Apple’s iBeacon scores over NFC

by Jay Dee AndolaSoft

iBeacon is a new technology developed by Apple for its operating system iOS7. This technology allows mobile apps to detect when an iPhone is near a small wireless sensor called a beacon.

Recommended Features

Compatibility
Range
Low power consumption
Cost-effectiveness
Affordability

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Review on Apple’s iBeacon scores over NFC

iBeacon is a new technology developed by Apple for its operating system iOS7. This technology allows mobile apps to detect when an iPhone is near a small wireless sensor called a beacon. The Beacon can transmit Push Notifications to an iPhone and vice versa using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).They can also be used by the Android operating system.
Advantages of iBeacon:

Compatibility: Most of the mobile phones are compatible with Bluetooth.
Range: Range of the iBeacon is upto 50 meters.
Low power consumption: It consumes less minuscule amounts of energy and allows device batteries to last longer.

Where we use iBeacon?

You can track your locations both indoors and outside
Get discounts, coupons, special offers from stores as you just pass by.
Provide the right context to determine directions to what you really need office in a building, store in the mall, nearest exit
Allow for mobile-payment platforms to pay automatically when you leave the store

Why iBeacon become NFC competitor?

Here, I have discussed the major reasons why Apples iBeacon Might Kill NFC:

Range:
https://itunesconnect.apple.com/WebObjects/iTunesConnect.woa/wo/0.0.9.3.5.2.1.1.3.1.1
NFC only works in close proximity and its range up to 8 inches, whereas iBeacons range is up to 50 meters. NFC-enabled devices require an NFC chip to transmit data, whereas iBeacon requires only iPhone support BLE.

Availability:
BLE is available in almost every smartphone devices on the market, however not every phone comes provided with a NFC chip.

Cost-effectiveness:
iBeacon is a Bluetooth technology which is inbuilt in pretty much 100% of smartphone devices, so from customer perspective its cost is zero. Whereas we need to buy an additional NFC chip for mobile devices.

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