Passbook, scheduled for release sometime in September or October of 2012, will become a native app for iOS6 devices. In essence, it is a digital wallet which stores all your coupons, tickets, and cards into one easy to navigate application. Apple is not equipped with NFC technology just yet, so Passbook uses 2D barcodes, like QR codes, to encode relevant information for each Passbook pass. Similar to devices with NFC technology, Passbook allows for mobile marketing, coupon distributions, event ticketing, and mobile payments, but solely relies on 2D barcodes.
QR codes essentially provide most if not all of what NFC provides. The use of QR codes can challenge NFC outlets as it costs much less to set up and does not have technological complexities tied into it. The one downside to QR codes is that its security levels aren't up to the standards that NFC provides, but this is a minute handicap. Even so, QR codes don't require heavy investment in infrastructure because many point of sale scanners or smartphone camera applications can easily scan QR codes. This works well for businesses who already have 2D enabled scanners at their point-of-sale so they wouldn't need additional equipment.
In terms of consumer adoption, NFC isn't quite there yet compared to QR codes' popularity and use. NFC's contact-less hardware is very high tech, but in achieving so would require purchasing expensive hardware to use at an outlet. More consumers are aware of QR codes relative to NFC, as QR codes appear almost everywhere from magazines to billboards. And the fact that consumers don't need to purchase additional equipment to scan QR codes makes it a more affordable and accessible tool.
Though the number of NFC users continues to grow, it's still insubstantial. Adopting NFC technology and integrating it into smartphones may be popular in the future, but will take time. Passbook is a way to rival mobile payment devices that are already using NFC technology, and Passbook passes are capable of carrying out similar transactions without NFC. Eventually, Apple could adopt NFC so that credit card transactions are possible, but in the meantime it will stick with inexpensive 2D barcodes.
To create your own 2D barcode, either in QR code, Aztec, or PDF417 format, check out this Passbook Barcode Generator.
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