Apple was mentioned because the current dominant beacon technology, and the technology being used by some (if not all) of the cited organisations (such as Major

Apple was mentioned because the current dominant beacon technology, and the technology being used by some (if not all) of the cited organisations (such as Major League Baseball) is iBeacon, which is an Apple-trademarked property. According to the Gimbal website, "Gimbal proximity beacons communicate over Bluetooth Smart and are built and configured to Apple's iBeacon specifications..."