All Apple Stores Now Support iBeacon

Using their new iBeacon trackers Apple is watching shoppers in their stores. Now, all 254 of the U.S. Apple stores have implemented the new technology.

If you have ever watched Minority Report then you have an idea of what iBeacon could do. It tracks your location in the store and feeds information into your mobile device, based upon what you are near.

Apple claims that no personal information is stored. Per the Apple spokesperson, the information transfer is one-way, from the hardware to your device. The hardware emits a signal which your personal device recognizes, but nothing is sent back to your device.

If you recently downloaded the iOS7 update, then you are one of the lucky recipients of the iBeacon program. This is part of Apple’s new marketing scheme which is known as location-based marketing. In order for this to program to work, the Bluetooth must be enabled and the user must give permission to the application. Once the application is activated the user will receive start receiving information as they walk through the Apple store.

Some of the ideas behind the program are actually quite nice, because they will provide you with information on a product you are looking at without you having to go hunt down a salesperson. If you are looking at iPhones then your existing system might send you a notification that you are eligible for an upgrade.

Apple is still exploring ways that they can use the iBeacon to improve customers shopping experiences. Apple is hoping that the iBeacon will usher in a whole new wave of applications that can be used for everything from museum exhibit tours to virtual trail markers in parks.

Image and video captured from Minority Report

Originally posted 2013-12-10 13:23:25.