Apple’s iBeacon transforms your in-store retail experience using context awareness

Apple has taken a giant step forward towards context awareness and ‘internet of things’ by unveiling the iBeacon. It enables indoor mapping and location based push-notification conversation among gadgets and offers tremendous possibilities to retailers, advertisers and in creating a more personalized experience for users themselves. Although Apple did introduce it along with the iOS7 at WWDC earlier , It is only now when Apple has deployed 250 iBeacons across Apple stores in US, that its real potential for both the user and enterprises has dawned upon people.

What is iBeacon and how it works :

iBeacon is an extension of location services in user’s iOS device that will optimize on location awareness and contextual awareness by utilising the latest version of Bluetooth ver 4.0. Simply put, iBeacon is an indoor positioning system that works on Bluetooth low energy (BLE) and uses Bluetooth feature as Proximity sensing to transmit a universally unique identifier (UUI) to notify nearby iOS7 devices of their presence.

Using Bluetooth low energy signal, which the earmarked iOS devices detect, They alert apps when you approach or leave a location with an iBeacon. Additionally, An iBecon powered app can also estimate your proximity to iBeacon. According to wiki, “The iBeacon technology enables an iOS device or other hardware to send push notification to iOS devices within close proximity to utilize.” According to Gigaom, “ iBecaon opens door to a new set of applications such as indoor maps and in store marketing, It makes the internet of things a reality and it might kill near field communication (NFC), The wireless technology most linked with mobile payments”.

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology is the core feature of Bluetooth 4.0, Not only does it communicate at as low as one tenth of peak power of classic bluetooth, It is designed to be used in devices powered by small coin-cell batteries. Moreover a new profile in Bluetooth 4.0, Proximity and Find me, makes it possible for devices to communicate with each other and perform functions automatically. Beacons are small wireless sensors placed inside any physical space that transmit data to your iOS device. Apart from iOS devices, Third party Bluetooth LE emitters like android devices with 4.3 and above using their BLuetooth LE , once configured can become iBecon devices. these provide accuracy and range awareness, Moreover one beacon ID can cover multiple locations. This when picked up by a compatible app or operating system can be turned into a physical location or trigger a specific action on the device.According to a recent report from IMS research by 2015 , ‘Bluetooth version 4.0 with low energy feature will account for almost half of the ICs shipped worldwide for health and fitness applications, with Shipments ( both dual mode and single mode) estimated to have exceeded 100 million units’ .

Opportunities

A competitor to the existing NFC technology, iBeacon promises tremendous potential across sectors like retail and advertising. Not only is it more powerful and conducive than NFC but unlike the touch enabled NFC devices, iBeacon can simply work across the room as they have a greater range, BLE-50m compared to NFC < 0.2m and a frequency of BLE- 2.4-2.5 GHz vis-a-vis NFC- 13.56 MHz.

Thus, With iBeacon, Apple might just strike the right chord with enterprises in Advertising and retail for indoor mapping and offering contextual information based on immediate surrounding. For instance, With iPad widely used across the retail stores environment, iBeacon promises huge opportunity for enterprises especially retail as it delivers accurate in-store location data, monitors consumer behaviour and enables brands, Retailers and venues to engage customers with personalized content and offer product special on their mobile to deliver experiences to the customer and drive sales.

NFC has never really garnered mass appeal and reliability with its tap and wait approach, whereas GPS is not fairly accurate within indoor mapping, While iBeacon using Bluetooth BLE allows for a greater range, doesn;t require handshaking with any other tech device and also performs as a great detailed proximity location tool. this also paves the way for introducing next generation payment platforms in retail across world

Recently by rolling out iBeacon transmitters some of which were simply iPhones and iPads in its retail stores across its stores in America to help customers navigate Apple stores, It has given a sneak peak of the internet of things to come. It is also a step towards hyperlocal advertising and delivers a more customized personalised experience.

Apart from the various enterprises who are keen to deploy iBecoan technology to deliver a more customized experience, Among the first ones to adopt the iBeacon technology are the Major League Basketball. MLB( Major League Baseball) used iBeacon in its interactive app to create an interactive experience for audience in the stadium.

Among competitors to iBeacons there is the Qualcomm Gimbal proximity beacons with Gimbal 10 and Gimbal 20 both using Bluetooth low-energy smart technology to enable detailed o marketing. Apple is gradually building a strong base for contextual awareness,It comes across as no surprise if the recent acquisition of the Topsy- The Twitter analytical and trends company that brings with it the huge location data through Twitter and Locationary- the crowd sourced data mapping startup that provide consistent and accurate data about local business and points of interest together with iBeacon is Apple’s vision to deliver a high quality context aware experience to its users.

Going further, Apple has recently also filed patent for vehicle accessory control via Geofencing. Like Apple’s iBeacon which are designed to transmit specific indoor location information to mobile devices, Similarly the vehicle accessory system too will send signal over Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to activate various functions within a car. The cupertino giant is surely set to take a leap ahead of others in context awareness and contextual search''