The body ruled for Apple, and that was the end of all third-party attempts to sync with iTunes.
However, Apple did have a long, crack-and-patch battle with Real over their "Harmony" bypass of FairPlay %u2014 which eventually turned into a long lawsuit.
Years ago, Apple had an ongoing dispute with Palm, as the rival handset maker would trick Apple's iTunes into thinking a Palm device was an iPod, allowing users to sync music with their handset. In a back-and-forth battle, Palm continued to find new exploits, while Apple continued to patch them.
Lol.... thats awesome. Never knew this happened.
What was great about that one is that the USB forum put the smack down on palm for spoofing USB IDs which was in direct conflict with the standard.This all seems insecure, shouldn't the Passbook 'payload' be encrypted?! I would have to look at the technical specifics to learn more, anyone have a good overview link handy?
I guess that depends. Take airline tickets. They wouldn't need to put anything in the passbook files that isn't already in the emails you would normally get. Gift cards and things that it would matter usually come via a secured connection to an application. The data shouldn't need to be secured in the format handed by the app to passbook if it was secure getting to the app and secure in the passbook storage. Encrypting them would actually be a challenge given the various sources of the content. Signatures and validating the source would be a much better thing so you don't get spoofed content coming into your wallet/passbook.