“An Apple patent filing published on Thursday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office details a wireless network sharing technology that leverages low-power Bluetooth instead of Wi-Fi, making it a prime candidate for small devices like the much-rumored ‘iWatch,'” Mikey Campbell reports for AppleInsider.
“In its application for ‘Network access using short-range connectability,’ Apple proposes a method by which a device can connect to, and share a network with, a second device via low-power communications, such as Bluetooth,” Campbell reports. “A supporting device, such as an iPhone, can broadcast a signal, advertising the availability of its shared network to other electronics within range. In turn, the device without a cellular radio can send a request to pair with the host, asking that its network sharing be activated. Pairing takes place when the supporting machine activates the shared network and begins sending data to the first device. All this is done without user intervention.”
Campbell reports, “Although the invention makes no mention of a watch, the tech’s low-power data transfer capabilities are in line with features some speculate will be incorporated into the so-called ‘iWatch.'”
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