Apple to Announce More Plans for iBeacon Technology at WWDC 2014

Apple will unveil more plans for its iBeacon technology at the start of this week's WWDC 2014, reports The Wall Street Journal. In addition to new details about the technology, the company will promote iBeacon by placing transmitters throughout the Moscone Center while offering sessions for developers on how to better implement the technology into their apps and services.

estimote_ibeacon


It is not known what exactly Apple has in store for the technology, but it is possible that the company could announce a more prominent role for iBeacons in iOS 8, new partnerships with companies, and more. iBeacons could also see integration in Apple's highly rumored mobile payment service.

First introduced during last year's WWDC, iBeacons enable iOS devices to wirelessly communicate with physical beacons through Bluetooth, as the transmitters are able to deliver relevant information to apps and services when a user is physically nearby. Apple implemented a new iBeacon "Made for iPhone" specification in February, signaling a more significant role for the technology in its devices.

iBeacon technology has also been used by a number of companies in a variety of ways since the end of last year. Shopping app Shopkick and Macy's partnered to integrate the technology into stores to assist consumers, while Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association have used the technology to provide enhanced live experiences.

Apple has also implemented iBeacons into its own retail locations to deliver messages about picking up online orders and store events, although early experiences with the technology were mixed. The technology has also been featured in the UK, where a cafe and London's Heathrow Airport have integration iBeacons to notify users of promotional deals.

In addition to new details about iBeacon at WWDC 2014, Apple is also expect to unveil iOS 8, OS X 10.10, a new home automation platform, and perhaps some new hardware.

Apple will be live streaming the event both on its website and on the Apple TV. MacRumors will also be providing a live blog, live tweets via the MacRumorsLive Twitter account, and a spoiler free page for those who want to watch the full keynote at a later time.

Related Roundup: WWDC 2025

Popular Stories

Apple iPhone 16e Feature

Apple Announces iPhone 16e With A18 Chip and Apple Intelligence, Pricing Starts at $599

Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:02 am PST by
Apple today introduced the iPhone 16e, its newest entry-level smartphone. The device succeeds the third-generation iPhone SE, which has now been discontinued. The iPhone 16e features a larger 6.1-inch OLED display, up from a 4.7-inch LCD on the iPhone SE. The display has a notch for Face ID, and this means that Apple no longer sells any iPhones with a Touch ID fingerprint button, marking the ...
iphone 17 pro asherdipps

iPhone 17 Pro Models Rumored to Feature Aluminum Frame Instead of Titanium Frame

Tuesday February 18, 2025 12:02 pm PST by
Over the years, Apple has switched from an aluminum frame to a stainless steel frame to a titanium frame for its highest-end iPhones. And now, it has been rumored that Apple will go back to using aluminum for three out of four iPhone 17 models. In an investor note with research firm GF Securities, obtained by MacRumors this week, Apple supply chain analyst Jeff Pu said the iPhone 17, iPhone...
apple launch feb 2025 alt

Here Are the New Apple Products We're Still Expecting This Spring

Thursday February 20, 2025 5:06 am PST by
Now that Apple has announced its new more affordable iPhone 16e, our thoughts turn to what else we are expecting from the company this spring. There are three product categories that we are definitely expecting to get upgraded before spring has ended. Keep reading to learn what they are. If we're lucky, Apple might make a surprise announcement about a completely new product category. M4...
Generic iOS 18

Here's When Apple Will Release iOS 18.4

Wednesday February 19, 2025 11:38 am PST by
Following the launch of the iPhone 16e, Apple updated its iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS Sequoia pages to give a narrower timeline on when the next updates are set to launch. All three pages now state that new Apple Intelligence features and languages will launch in early April, an update from the more broader April timeframe that Apple provided before. The next major point updates will be iOS ...
apple launch feb 2025

Tim Cook Teases an 'Apple Launch' Next Wednesday

Thursday February 13, 2025 8:07 am PST by
In a social media post today, Apple CEO Tim Cook teased an upcoming "launch" of some kind scheduled for Wednesday, February 19. "Get ready to meet the newest member of the family," he said, with an #AppleLaunch hashtag. The post includes a short video with an animated Apple logo inside a circle. Cook did not provide an exact time for the launch, or share any other specific details, so...
apple c1

Apple Unveils 'C1' as First Custom Cellular Modem

Wednesday February 19, 2025 8:08 am PST by
Apple today announced its first custom cellular modem with the name "C1," debuting in the all-new iPhone 16e. The new modem contributes to the iPhone 16e's power efficiency, giving it the longest battery life of any iPhone with a 6.1-inch display, such as the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16. Expanding the benefits of Apple silicon, C1 is the first modem designed by Apple and the most...
Apple Northbrook

Apple Store Permanently Closing at Struggling Mall in Chicago Area

Tuesday February 18, 2025 8:46 pm PST by
Apple is permanently closing its retail store at the Northbrook Court shopping mall in the Chicago area. The company confirmed the upcoming closure today in a statement, but it has yet to provide a closing date for the location. Apple Northbrook opened in 2005, and the store moved to a larger space in the mall in 2017. Apple confirmed that affected employees will continue to work for the...

Top Rated Comments

needfx Avatar
140 months ago
I'd rather iBacon
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
boshii Avatar
140 months ago
My productivity will come to a screeching halt tomorrow at 1 EST. :D
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
chriscrk Avatar
140 months ago
This is one of those technologies that few people talk or know about, but that'll likely change things in a big way.

It's exciting :)
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Autrement Avatar
140 months ago
[url=https://cdn.macrumors.com/im/macrumorsthreadlogodarkd.png]Image (https://www.macrumors.com/2014/06/01/new-plans-ibeacon-wwdc-2014/)[/url]

Shopping app Shopkick and Macy's partnered (https://www.macrumors.com/2013/11/20/shopkick-and-macys-team-up-for-first-retail-based-ibeacons/) to integrate the technology into stores to assist consumers, while Major League Baseball (https://www.macrumors.com/2014/01/30/mlb-ibeacon-rollout/) and the National Basketball Association (https://www.macrumors.com/2014/03/21/placed-personal-sport-ibeacons/) have used the technology to provide enhanced live experiences.

Hmmm. . . "Assist consumers" and "provide enhanced live experiences" –*what lovely, lovely euphemisms for plying us with increasingly targeted advertisements in the hope of making increasingly more money.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
pmau Avatar
140 months ago
Hmmm I still don't see the benefit of iBeacon...

Things just pop up on your screen about products and services inside of stores?

Think home automation. You enter your home, the lights go on. You go in your living room, Apple TV wakes up and your iTunes Server wakes up.

You leave your house, everything goes to sleep after 5 minutes.

etc.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
FuNGi Avatar
140 months ago
It's obvious this will permit geospatial advertisements. You're walking down the street (with blue tooth on and iBeacon permitted) and pass a pub with an iBeacon advertisement for drink specials. You're in a mall and get notified of sales as you pass door fronts, etc. I can see it's potential but personally it seems as another unnecessary technological intrusion in our daily lives.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)