Location, location, location.
That’s more than just the mantra of the real estate industry. It’s also the focus of modern mobile technology and related services.
And in the location space, Google is losing ground — and fast — to its chief rival Apple.
There has been significant change at the top of the indoor location technology market, according to ABI Research. “Google’s lack of progress has cost it as Apple has taken the bull by the horns and is now driving this market forward,” the research giant recently summarized.
“The year 2015 could see a major jump as we see the first chain-wide deployments,” says Patrick Connolly, Senior Analyst. “The widespread availability of BLE beacons makes it very easy for retailers to deploy a light system to test the water and measure shopper acceptance. We will also see the first year where Ruckus Wireless, Aruba Networks, and the newly formed Zebra/Motorola all have a comprehensive offering that most likely will combine Wi-Fi with BLE and other technologies.”
According to a September report from ABI, the indoor location market is “now accelerating into the mainstream.”
The research behemoths say that new contracts and deployments of indoor location systems are being announced on an almost daily basis.
“Many companies have focused on one technology or vertical, but it’s clear that both the opportunity and competition is much greater,” Connolly says. “The industry needs to consider the whole ecosystem and which technologies are best suited to each application and vertical.”
