iBeacon: Watch out, the invaders are coming from Cupertino

Beacons used to sit on hilltops. They were lit to warn of impending disaster such as, in Elizabethan times, the landing of a Spanish invasion fleet. Now we will soon become accustomed to the twitter of the iBeacon as it determines we are standing in front of the special-offer bottle of wine in the supermarket. Apple’s inexpensive location checker is poised to revolutionise our shopping habits; indeed, it will revolutionise most of our habits. What is iBeacon? asks Alex Hearn, writing for The Guardian:

Sometimes the biggest changes in technology have the smallest beginnings. In the summer of 2013, Apple announced iBeacon, a nerdy-sounding feature of its new operating system that would “provide apps a whole new level of location awareness”.

It’s taken a few months to appear in the real world, but from CES to grocery stores – and, of course, Apple’s shops themselves – iBeacon now seems to be popping up everywhere.

Soon, iBeacon will be bringing the Internet of Things to your local high street and things will never be the same again.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here