iPod, Airport, and rumors
I noticed a few rumors floating around in the Mac websphere yesterday about Apple possibly adding wireless support to the iPod.
Well, duh. While I used to work there, I'm certainly not privy to any super-secret product plans. I can tell you that the post-Amelio Apple is never content to let a product like AirTunes/iPod sit around languishing.
When AirPort Express was announced, I was surprised that it lacked some features. Apple's never been very big on remotes. I can remember exactly three Apple products that shipped with or offered optional remotes. (Macintosh TV, PowerCD, and Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh.) That said, I don't think Apple's next addition to the AirTunes product family will be a remote.
I suspect that WiFi will be used to stream music directly to the AirPort Express from the iPod. The only reason this isn't happening now is probably because of power budget for the iPod and the ever-shrinking packaging for the iPod. The first obstacle will fall soon; WiFi chipsets (should only need 802.11b for streaming) are getting less power hungry all the time.
The packaging issue is thorny, though. Where do you put an antenna on the iPod? For a quarter-wave 802.11 (2.4GHz) omnidirectional antenna to work, you need to expose about 1/8" of the antenna. (Exposed in the RF sense; it can still hide behind a plastic window, a la the PowerBook G4 Titanium.) Finding the room and power budget for this feature will likely give a lot more people a new reason to buy an iPod - wireless streaming to the stereo without a computer - and will keep the other companies out there scambling to design something as well-rounded as the iPod.
Well, duh. While I used to work there, I'm certainly not privy to any super-secret product plans. I can tell you that the post-Amelio Apple is never content to let a product like AirTunes/iPod sit around languishing.
When AirPort Express was announced, I was surprised that it lacked some features. Apple's never been very big on remotes. I can remember exactly three Apple products that shipped with or offered optional remotes. (Macintosh TV, PowerCD, and Twentieth Anniversary Macintosh.) That said, I don't think Apple's next addition to the AirTunes product family will be a remote.
I suspect that WiFi will be used to stream music directly to the AirPort Express from the iPod. The only reason this isn't happening now is probably because of power budget for the iPod and the ever-shrinking packaging for the iPod. The first obstacle will fall soon; WiFi chipsets (should only need 802.11b for streaming) are getting less power hungry all the time.
The packaging issue is thorny, though. Where do you put an antenna on the iPod? For a quarter-wave 802.11 (2.4GHz) omnidirectional antenna to work, you need to expose about 1/8" of the antenna. (Exposed in the RF sense; it can still hide behind a plastic window, a la the PowerBook G4 Titanium.) Finding the room and power budget for this feature will likely give a lot more people a new reason to buy an iPod - wireless streaming to the stereo without a computer - and will keep the other companies out there scambling to design something as well-rounded as the iPod.
Labels: Archived
posted by Doug at 11:12 AM
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