Earlier this summer, my Business 2.0 colleague, Paul Sloan had penned a wonderful story on what Apple might build next. He had speculated, with lots of reporting that video iPod with content from Disney could be on cards. Well, that has come true. In the story, he also hinted that Apple might build a WiFi-enabled iPod, that would allow consumers to buy music when connected to say Starbucks WiFi.
Recent trademark filings, as reported by AppleInsider show that the company might be headed in that direction. The filings are for something called Vingle, which is “Telecommunication services, namely, electronic transmission of streamed and downloadable audio and video files via computer and other communications networks.” Further the application describes Vingle as “an audio entertainment service that may be available in its retail stores.”
Other device hinted by this trademark application is some of a tablet device, that does more than just music. They do have patents filed on a device like this, and the trade mark is just an extension of those. They have been looking to hire a handwriting software engineer as well. An Apple version of Nokia 770 would make a lot of sense, especially now that the world has gone wifi!
Actually why stop there? Why not get the users to trade songs among each other, with everyone including the user selling the song getting a share of the revenue? It would be the realization of the concept of decentralized superdistribution. The crypto and other technology exists to support the system, as we have shown in our recent paper – Enabling DRM-preserving Digital Content Redistribution (PDF).
I love Apple products, but I don’t think they are an innovater in terms of technology. Their strengths are in incorporating services with technology well and in marketing. That said, I don’t see a wifi-enabled ipod coming out until someone figures out how to build one that doesn’t suck up so much battery power. More and more signs point to Apple coming out with a wifi/UMA smartphone that could access the iTunes music and video store.
People don’t expect phones to have much battery power. 4 hours tops.
sorry for commenting so much, but i’m sick too and there’s nothing good on tv. :)
Anyways, I was wondering with all the cash that Apple has sitting around (7.5b), why aren’t they in the running for AOL?
The following sounds a lot like a web portal….
” providing on-line chat rooms, bulletin boards and community forums for the transmission of messages among computer users concerning entertainment, music, concerts, videos, radio, television, film, news, sports, games and cultural events; web casting services; delivery of messages by electronic transmission; provision of connectivity services and access to electronic communications networks, for transmission or reception of audio, video or multimedia content;”
I think that Apple is going to move into the ultraportable networked device market as well, and I wrote an article about it a month ago that has been recently reaffirmed by Apple’s Front Row UI and their implementations of embedded iSights.
Power is a limiting factor in active iPod use and will be especially so in video use. We track all iPod accessories and publish them in Pod Mania (on newsstand Oct 05). We also make information available on line at http://www.DigitalMania-Online.com
There are some good piggy back battery solutions (add up to 400 hours of play time) and more coming. With Video iPod, I expect we’ll see many more solutions. I was just shown a small device (fits all iPods) that will recharge your iPod five times before it needs recharging itself. I will post this as soon as I have permission.
I think if ipod phone gets sexier in it’s looks, wi-fi enabled ipod will be a flop. Lets see if Japanese can challenge the ipod. Also cell-phone commerce is popular in Japan and it makes lot of sense to add this functionality to phone rather than going the other way around.
I am not a very big fan of Apples propritery format and prefer WMA.
Apple need to get into the mobile space fast. I believe there will be a Battle For The Bulge – folk only want to carry one device around with them in the end and currently most people carry their phone with them most of the time.
Sounds like a poor man’s Satellite Radio in the making.
Apples’s new video ipod proved again that transferring content from computer to mobile device is the most successful model at the moment. Will this change when mobile broadband is available?