Passengers can be directed to the correct gate more easily, based on their
current location in the airport. If they are running late but are very close to the
gate, knowing their location might help the crew decide to wait. And if their
plane is delayed, the app could provide them with a voucher to a nearby
restaurant or café.
Figure 4.7: Illustration of an airport iBeacon trial (Image: SITA).
A low cost entrant to an existing market
The falling cost of embedded computing enables cheaper alternatives to
systems that used to be prohibitively expensive. For example, Lowes Iris (see
figure 4.8) and Smart Things offer DIY home automation kits at a far lower
cost than professionally installed systems. You may be aiming the system at
people who could not previously afford this category of device, or trying to
convince those who could that you’re offering a worthwhile saving. Either
way, it’s important to convince users that the system performs the basic
functionality just as well as more expensive options. Any compromise needs to
be something that doesn’t matter too much. You need to be clear upfront how
you have achieved the cost saving: is the hardware cheaper? Does the system