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New Apple App - "Shopping"
Apple Reveals their e-Wallet Companion App Called "Shopping" - Patently Apple
Add this to Apple loacation specific apps patent already posted on these forums and you could have this in effect:
You walk into a store and enter the store's Wi-Fi field. That automatically triggers the location specific data for that store in the "Shopping" app to activare itself. And this location specific data could be even a virtual layout of the store. So using this online guide as like a floor map of the store you can easily get to the products you want.
But it does not stop there. When you are at the products you are interested in the app can also give you details about the product. Such info like a product description, user feedback of the product, price, etc would all be there at your fingertips on the mobile device. And this data could be gained one of 2 ways.
1. Using the Apple device like a barcode scanner and you just can the barcode for all the product information.
2. You use the onscreen store floor map as a start. And you pressthe screen for the area you are in. Say you want an iphone at JB Hi-Fi hypothetically. You'd press the Apple section on the floor map screen in the app. And then you'd get a list of the products in that area of the store. You scroll down and pick the iphone and then it lists all the information about the product.
I think this whole idea is brilliant. But it has one big downside. And it's not the security implications. Sure they are there but that's not the biggest issue. The biggest issue here is Jobs. Some people make a living out of customer service in stores. They show you around and talk to you about a product. With my idea for "shopping" these customer service staff would no longer be needed, so job losses. And if the iwallet concept takes off too then you could have automated checkouts with no people to serve you. You serve yourself and pay for the item yourself. Heck even at my local Big W they have a few self service checkouts today.
So this idea from Apple and my interpretation of it is brilliant. I love it. But it's paving the way for shops to have a skeleton staff. Just one manager, a couple of floor stockists and one security person.
I would not be surprised if this became a very modern and sophisticated idea of a vending machine. You go and buy what you want and never interact with a real person during the whole purchasing process. It's going to happen one day. And I think Apple know it. And are getiing the patents for it now.
And this is why Apple is succeeding where other IT companies are not. Apple look to the future whereas the rest only look at today.
**************
[edit] I just thought of something else. I know a long bit of text from me but I'm full of ideas today. This idea of a "Shopping" app using location specific data sould be applied to other areas. The areas I had in mind were things like hospitals and art galleries. What the? Well I'll explain.
Take hospitals first. Instead of having to take paper charts of each petient around, which would be annoying to have to run back and forward for the paper each time a new patient comes in. Well I'm not a doctor but I guess that would be the case.
There could be an "ipatient" app. And what it does is each patient at the end of their bed would have a little electronic device attached. And all the medical staff would just swipe their Apple device next to this device at the end of the bed and their "ipatient" app would light up and spit all the data about the patient right to the Apple device so the doctor has it at hand and can treat the patient. And at the moment the patient's data is in paper and on a computer database. Why not just emilinate the paper and stream the data wirless from the computer database to the device on the end of each patients bed.
The advantages of this is the patient data sould sync up. So if the doctor edited the data in his ipad, or the admis staff edited the data on their computers, all the devices attached to that patient would be sutomatically updated. And if done over a secure network with security in place it would not be abused.
*****************
And now for Art Galleries. For a lot of the exhibits in the art galleries a tiny plaque next to the exhibit is not enough to tell all the info about the exhibit. And lets be honest, no one goes to these places unless the are after this kind of info. So if we use the idea slightly modified from the "ipatient" app. But this time we call the app "iArt".
What would happen is each exhibit would have a little station, really tiny. And you pass your Apple device past the station and it would activate the "iart" app and all the information about the exhibit would appear on your Apple device screen. Want info about a new exhibit? Just scan it's station with your Apple device. it's that simple.
And the data on each exhibit could have web links in it, diagrams, videos, and all other kinds of things. It'd make going to an art gallery much more exciting.
And if you're going to one of those hand's on techno galleries where you play with the gadgets, then each gadget's station with the info for that gadget could have instructions on how to use said gadget. The possibilities are endless.
****************
Add in "iAirport" for ways to navigate airports and never miss your flight. Supplying a very similar experience to "Shopping" but the airport floor plans shown on the Appel device would not lead you to a product, more to the shops and terminals at the airport.
****************
I'm thinking what else could use this idea that "Shopping" provides. Sport maybe? Location specific data activates in the Sporting Areans's Wi-Fi. And an "isport" app would activate. So while you're waiting for the game to start you can peruse all the info about the team, win/loss records etc etc so you know all about the 2 teams before the match starts. A good idea as in our busy life styles not everyone has the time to learn everything about their favourite teams. But this quick info hit on your Apple device about your team would really help you enjoy the match more.
****************
Clone "isport" but call it "iConcert". And you can learn all about your singer/band before the show starts through location specific data given to you through the concert halls Wi-Fi and the "iConcert" app.
****************
I'm sure I could think of more examples but I won't bore you with them. I think you all get the ideas I'm trying to say here.
Apple Reveals their e-Wallet Companion App Called "Shopping" - Patently Apple
Add this to Apple loacation specific apps patent already posted on these forums and you could have this in effect:
You walk into a store and enter the store's Wi-Fi field. That automatically triggers the location specific data for that store in the "Shopping" app to activare itself. And this location specific data could be even a virtual layout of the store. So using this online guide as like a floor map of the store you can easily get to the products you want.
But it does not stop there. When you are at the products you are interested in the app can also give you details about the product. Such info like a product description, user feedback of the product, price, etc would all be there at your fingertips on the mobile device. And this data could be gained one of 2 ways.
1. Using the Apple device like a barcode scanner and you just can the barcode for all the product information.
2. You use the onscreen store floor map as a start. And you pressthe screen for the area you are in. Say you want an iphone at JB Hi-Fi hypothetically. You'd press the Apple section on the floor map screen in the app. And then you'd get a list of the products in that area of the store. You scroll down and pick the iphone and then it lists all the information about the product.
I think this whole idea is brilliant. But it has one big downside. And it's not the security implications. Sure they are there but that's not the biggest issue. The biggest issue here is Jobs. Some people make a living out of customer service in stores. They show you around and talk to you about a product. With my idea for "shopping" these customer service staff would no longer be needed, so job losses. And if the iwallet concept takes off too then you could have automated checkouts with no people to serve you. You serve yourself and pay for the item yourself. Heck even at my local Big W they have a few self service checkouts today.
So this idea from Apple and my interpretation of it is brilliant. I love it. But it's paving the way for shops to have a skeleton staff. Just one manager, a couple of floor stockists and one security person.
I would not be surprised if this became a very modern and sophisticated idea of a vending machine. You go and buy what you want and never interact with a real person during the whole purchasing process. It's going to happen one day. And I think Apple know it. And are getiing the patents for it now.
And this is why Apple is succeeding where other IT companies are not. Apple look to the future whereas the rest only look at today.
**************
[edit] I just thought of something else. I know a long bit of text from me but I'm full of ideas today. This idea of a "Shopping" app using location specific data sould be applied to other areas. The areas I had in mind were things like hospitals and art galleries. What the? Well I'll explain.
Take hospitals first. Instead of having to take paper charts of each petient around, which would be annoying to have to run back and forward for the paper each time a new patient comes in. Well I'm not a doctor but I guess that would be the case.
There could be an "ipatient" app. And what it does is each patient at the end of their bed would have a little electronic device attached. And all the medical staff would just swipe their Apple device next to this device at the end of the bed and their "ipatient" app would light up and spit all the data about the patient right to the Apple device so the doctor has it at hand and can treat the patient. And at the moment the patient's data is in paper and on a computer database. Why not just emilinate the paper and stream the data wirless from the computer database to the device on the end of each patients bed.
The advantages of this is the patient data sould sync up. So if the doctor edited the data in his ipad, or the admis staff edited the data on their computers, all the devices attached to that patient would be sutomatically updated. And if done over a secure network with security in place it would not be abused.
*****************
And now for Art Galleries. For a lot of the exhibits in the art galleries a tiny plaque next to the exhibit is not enough to tell all the info about the exhibit. And lets be honest, no one goes to these places unless the are after this kind of info. So if we use the idea slightly modified from the "ipatient" app. But this time we call the app "iArt".
What would happen is each exhibit would have a little station, really tiny. And you pass your Apple device past the station and it would activate the "iart" app and all the information about the exhibit would appear on your Apple device screen. Want info about a new exhibit? Just scan it's station with your Apple device. it's that simple.
And the data on each exhibit could have web links in it, diagrams, videos, and all other kinds of things. It'd make going to an art gallery much more exciting.
And if you're going to one of those hand's on techno galleries where you play with the gadgets, then each gadget's station with the info for that gadget could have instructions on how to use said gadget. The possibilities are endless.
****************
Add in "iAirport" for ways to navigate airports and never miss your flight. Supplying a very similar experience to "Shopping" but the airport floor plans shown on the Appel device would not lead you to a product, more to the shops and terminals at the airport.
****************
I'm thinking what else could use this idea that "Shopping" provides. Sport maybe? Location specific data activates in the Sporting Areans's Wi-Fi. And an "isport" app would activate. So while you're waiting for the game to start you can peruse all the info about the team, win/loss records etc etc so you know all about the 2 teams before the match starts. A good idea as in our busy life styles not everyone has the time to learn everything about their favourite teams. But this quick info hit on your Apple device about your team would really help you enjoy the match more.
****************
Clone "isport" but call it "iConcert". And you can learn all about your singer/band before the show starts through location specific data given to you through the concert halls Wi-Fi and the "iConcert" app.
****************
I'm sure I could think of more examples but I won't bore you with them. I think you all get the ideas I'm trying to say here.
