Sure, but in 2002 there was no iPhone and apps that could handle the Bluetooth signal and trigger different actions. There was also no centralized App Store which could protect users and ensure the the quality.

We are sure there will be lots of marketing people trying to use this technology as a SPAM tool, but we believe that Apple with the the new iOS7 and the feature called iBeacon solve it in an elegant way. It's still under the NDA, but there are some publications about it: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1597348