“Apple Computer’s iPod digital music players could gain wireless capabilities through an enhanced docking station before such capabilities are actually built into the players themselves,” Prince McLean reports for AppleInsider.
McLean reports, “In a recent filing with an overseas patent office, member’s of the company’s iPod division describe a content synchronization system for digital media players that include built-in wireless technology or have access to a docking station that includes such capabilities.”
McLean reports, “The filing portrays a syncing system very much like the one implemented in shipping versions of Apple’s iTunes jukebox software, where media files on a personal computer are synchronized with an iPod when the device is connected to the computer through a USB or FireWire cable. However, the concept builds on such technology by routinely checking for the presence of a media player with wireless transfer capabilities before checking for a wired connection.”
Full article, including illustration fromt he patent filing, here.
Related article:
New iPod with ‘wireless capabilities’ coming soon? – August 16, 2006
Cowbell.
This seems to support the Apple Taiwan rumour.
This is all too zune to talk about lol.
Call me a neophyte, but is this just to save me from putting a cord in my computer? I’m hopeful that with Apple’s ingenuity, there’s more to it.
Can’t get enough of them cowbells!!
I wonder if anyone has ever counted what % of patents actually become products.
I’ve got a fever and the only thing that can cure it is more cowbell!
oh blah, Apple files a million of these and how many are used? – as many products as they have. this is not uncommon.
This was submitted before the other bull crap story. Someone went and found a filing to substansiate there stupid rumor. What’s new.
If you read the patent, it specifically mentions a “vehicle” as a placed for the iPod. Tell me this doesn’t firmly plant the idea that iPod integration in vehicles is going to the next level soon. Maybe even an autoPod that’s built-into the face-plate of car stereos.
Great, they’ve taken away Firewire…and now they’re planning on taking away USB 2.0 and leaving us with sloow 54Mbps Wi-Fi?
Biscuit…
It does fit with their minimalist design!
less and less and less…
Anyone else hear about a wireless firewire standard that was developed a while back?
What would be interesting would be wireless sync combined with induction charging… no wires needed!
We wont have fully-capable wireless capablilities for a looong time!