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This is Apple forcing the in-store analytics companies like Euclid to use iBeacon rather than WiFi. With the market share numbers the way they are, though, for

by qq66 12y ago

This is Apple forcing the in-store analytics companies like Euclid to use iBeacon rather than WiFi. With the market share numbers the way they are, though, for all but the highest-end stores what Android does matters more.

tehwebguy 12y ago
Yeah, I would guess that you'd get a pretty good sample without any iOS8 devices included. It's still a good thing IMO.
Fizzadar 12y ago
Despite this it does allow apple to enable customers to choose by turning bluetooth on/off, and not forcing them to disable wifi to avoid tracking (am I a minority that have bluetooth off by default?).
bbatsell 12y ago
I feel like this comment might give a mistaken impression, so I'd like to clarify. Simply rolling out iBeacons does not replicate the copious data that one can currently get by monitoring WiFi probe requests. iBeacons, as designed, broadcast packets at a set rate using Bluetooth LE, and devices scan for those broadcasts. There is no two-way communication, and no probe requests from client devices. In order for a company to use information from an iBeacon installation, they must have software running on the client scanning for unique iBeacon UUIDs, optionally filtered by "major" and "minor" uint16s to represent separate locations and nodes. Apple limits iOS apps to scanning for 20 UUIDs at any given time. If the user does not have software that in some way scans for and does something with data from a particular iBeacon UUID, then the implementer gets no information. Thus, iBeacons move control over location and identity data from third parties to users. If a user installs, say, a Target iOS app, it can now scan for an iBeacon UUID that Target generates and can roll out across the country. Only once the user has made that affirmative choice can Target acquire information about that user or device.
- djb_hackernews 12y ago
  > iBeacons, as currently designed, broadcast packets at a set rate using Bluetooth LE, and devices scan for those broadcasts. It is possible that iBeacons will provide the copious amounts of data themselves, and this is the first step to that end, as the parent points out.
- egli 12y ago
  It is also worth noting that apps are only given access to scan for beacons if they have location services enabled. To be tracked using iBeacon, you have to download an app that scans for the correct UUID and have location services enabled for that app.
abalone 12y ago
No. iBeacons broadcast their own presence only and cannot be used for surreptitious user tracking. The only way an iBeacon could be used to track is in concert with an app running on the user's phone that communicates back to the business, letting them know you're near the beacon. In other words the user has to opt in to tracking, which is how it should be.
rsynnott 12y ago
Using iBeacon wouldn't really be a solution for this, unless the store could depend on a significant proportion of users both installing their app and clicking the "yes, you can talk to iBeacons" option when it first runs. For most stores this won't be the case.

by qq66 12y ago

tehwebguy 12y ago

Yeah, I would guess that you'd get a pretty good sample without any iOS8 devices included. It's still a good thing IMO.

Fizzadar 12y ago

Despite this it does allow apple to enable customers to choose by turning bluetooth on/off, and not forcing them to disable wifi to avoid tracking (am I a minority that have bluetooth off by default?).

bbatsell 12y ago

I feel like this comment might give a mistaken impression, so I'd like to clarify. Simply rolling out iBeacons does not replicate the copious data that one can currently get by monitoring WiFi probe requests. iBeacons, as designed, broadcast packets at a set rate using Bluetooth LE, and devices scan for those broadcasts. There is no two-way communication, and no probe requests from client devices. In order for a company to use information from an iBeacon installation, they must have software running on the client scanning for unique iBeacon UUIDs, optionally filtered by "major" and "minor" uint16s to represent separate locations and nodes. Apple limits iOS apps to scanning for 20 UUIDs at any given time. If the user does not have software that in some way scans for and does something with data from a particular iBeacon UUID, then the implementer gets no information. Thus, iBeacons move control over location and identity data from third parties to users. If a user installs, say, a Target iOS app, it can now scan for an iBeacon UUID that Target generates and can roll out across the country. Only once the user has made that affirmative choice can Target acquire information about that user or device.

djb_hackernews 12y ago
> iBeacons, as currently designed, broadcast packets at a set rate using Bluetooth LE, and devices scan for those broadcasts. It is possible that iBeacons will provide the copious amounts of data themselves, and this is the first step to that end, as the parent points out.
egli 12y ago
It is also worth noting that apps are only given access to scan for beacons if they have location services enabled. To be tracked using iBeacon, you have to download an app that scans for the correct UUID and have location services enabled for that app.

abalone 12y ago

No. iBeacons broadcast their own presence only and cannot be used for surreptitious user tracking. The only way an iBeacon could be used to track is in concert with an app running on the user's phone that communicates back to the business, letting them know you're near the beacon. In other words the user has to opt in to tracking, which is how it should be.

rsynnott 12y ago

Using iBeacon wouldn't really be a solution for this, unless the store could depend on a significant proportion of users both installing their app and clicking the "yes, you can talk to iBeacons" option when it first runs. For most stores this won't be the case.