Coming Soon: A Wi-Fi iPod?

Apple rumor du jour: DigiTimes is reporting that we may see an iPod with built-in Wi-Fi in the third quarter of 2007. The theory is based on scuttlebutt from Taiwanese electronics manufacturers who are supposedly involved in manufacturing the thing.

I don't know a thing about how reliable the sources in question are. But it's pretty much a given that we'll see some sort of significantly new iPod by the Fall, given that the full-sized version of the little beast hasn't changed much since the fifth-generation model appeared in October, 2005--which, in iPod time, was eons ago.

I'm guessing--or at least hoping--that the new version will crib much of what's interesting about the iPhone, including its big display and touchscreen...and then meld those features with a great big hard disk that, unlike the iPhone's memory, is capable of holding an entire music collection.

And if such a new iPod also had Wi-Fi? That would let it connect directly to the Internet. Which might mean that the device could offer e-mail, Web access via Safari, and other features that would turn it from a music player into a true pocketable computing device.

Or maybe not--it's at least as likely that the iPhone will bear all the weight of Apple's mobile computing strategy, and the more traditional iPod will remain a really good music player. We shall see.

Another thing that I think is a given, though, is that Apple is working extremely hard behind the scenes right now to provide direct access to the iTunes Music Store from devices other than traditional computers. Right now, the iPod and Apple TV and iPhone can't talk directly to ITMS--you've got to do your buying and downloading of audio and video with a PC or Mac.) It's just too logical that a less computer-centric Apple needs to do this for it not to be something that'll happen quite soon, perhaps later this year. Especially since competitors like SanDisk are moving in this direction.

I can't imagine that Apple would pull a Zune and introduce a Wi-Fi iPod that doesn't let you download music directly from the Net. That was lame when Microsoft did it, and would be unspeakably so for a product designed to be cool in 2008 and beyond.

So I'm officially guessing that if a Wi-Fi iPod does show up later this year, it'll have direct ITMS access, and the news will be part of a general Apple strategy of integrating hardware, software, and services--which has always been the company's greatest skill--without assuming that there's a computer somewhere in the loop.

That's a guess, not a rumor...But it seems pretty darn safe to me.

Poll time:

Comments

In order for "WiFi" to be useful, it seems like Pod people would all need to have Wireless access, not just to their home network, but in their metro area. This is not something that is generally available enough yet to be basing products on it. It is free some places, but not Starbucks, etc. True there a lot of open nodes, but you can't bank on that, can you?

Also, why make the iPod everything that the iPhone will be, except for being a phone!? (I agree with your conclusion there). Maybe Apple has some other synergies in mind between these two products. ??

aga972

April 15, 2007

5:30 PM PT

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