Over the last several years, Apple has been widely rumored to be taking a leap into mobile commerce — and now Cupertino may be offering a glimpse into that future with the debut of iTunes Pass.
9to5Mac reported Tuesday that Apple has launched a new way to purchase iTunes Store credit at retail stores, using the Passbook app built into every iPhone and iPod touch.
Dubbed "iTunes Pass," the new initiative launched today, but before you go rushing to the nearest Apple Store to load up, the service is currently only live in Japan. It's unclear if the offering is just a regional test or something Apple plans to roll out to its more than 400 retail stores outside of Japan, however.
"Using iTunes Pass, you can now deposit directly to your App Store or iTunes Store account," a rough English translation from the Japanese website explains. "When you open iTunes Pass from Passbook, [Apple Store] specialists will scan it, and accept payment. Balance is updated on the fly, available immediately."
iTunes Pass skips the physical gift card altogether, although having to go to an Apple Retail Store seems like a dubious convenience compared to entering electronic gift card codes or using an iOS device camera to scan the number from a physical card.
Still, iTunes Pass could be the first step toward a full-fledge mobile payment initiative from Apple, which appears likely to be integrated with Touch ID and Passbook.
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(Image courtesy of 9to5Mac)