Apple customers in the United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom and a whole host of other European countries are now able to utilize a handy new feature to add monetary credit to their iTunes accounts. After silently rolling the iTunes Pass feature out in Japan, Apple has continued on the path of giving by making the feature available to those in the US and Canada, with a number of additional countries also confirmed to be in on the action, including Germany. The feature allows consumers to adds funds to an iTunes account using Passbook, rather than having to purchase an iTunes Gift Card to redeem.

The developer preview Of Windows Phone 8.1 is now out there for all to try out and assess, and even though the Cortana voice assistant seems to be the main talking point, Microsoft has thrown in many more useful features besides. Along with the Action Center, wallpaper support and other such niceties, it looks as though the software giant has included support for Apple’s Passbook passes, which can be read and comprehended via Microsoft Wallet.

We all know Apple has a diverse range of fantastic hardware and software based products that seem to resonate with consumers all over the world. Sometimes though, those products just aren’t enough and the financial success of a company invariably comes down to converting that consumer interest into sales that puts cash in the Cupertino bank. Apple’s financial records indicate that extracting dollars from users isn’t the most difficult thing they have to do, but in an attempt to make that purchasing process more widespread and efficient, they have extended the Apple Store Passbook support beyond the shores of the United States.

Subway is one of the most popular fast food franchises in the world, and like all major chains, it has its very own loyalty system, the SUBCARD, for those who like an Italian BMT or a Meatball Marinara on a regular basis. Those more digitally aware will have long since ditched the plastic Subcard for the official app, which offers a QR code ready to scan at the tap of a home screen icon, and today, the UK version of the app on iOS has been updated to bring integration with Apple’s fledgling Passbook app. More details and download link can be found right after the jump.

The much anticipated update to the official Apple Store app for iOS is out! The new version 2.4 lets you buy gift cards directly from the app which you can then send to your family and friends. These gift cards are said to be compatible with Passbook feature in iOS 6, in U.S. only for now.

After putting together, filing and submitting their original request for a Passbook related trademark back in June of this year, Apple has finally been successful in securing the trademark through the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Apple will be more than familiar with the process of securing a patent/trademark and will have been aware of the potential length of time it could take, but the official granting of the Passbook trademark gives the company protection against any competitor that attempts to mimic Passbook as well as the ability to invoke litigation against them.

The new and extremely useful Passbook app has now been an official part of iOS for nearly a month, and although a number of high profile companies are starting to create their own virtual coupons and cards to be used within the app, it could really do with some high profile support to give it the boost that it deserves. It looks as if that boost could arrive quite soon, with the news that Apple themselves are extending their in-store payment capabilities to support their own Passbook creation for iOS 6 users.

When a major upgrade of a huge, complex piece of software like iOS is released to be downloaded and used by millions of users, bugs are definitely going to be discovered that weren’t visible when beta testing. It’s essentially inevitable. iOS 5 had a very noticeable battery drain bug that was fixed with iOS 5.0.1, and now iOS 6 – besides having a less than stellar Maps app – has issues with the App Store and Passbook app. Thankfully, there’s a temporary fix for it. Check it out after the jump.

iOS 6 has only just made it way onto iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices worldwide, and despite Apple bragging of some 200 new changes, it’s fair to day many are struggling to find many of real significance moving forward. Although the Maps app may have come as a disappointment, there’s quite a bit of anticipation encircling Passbook – Apple’s very own answer to NFC – and although there aren’t too many establishments supporting the Cupertino’s flagship iOS 6 feature, more and more apps are being added to the App Store at an hourly rate.

Apple showcased many new and intriguing features with the grand unveiling of iOS 6, the sixth edition of the company’s famed mobile operating system, and one of the ones we’re looking forward to the most is the Passbook feature. Apple et al have done a stellar job in reducing general pocket fodder over the years, and Passbook will only aid the progression further by allowing vouchers, boarding passes, loyalty cards, coupons and the like to be stored away digitally, and utilized with minimal fuss.

When Tim Cook and his cohorts took to the stage to introduce us to the next-generation of iOS, we were pretty much expecting most of the announcements which were rumored beforehand. However, as the demonstration of iOS 6 continued, there was a couple of little additions that took us by surprise and had managed to slip through the rumor net which led up to the event. One of those surprises came in the form of Passbook, a new iOS stock app which offers a new and efficient way for users to store tickets, coupons, gift cards and vouchers in one central place for easy access later on.

When Apple CEO Tim Cook stepped onto the stage at this year’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco, we already had a pretty good idea of what he and his merry men were planning on announcing. The run up to WWDC was filled with the usual speculation and Internet chit chat, with the world wide web correctly predicting that OS X Mountain Lion and iOS 6 would feature heavily on the agenda.