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Next Generation of iPods to have Wi-Fi?
Zephyr14z writes "A TMCnet article states that Apple has filed a patent for iPods that can purchase music wirelessly over the internet. This was an expected feature in the Zune, though it turns out not to be true. 'While this could be an effort to fight the software giant and its product directly, it should be noted that Zune's built-in Wi-Fi will be limited to the file sharing between devices with no direct Internet purchases from the handheld,' says Campbell."
Odd, first of all, that this article appears in YRO (because it involves a patent?); second, and odder still, is Susan Campbell's commentary:
O RLY? As far as I can tell, Susan seems to be a ressentissante Microsoft shill:
Suffice to say, even the slickest market campaign can't account alone for iPod's success; just look at the PS3 or Zune: you can't pull the wool over everyone's eyes all the time.
That said, if Apple does introduce Wi-Fi (or an iPod cell-phone, for that matter), it will be on its own time; and not because it's scared of Zune.
Seriously. How could they get a a patent on this? Is wireless the new "on the internet!" when it comes to patents?
c++;
If it is for purchasing or browsing the Itunes Music Store via the internet then wireless is faster than most peoples internet connection, b or g. So downloading a song shouldn't take any longer straight to the ipod.
Most /. users probably wouldn't use the feature that much, but luckily for Apple, theres a mass of suckers out there who can't stop downloading their songs by the pound. What better way to get some money is for those people to be able to download the songs, while away from their computer, like while at the mall after browsing through a music store.
Can I bum a sig?
As of iTunes 7, you can move authorized music from the iPod to the computer. This was announced as a way to sync the iTunes library on two computers, but it'd also be useful for music that was downloaded to the iPod via wireless.
There's tons of better sounding players out there. Try an iRiver or Cowon with some decent headphones. The sonic quality far outstrips that of Apple's iPod. These other players just aren't "hip," apparently.
"I might have made a tactical error in not going to a physician for 20 years." -- Warren Zevon
If they wanted, they could give Zunes away for 10 years. It's hard to compete against that kind of financial muscle.
This is a common argument about Microsoft. However, it is only partly true. Microsoft has shareholders. Microsoft cannot just throw money away, it has to be something that will potentially bring big profits in the future.
It's designed to play music when you're away from your computer. If you're at your computer you could, like, you know, use your computer...
Linux boxes CAN play music, can't they???
Any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so.
That's just like Apple, too; making a change that didn't really strike anyone at the time, only to reveal that it was in preparation for a bigger change later.
The more you regulate a company, the worse its products become.
And with that new enhancement to iTunes to allow people to get the (purchased!) data back off an iPod... it seems pretty obvious that this is where apple is heading. Previously, you would have been able to purchase it to the iPod and then it would have been stuck there. No more.
Gee, I don't know... maybe you would have to enter a password to make a purchase using your stored credit card info? Kind of like how iTunes already works? Yes, I know you can opt to save your password in iTunes, but if this was a really a valid concern, they could remove that option from the iPod.
Just think of the stolen iPod recovery potential, too. "Mr. Smith, the iPod you reported stolen yesterday just logged onto the network in the Starbucks at Central Ave. and Main St. The device has been disabled, and we are dispatching the iPolice now."
People buy music and games on their cellphones all the time.
They'll connect their CC# to an iTunes account, to the iPod, and not think twice about it.
Losing their pod is a potential issue, but so is losing your phone.
People just don't seem too concerned. They should probably be a bit more concerned, but they're not.
Apple could even toss a 5 or 6 digit pin on there and an X retry lockout if they wanted, passing the 'security' on your ATM or CC itself, without a serious UI hassle.
And the click wheel is good enough to sort through thousands and thousands of songs as it is.
Adding a store with some category breakdowns isn't going to cause UI chaos.
Seriously - these are solved problems.
// "Can't clowns and pirates just -try- to get along?"
I think it's important to remember who is behind the Zune. Yes, Microsoft. But more specifically, the Home & Entertainment Division (the Xbox people). Who, by the way, posted a 70% revenue increase last quarter.
;) )
Keeping this in mind (that this is an MS product, and that it's the H&E people behind it), just because the Zune _software_ doesn't do something today (or at launch) doesn't mean it won't do it for ZuneOS "SP1"
After all, Xbox Live didn't come out for 1 year after Xbox was shipped, and X360 1080P support was issued as a software _patch_ on the 360 after Sony thought they could use it to make noise in the competitive space. Progessive Scan dashboard support was another software patch on the original Xbox. Those products _had_ to get out in the market place at the right time to be viable, the cut list must have been severe. Everyone knew the hardware was capable of more than what it launched with, and as the Xbox team got their feet under them, and heard the real-world feedback, and had a chance to breathe a bit, some of the more interesting features that didn't make the original bar started to show up.
I'm telling myself that the current idiotic 3/3 DRM model and the lack of wifi sync on the Zune are temporary things. They'll be corrected via a software update after the Zune launches (even if it means a Linux-based "software update"
This is what I am _telling_ myself (and as an MS employee, I hope it turns out to be accurate) but I don't think i'll actually put my money down until I see it happen.
My opinions are my own, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer.