Apple's iBeacon, a locations-based technology, could revolutionize the way you shop in the not-so-distant future.
iBeacon will enable retail stores to install transmitters, which will connect wireless to an iPhone and then notify the phone its location with regard to the items on the shelves.
The iBeacon technology will enable the iPhone to effortlessly connect with physical sensors or beacons that have been placed in stores using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology. Retailers will be able to use BLE to establish a shoppers' precise location, as well as what product they are checking out and he/she is in which department.
Per 9to5Mac's "multiple sources," Apple is looking to enable the technology soon in its retail stores.
"Apple is said to have begun stocking up on iBeacon transmitters, and the company, in the next few days, will begin installing these sensors in many Apple Stores across the United States. These transmitters will be placed on the tables that house Apple products in addition to store shelves holding accessories. The technology will serve as a way to both improve the Apple shopping experience, and in-turn, boost product sales," the tech blog said.
According to the site's sources, the technology will be used alongside the impending update to the Apple Store app for iPhones. Thanks to the iBeacon service, customers will be able to go up to a product and receive alerts on their iPhone, pertaining to pricing and features.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has published four trademark filings of the company for iBeacon. Apple defines iBeacon "a new class of low-powered, low-cost transmitters that can notify nearby iOS 7 devices of their presence, (which) provides apps a whole new level of location awareness, such as trail markers in a park, exhibits in a museum, or product displays in stores."
Micro-location sensor technology is being touted as the future of retail. Technologist Steve Cheney opines that Apple's "push into iBeacon" may enable it to "run away in this market while still standardizing on a completely open platform and developer environment."
