Dec 07, 2013 10:32 AM EST
New Apple App Spots Customers in the Store; Feature Helps Shoppers Find Info, Company Says

Apple's latest app allows the company to see customers in Apple stores.

The optional feature, which launched Friday in the Apple Store app, lets Apple know exactly where customers are in the store to give them better information, ABC reported.

According to Apple, the service will allow stores to serve customers better, proving such information as iPhone upgrades or where to find a product.

Using GPS and Bluetooth-equipped iBeacon devices inside Apple stores, the service will launch at 254 Apple stores, according to The Associated Press.

Apple customers have to enable the app and can opt out of the service if they want. The feature can send push alerts to Apple users who are eligible for iPhone upgrades. It can also notify shoppers where to pick up orders placed online.

The 24-hour Apple store on New York's Fifth Avenue has been set up with 20 of the iBeacon devices.

The company hopes to go far with this new technology, extending its use far beyond the Apple store.

"We're really excited about what iOS developers will be able to do with iBeacon, a technology we introduced with iOS 7 that uses Bluetooth Low Energy and geofencing to provide apps a whole new level of micro-location awareness, such as trail markers in a park, exhibits in a museum or product displays in stores," Apple said in a statement provided to ABC News.

The iBeacon feature could be key in helping Apple catch up in the mapping space after falling behind, according to industry experts.

The new app could help Apple in the "indoor mapping space, to help users locate resources in the real world. This will be a key mobile usage case moving forward," Ross Rubin, principal analyst for Reticle Research, told ABC News.

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