Wall Street Journal reports that Apple will announce more plans for its iBeacon technology at the WWDC Keynote, which kicks off in just over 12 hours from now.
The iBeacon technology was introduced in iOS 7. It is a special Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) profile that enables “micro-location” and ranging.
WSJ reports that Apple plans to place beacons throughout Moscone Center, the venue of the WorldWide Developer Conference to promote the technology, and also offer sessions to developers so that they can implement it in their apps.
It is not clear how exactly Apple plans to expand the functionality of the technology, but there have been reports that Apple could use it for its rumored mobile payment service.
Apple has rolled out iBeacon technology in its retail stores with an update for its Apple Store app, which enabled the ability to receive in-store notifications from iBeacon transmitters in Apple retail stores.
Giant and Safeway have also rolled out iBeacon technology in select grocery stores. Major League Baseball has also deployed the technology in Los Angeles and San Diego stadiums.
In addition to announcing more plans for its iBeacon technology, Apple is also widely expected to unveil iOS 8 and OS X 10.10, an all-new health tracking app, smart home platform and probably some new hardware. Check our preview post to find out what to expect at the event.
Apple will live stream the keynote to iOS devices and Macs. For instructions, check this post. We’ll of course have our own live blog, so keep checking iPhoneHacks.com and don’t forget to join our Facebook Fan page, follow us on Twitter, add us to your circles on Google+ or subscribe to our RSS feed for the latest updates.
[via WSJ]
