With the technology still pretty nascent, however, and despite Apple throwing its might behind the concept, what Beacon’s ‘killer’ application will be is still open to debate. “To some extent I see this as an infrastructure build-out play, where Beacons are the routers and pipes of a new network infrastructure on which we’ll see some very interesting applications.” “We think this is a rapidly growing, potentially very large market with high margins, in which you can build a really meaningful business,” says Niederhofer, citing a recent ABI Research report that estimates within 5 years we’ll see shipments of dedicated Beacon hardware reach over 60 million. The Kraków-based company, which counts Y Combinator alumni Estimote as a competitor, already boasts big-name customers such as Google, Facebook, Apple and Siemens, and says it plans to use the new capital to accelerate international expansion and evolve its product line. If he sounds bullish, that’s because Niederhofer’s VC firm, Sunstone Capital, has just closed a $2 million investment in Kontakt.io, a Polish startup that offers its own Beacon platform, including the supply and customisation of Beacon hardware, underpinned by an open API and SDKs for iOS and Android. “It’s a cliché, but the possibilities are endless.” “Bluetooth Low Energy and iBeacon are the building blocks of the next wave of computing,” says Max Niederhofer of the micro-location technology that lets your smartphone trigger events based on how close you are to a Beacon transmitter.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |