FCC filing suggests Apple will enter the iBeacon hardware business

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iBeacon FCC filing

Apple’s iBeacon technology has potentially massive implications across a range of areas — many of them having been demonstrated over the past year.

Up until now, however, Apple has handled only the software side of the equation with the aid of the microlocation technology found in iOS. That may be set to change with new first-party iBeacon hardware, for which FCC filings have just been uncovered by electronics company Securifi.

Registered as the “Apple iBeacon” and with a model number of A1573, the document describes how the technology was tested in collaboration with the Chinese company Audix Technology, between April 30 and May 13 this year. The beacon in question (at least in the case of the model tested) is USB-powered, has a diameter of 5.46″, and a working frequency of up to 2.4GHz, which is standard for Bluetooth.

Since the introduction of its public API last fall, iBeacons have been implemented by the MLB, in bars, theme parks, airports, museums, and numerous retailers — including Apple Stores. A recent report by ABI Research suggests that in five years time around 60 million iBeacons and other Bluetooth LE beacons will be in use, with applications ranging from enterprise, to hospital management, to smart homes. This market would have a net worth of around $500 million.

Because Apple previously hasn’t made iBeacon hardware, it was startups like Quuppa, Sonic Notify and StickNFind which stood to gain the most from the ensuing beacon revolution.

While it’s unknown exactly when Apple plans to begin iBeacon hardware production, this new FCC filing shows the company doesn’t plan to be left out in the cold for very long.

Source: Securifi
Via: TUAW

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