In the midst of all the hype around Apple’s iBeacon microlocation technology, Qualcomm is poised to jump into the game with its own Gimbal beacon system. But despite the two companies launching separate systems, Qualcomm could actually give Apple’s beacon pursuits a big boost.

The iBeacon, Apple’s tool for tracking users in stores to personalise their shopping experience, is no longer the only such solution on the market. Semiconductor giant Qualcomm has released a new rival sensor called Gimbal Proximity. At a price of $5 (£3, AU$5), the concept of the sensor is similar to the iBeacon in that it tracks the in-store location of customers accurately.