Apple released Passbook in iOS 6 update, and it’s one of the features that impress me much in iOS 6. Passbook allow users to collect all coupons, cinema tickets, boarding pass in their iPhone.
With Passbook, there is no need anymore to download and register any other third-party ticket-collecting apps. I think it would be extremely convenient for general public in the coming future. However, such trend shows less sign in Taiwan market.
Recently in Taiwan, smartphone user population is seeing obvious growth among total cell phone population. Nevertheless, the way users in Taiwan using smartphone is much different to place where iPhone was invented, says USA.
For example, in Taiwan, seldom do general public purchase legitimate digital music. People here are already used to buying things on internet, but much more on traditional website rather than on mobile web or within smartphone apps. Since iOS 6 was released in June 2012 for developers only, and in September 2012 for all iOS devices users, I have seen only two taiwanese companies who had started developing services regarding to Passbook.
Besides digital purchasing digital music, goods, and e-books on mobile devices, many O2O services which are already popular in USA or western countries are still unfamiliar to Taiwanese consumers. This phenomenon from time to time frustrates startups and developers on this island.