Kind of funny how many people said the Zune's Wifi was a useless feature, and now all of a sudden it's great... In this case, it looks like Apple will be the last to the party...
I always felt like the Zune dev team had wanted to create a device that was subscription ONLY, thus allowing Zunes to trade songs with other Zunes without any limitations.
But having worked with Microsoft, I could see how that idea could slowly get dismantled.
I really don't see Apple making a device that allows users to share music without a subscription service involved either, otherwise they would have to come up with a "3 play, 3 days" system just like MS had too.
They work too closely with record labels to be allowed to make what they would consider an illegal P2P device.
I always felt like the Zune dev team had wanted to create a device that was subscription ONLY, thus allowing Zunes to trade songs with other Zunes without any limitations.
But having worked with Microsoft, I could see how that idea could slowly get dismantled.
I really don't see Apple making a device that allows users to share music without a subscription service involved either, otherwise they would have to come up with a "3 play, 3 days" system just like MS had too.
They work too closely with record labels to be allowed to make what they would consider an illegal P2P device.
They could make the Wifi sharing just like they do with apple TV when it connects to other shared libraries. Just share your library, but not really sync with another ipod. that way no songs actually get copied to the other ipod.
How will wifi help anything? Wow now we can transfer songs from my computer to my ipod even slower than before and waste more battery!
Sounds pointless to me.
Look at the big picture.
WiFi access points are pretty common these days, other makes are adding WiFI (though none have shown a worthwhile use for it, 1.8" drives are excessive and OS X has been ported to the ARM processor.
The iPod Video will probably use the same 480x320 widescreen with multi-touch so it will require a similar OS X Leopard that we see in the iPhone. If so, it could easily add Safari to the OS X build for easy internet access with WiFI.
The use of OS X on the iPhone and iPod will generate much buzz with the hacker community, like with the AppleTV.
I don't foresee Apple allowing you to sync via 802.11g. As you mention, the speed is too slow and the battery drain to great. It just doesn''t make sense.
Kind of funny how many people said the Zune's Wifi was a useless feature, and now all of a sudden it's great... In this case, it looks like Apple will be the last to the party...
We don't know that yet because if they do impliment wifi, we don't know yet what it will be used for on an iPod. IF they do it the same way as the Zune, then it will be just as useless. But if it's more like the iPhone, then it will be very useful.
Kind of funny how many people said the Zune's Wifi was a useless feature, and now all of a sudden it's great... In this case, it looks like Apple will be the last to the party...
Nobody is saying that Zune's WiFI "squirting" is great. WiFi on a portable music player only makes sense if there is web browser too.
Nobody is saying that Zune's WiFI "squirting" is great. WiFi on a portable music player only makes sense if there is web browser too.
Or we could all (temporarily) share each others music while we are in range. And when we connect to our computers later, being asked if we want to purchase any of the songs we had heard earlier.
Or we could all (temporarily) share each others music while we are in range.
Maybe, but I really don't see this as worthwhile feature.
There are other issues involved with this that would cause Apple to not use it or impose severe limitations that would inevitably upset many.
For example: Imagine that you are watching the new iTunes Store release of 300 on your new 120GB iPod Video w/WiFi while waiting for your plane at the JFK. You have sharing turned on and there are dozens of people trying to listen to your music and watch your videos over WiFI while you are trying to watch a video. The processor certainly can't handle that load and your battery will empty faster than a sailor's wallet at a Singapore whore house.
I'm gonna take a wild guess and say Apple will not put WiFi into iPods, but rather wireless USB or similar technology instead.
Why? Because...
1. WiFi is the kind of "me-too" thinking that the whole PC industry is so used to. On the other hand, Apple has a history of surprising its audience with solutions that make more sense. Does WiFi in a music player makes sense? Hardly, unless Apple turns iPod into an internet communicator like iPhone (but hey... that might happen...).
2. What's the biggest application for adding wireless to iPods? Wireless sync of course! Setting up a wireless network is cool, but it's no where as useful as being able to sync w/ iTunes over the air. Sure, WiFi can achieve this too (as in Apple TV), but a PAN approach for a portable player is more suitable than a LAN solution.
3. By incorporating wireless USB or similar, iPod overtakes Zune's WiFi as the bleeding edge technology instead of being labeled as a Zune follower.
Or it could only be my wishful thinking. We'll know when the day comes.
Kind of funny how many people said the Zune's Wifi was a useless feature, and now all of a sudden it's great... In this case, it looks like Apple will be the last to the party...
No, the Zune WiFi feature remains useless. "Welcome to the social" is pointless because of:
1) no critical mass to share amongst,
2) hobbled transfer abilities: 3 plays / 3 days and an uncertain song catalog to draw from (not all record companies gave their consent to sharing)
3) Microsoft's textbook approach to feature addition just doesn't "get it" and throwing a $5 component into a box to gain a checklist point is no way to design a product.
However, WiFi in general has more potential than the Zune's poor effort, as shown by the interesting Yahoo! + Sandisk Sansa plan. It remains to be seen whether it will catch on, however.
The assumption is that when WiFi does come to iPod, the feature will have been better thought out. It doesn't automatically make it good, just that past history shows Apple doesn't add features until they are ready for primetime.
How will wifi help anything? Wow now we can transfer songs from my computer to my ipod even slower than before and waste more battery!
Sounds pointless to me.
I agree. I don't see WiFi as being all that great of an idea. One, you would need services in place to capitalize on the feature. Since you wouldn't have any, you would have to build them into the iPods themselves, for communication with one another (like what MS did with the Zune).
Sharing music doesn't seem all that cool of a feature (thus I don't have a Zune) and neither does streaming internet radio ala the new Sansa devices. Plus, I can't think of any type of interaction that I might want to do with my iPod - heck, part of the value of the iPod is that it allows me to not interact with those around me.
However, if I had to guess at what types of WiFi enabled features might be useful, they would relate to alerting me to information that I miss because I've got my headphones on. For example, receiving an alert that my flight is boarding. Unfortunately, I can't see where the payoff would be for, say the airlines, to implement such a feature. So, unless Apple has thought of some cool feature that I'm missing, I will pass.
Wi-Fi + web browser + decent size screen = itunes store downloads direct to iPod...
Sounds like a reasonable idea... It would allow iPod users who don't have their own computer (there are actually quite a lot of these) to buy from the store - this could be quite a revenue spinner...
Maybe, but I really don't see this as worthwhile feature.
There are other issues involved with this that would cause Apple to not use it or impose severe limitations that would inevitably upset many.
For example: Imagine that you are watching the new iTunes Store release of 300 on your new 120GB iPod Video w/WiFi while waiting for your plane at the JFK. You have sharing turned on and there are dozens of people trying to listen to your music and watch your videos over WiFI while you are trying to watch a video. The processor certainly can't handle that load and your battery will empty faster than a sailor's wallet at a Singapore whore house.
Comments
Kind of funny how many people said the Zune's Wifi was a useless feature, and now all of a sudden it's great... In this case, it looks like Apple will be the last to the party...
I always felt like the Zune dev team had wanted to create a device that was subscription ONLY, thus allowing Zunes to trade songs with other Zunes without any limitations.
But having worked with Microsoft, I could see how that idea could slowly get dismantled.
I really don't see Apple making a device that allows users to share music without a subscription service involved either, otherwise they would have to come up with a "3 play, 3 days" system just like MS had too.
They work too closely with record labels to be allowed to make what they would consider an illegal P2P device.
how about an option where you can trade songs with other ipods, and call the feature iJack?
And I suppose you could take off the i, add "ass" at the end, and then we'd have a name to call you
I always felt like the Zune dev team had wanted to create a device that was subscription ONLY, thus allowing Zunes to trade songs with other Zunes without any limitations.
But having worked with Microsoft, I could see how that idea could slowly get dismantled.
I really don't see Apple making a device that allows users to share music without a subscription service involved either, otherwise they would have to come up with a "3 play, 3 days" system just like MS had too.
They work too closely with record labels to be allowed to make what they would consider an illegal P2P device.
They could make the Wifi sharing just like they do with apple TV when it connects to other shared libraries. Just share your library, but not really sync with another ipod. that way no songs actually get copied to the other ipod.
How will wifi help anything? Wow now we can transfer songs from my computer to my ipod even slower than before and waste more battery!
Sounds pointless to me.
How about browsing the web?
Checking email?
Instant Messaging?
How will wifi help anything? Wow now we can transfer songs from my computer to my ipod even slower than before and waste more battery!
Sounds pointless to me.
Look at the big picture.
WiFi access points are pretty common these days, other makes are adding WiFI (though none have shown a worthwhile use for it, 1.8" drives are excessive and OS X has been ported to the ARM processor.
The iPod Video will probably use the same 480x320 widescreen with multi-touch so it will require a similar OS X Leopard that we see in the iPhone. If so, it could easily add Safari to the OS X build for easy internet access with WiFI.
The use of OS X on the iPhone and iPod will generate much buzz with the hacker community, like with the AppleTV.
I don't foresee Apple allowing you to sync via 802.11g. As you mention, the speed is too slow and the battery drain to great. It just doesn''t make sense.
Kind of funny how many people said the Zune's Wifi was a useless feature, and now all of a sudden it's great... In this case, it looks like Apple will be the last to the party...
We don't know that yet because if they do impliment wifi, we don't know yet what it will be used for on an iPod. IF they do it the same way as the Zune, then it will be just as useless. But if it's more like the iPhone, then it will be very useful.
Kind of funny how many people said the Zune's Wifi was a useless feature, and now all of a sudden it's great... In this case, it looks like Apple will be the last to the party...
Nobody is saying that Zune's WiFI "squirting" is great. WiFi on a portable music player only makes sense if there is web browser too.
Nobody is saying that Zune's WiFI "squirting" is great. WiFi on a portable music player only makes sense if there is web browser too.
Or we could all (temporarily) share each others music while we are in range. And when we connect to our computers later, being asked if we want to purchase any of the songs we had heard earlier.
Uhm, i'd love that particular feature.
Or we could all (temporarily) share each others music while we are in range.
Maybe, but I really don't see this as worthwhile feature.
There are other issues involved with this that would cause Apple to not use it or impose severe limitations that would inevitably upset many.
For example: Imagine that you are watching the new iTunes Store release of 300 on your new 120GB iPod Video w/WiFi while waiting for your plane at the JFK. You have sharing turned on and there are dozens of people trying to listen to your music and watch your videos over WiFI while you are trying to watch a video. The processor certainly can't handle that load and your battery will empty faster than a sailor's wallet at a Singapore whore house.
Agree with Vox though that building an Airport Express with Airtunes into iPod Hifi is a non-brainer.
Why? Because...
1. WiFi is the kind of "me-too" thinking that the whole PC industry is so used to. On the other hand, Apple has a history of surprising its audience with solutions that make more sense. Does WiFi in a music player makes sense? Hardly, unless Apple turns iPod into an internet communicator like iPhone (but hey... that might happen...).
2. What's the biggest application for adding wireless to iPods? Wireless sync of course! Setting up a wireless network is cool, but it's no where as useful as being able to sync w/ iTunes over the air. Sure, WiFi can achieve this too (as in Apple TV), but a PAN approach for a portable player is more suitable than a LAN solution.
3. By incorporating wireless USB or similar, iPod overtakes Zune's WiFi as the bleeding edge technology instead of being labeled as a Zune follower.
Or it could only be my wishful thinking. We'll know when the day comes.
I'm gonna take a wild guess and say Apple will not put WiFi into iPods, but rather wireless USB or similar technology instead.
What are the drawbacks to WUSB?
How does it compare to 802.11g and n in energy usage?
How does it compare in HW costs?
Kind of funny how many people said the Zune's Wifi was a useless feature, and now all of a sudden it's great... In this case, it looks like Apple will be the last to the party...
No, the Zune WiFi feature remains useless. "Welcome to the social" is pointless because of:
1) no critical mass to share amongst,
2) hobbled transfer abilities: 3 plays / 3 days and an uncertain song catalog to draw from (not all record companies gave their consent to sharing)
3) Microsoft's textbook approach to feature addition just doesn't "get it" and throwing a $5 component into a box to gain a checklist point is no way to design a product.
However, WiFi in general has more potential than the Zune's poor effort, as shown by the interesting Yahoo! + Sandisk Sansa plan. It remains to be seen whether it will catch on, however.
The assumption is that when WiFi does come to iPod, the feature will have been better thought out. It doesn't automatically make it good, just that past history shows Apple doesn't add features until they are ready for primetime.
How will wifi help anything? Wow now we can transfer songs from my computer to my ipod even slower than before and waste more battery!
Sounds pointless to me.
I agree. I don't see WiFi as being all that great of an idea. One, you would need services in place to capitalize on the feature. Since you wouldn't have any, you would have to build them into the iPods themselves, for communication with one another (like what MS did with the Zune).
Sharing music doesn't seem all that cool of a feature (thus I don't have a Zune) and neither does streaming internet radio ala the new Sansa devices. Plus, I can't think of any type of interaction that I might want to do with my iPod - heck, part of the value of the iPod is that it allows me to not interact with those around me.
However, if I had to guess at what types of WiFi enabled features might be useful, they would relate to alerting me to information that I miss because I've got my headphones on. For example, receiving an alert that my flight is boarding. Unfortunately, I can't see where the payoff would be for, say the airlines, to implement such a feature. So, unless Apple has thought of some cool feature that I'm missing, I will pass.
Sounds like a reasonable idea... It would allow iPod users who don't have their own computer (there are actually quite a lot of these) to buy from the store - this could be quite a revenue spinner...
Maybe, but I really don't see this as worthwhile feature.
There are other issues involved with this that would cause Apple to not use it or impose severe limitations that would inevitably upset many.
For example: Imagine that you are watching the new iTunes Store release of 300 on your new 120GB iPod Video w/WiFi while waiting for your plane at the JFK. You have sharing turned on and there are dozens of people trying to listen to your music and watch your videos over WiFI while you are trying to watch a video. The processor certainly can't handle that load and your battery will empty faster than a sailor's wallet at a Singapore whore house.
That's ridiculous! Those places are cheap.
just add the 2 word killer feature someone mentioned the other day to iTunes store.
Now Renting...
the obvious use IMO is with the proliferation of Apple TV and wifi iPods.. imagine calling over to your mates house to watch a movie! SIMPLE Boom!
You can call people with an M-80 too, that's a simple boom.