One step closer to Minority Report style advertising with Eddystone – yay or nay?

In 2013, Apple introduced iBeacon, a Bluetooth-based sensor that enables very precise location detection,  for example that of a customer in a shop. This is interesting for shop owners, because they can for example trace how customers move through their displays. Customers can also be sent highly individualized messages based on on their position and other information. I’m not 100 percent sure how it works in detail, but I assume for instance the iBeacon could identify that I’ve visited a store before, stood in front of one particular display of a pair of jeans, and could then send me a special offer for those jeans on the second time I visit. Kind of like retargeting in RL.

But the iBeacon, as an Apple product, also has its limitations. It’s only natively supported by iOS, and users have to download a corresponding app. So it’s no surprise it hasn’t really found widespread adoption yet.

Native to Android M?

Eddystone (presumably named after the Eddystone Lighthouse) is Google’s answer to iBeacon. The Eddystone standard was introduced mid-July and seems to have potential to make beacon technology overall more accessible and perhaps more commonplace. First of all, it may be a part of the upcoming Android M release, which means you don’t have to download an extra app. Secondly, it’s open source and thus allows more experimentation and flexible applications.

Boo, Bluetooth

Retailers are probably the first to jump on the opportunity to equip stores with this tech, which could result in some interesting individualized marketing, but probably also a lot of annoying and kind of intrusive advertizing.  On the other hand, “micro-local contextual information” – as the jargon goes – could have fantastic applications in places like airports, zoos, and museums. There’s still one major drawback: Both iBeacon and Eddystone require your device’s Bluetooth to be turned on. And does Bluetooth not kind of drain the life out of my device’s battery? Yes, it does.

So, remember this scene from the movie Minority Report? We’re almost there, but not quite yet.

Featured image: Still image from Minority Report (2002)