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". A recent study released by mobile marketing company Swirl and independent marketing research firm ResearchNow that surveyed over 1000 consumers, 77 percent of respondents said they'd be fine with sharing location data in exchange for something valuable like a mobile coupon or digital offer. Swirl also found that 65 percent of consumers indicated they trust retail brands over general shopping apps and social platforms such as Google or Facebook when it comes to location data.

1. iBeacon
Geosocial networking, proximity/mobile marketing
Photo by: Alberto Araque (Flickr)

2. What is iBeacon?
iBeacon is a new technology that extends Location
Services in iOS7. Your iOS device can alert apps when
you approach or leave a location with an iBeacon.
Photo by: Jonathan Nalder (Flickr)

3. Uses new version of Bluetooth technology
known as Bluetooth Low Energy (LE)
The geeky stuff
Photo by: Doug Thompson (Slideshare)

4. Bluetooth low energy wireless technology consumes only a fraction of
the power of Classic Bluetooth radios. Bluetooth low energy
technology extends to devices that are powered by small, coin-cell
batteries such as watches and toys.
Bluetooth LE
Photo by: Doug Thompson (Slideshare)

5. Requirements
1. User needs app
2. User needs app open
3. User needs BLE compatible device
4. User needs to have Bluetooth on
5. User must approve vendors to “push” data
Photo by: Jonathan Nalder (Flickr)

6. Compatible Devices
Hardware:
• iPhone 4s or later
• iPad (3rd generation) or
later
• iPad mini or later
• iPod touch (5th
generation) or later
Software: iOS 7
Photos by: Kārlis Dambrāns and Mahesh Mohan (Flickr)

7. “Beacons” aren’t
exclusive to iOS
Other tech
manufacturers have
already begun to create
products/systems similar
to Apple’s iBeacon
Photo by: Jonathan Nalder (Flickr)

8. Proximity Marketing
Photo from estimote.com

9. Geosocial Networking is a type of social networking in which
geographic services and capabilities such as geocoding and
geotagging are used to enable additional social dynamics.
Photo by: JESS3 (Flickr)

10. Competition
Although the iBeacon is Apple’s technology, the
infrastructure can be replicated by other
manufacturers, such as the following:
Photo by: Jonathan Nalder (Flickr)

11. Photos by: Tom Purves (Flickr), Google Images (free
to use, share, modify), and bgr.com

12. Photos from: datzing.com, and theverge.com

13. Photos from gimbal.com and
Jonathan Nalder (Flickr)

14. Apple’s Competitive
Advantage
Can leverage over half a billion iTunes users’
information to cater iBeacon data
Photo by: Justin Chiaratti (Flickr)

15. Early adopters
Photos by: Kārlis Dambrāns (Flickr); Articles from: zdnet.com, appleinsider.com, and engadget.com

16. Physical to Digital
• Increase traffic and same-store sales
• Leverage brick and mortar store visibility online
• Extremely precise in-door location services
Photo by: Jonathan Nalder (Flickr)

17. There is NO OFFLINE!
The physical world is the new digital channel
Photo by: zoetnet (Flickr)

18. Consumer’s
Perspective
Articles from: appdevelopermagazine.com, zdnet.com,
recode.net, adweek.com, emarketer.com

19. Companies and manufacturers
need to think big, think beyond
transactions, and remember…
Photo from Google Images
(free to use, share, modify),

20. It’s not a chip. It’s not a technology.
It’s a new way to experience the world
Photo by: Pedro Szekely (Flickr)

21. Articles:!
1. http://appleinsider.com/articles/14/04/28/new-york-city-bars-to-use-apples-ibeacons-for-app-driven-pub-crawl-
promotion !
2. http://bitcoinmagazine.com/13129/future-touchless-payments-ibeacon-technology-needs-bitcoin/!
3. http://innovationinsights.wired.com/insights/2014/05/retails-next-big-bet-ibeacon-promise-geolocation-
technologies/!
4. http://www.zdnet.com/uk/virgin-atlantic-tests-apples-ibeacon-at-heathrow-7000028987/!
5. http://www.ibtimes.com/apple-iphone-6-rumor-nfc-complement-ibeacon-wireless-technology-flagship-
smartphone-1583003!
6. http://www.zdnet.com/apple-ibeacons-with-great-power-comes-great-potential-to-annoy-7000027392/!
7. http://support.apple.com/kb/HT6048!
8. http://appdevelopermagazine.com/1458/2014/5/19/71%25-of-App-Users-Don%25E2%2580%2599t-Want-to-be-
Tracked-by-iBeacon-or-Receive-In-Store-Push-Modifications--/!
9. http://recode.net/2014/02/18/ibeacon-sets-consumers-phones-to-stun/!
10. http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/consumer-study-suggests-apples-ibeacon-could-work-
retailers-154503!
11. http://www.emarketer.com/Article/How-iBeacon-Similar-Technology-Will-Change-Retail/1010751!
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All images were sourced from either Flickr or
Google Images, and are all under CC license. I did
not create any of the images found in this deck.
Photo by: Jeremy Piehler (Flickr)