Bea, Kara

Chua, Beatrice Mae G.

Posadas, Rhealyn

SYANDES K31

Apple’s iBeacon

Source: http://appleinsider.com/articles/13/12/06/apple-begins-using-ibeacons-at-all-its-254-us-retail-stores

iBeacon is a new technology that lets businesses set up transmitters that allows nearby

smartphones to detect their presence via Bluetooth. Through this technology, shops nearby could send

notifications to the customers’ phones regarding special discounts and offers, more information about the

product or service, or anything the shop decides.

To use iBeacon, here are the system requirements. Apple devices must have at least an iOS7 as its

operating system. Other compatible iOS devices include iPhone 4s or later, iPad 3rd generation or later,

iPad mini or later and iTouch 5th generation or later. Focusing more on the technical side, the iBeacon

emits a low energy Bluetooth signal, which can detect and be detected by the Bluetooth of any nearby

iPhone when it’s turned on. Once the signal is detected, the notification is sent to the iPhone device. In

application, an Apple store for example has a discount on the iPad Air, so it places an iBeacon near the

area programmed to notify the said offer. A customer enters the store with their iPhone’s Bluetooth on

and begins to roam around. When they’re close enough to the section with the iPad Airs, they will receive

a notification about the store’s discount of the product, all through the Bluetooth signal of the iBeacon.

Source: http://gvlt.wordpress.com/2013/10/03/apple-ibeacon/

The iBeacon is a brand new innovation in terms of marketing and advertising, as it provides a

new avenue by which shops and companies can disseminate information about their products and

services. It also provides convenience to customers who can learn about offers and discounts on their own

accord (i.e. without a salesperson having to approach them or having to ask one of them). However,

iBeacon also has its disadvantages. It requires people to have the Bluetooth of their smartphones turned

on thus draining the battery of the smartphone. Another disadvantage is the possible invasion of customer

privacy. While the iBeacon will only send notifications if one has their device’s Bluetooth on, it opens the

capability of technology to detect or find someone who is “attached” to their devices.

Of course we won’t leave Android users behind for we have searched its nearest counterpart in

the Android industry! Just like iBeacon, Near Field Communication (NFC) is another wireless

communication technology that initiates exchange of small amounts of data between devices. However,

the two differs on range; iBeacon can cover up to 50m range while NFC can only work for devices of

20cm proximity only. On another perspective, iBeacon is more flexible for any smartphone users because

more devices have bluetooth compared to those devices that have NFC chips. With this, we can say that

iBeacon is cost effective because it can cover a large distance for a cheaper price compared to its

competitors.

Above are just some of our insights of the new Apple innovation. In the end, it is still up to you

whether you consider iBeacon for your personal or business use!