A WiPod?

Is anyone at all surprised that the new AirPort Express is leading to tons of speculation that the next iPod will be wireless? If you're gonna wirelessly stream music to an AirPort Express it probably makes just as much sense to do it from an iPod as it does from an iBook. The only unknown about a WiPod is whether you'd be able to wirelessly swap music between them. Probably not, given Apple's reluctance to rile up the recording industry, but it's not like there is some major technical hurdle they'd have to cross to make something like this possible. Imagine being able to browse the collections on other people's iPods while riding the subway and trying to figure out which weirdo has the complete Four Non-Blondes discography.

[Ryan MacCarthy @ Dec 19th 2005 12:03AM]

On the same day Apple announced the 4G iPod, BayAreaFreeFi.com announced the wiPod today, an iPod-based field guide for free wi-fi hotspots in the San Francisco Bay Area.

It�s like SliceNY�s piPod, but for Bay Area free hotspots.

And, it�s even got the new 4g iPod in its advertising!

Enjoy!

[Ryan @ Dec 19th 2005 12:03AM]

An update:
While the last iPod update (iPod Photo) disappointingly did not include wi-fi, the Bay Area FreeFi has branched out to more regions... and the wiPod is now available in more places around the USA.

Currently the wiPod is available in: San Francisco (bayareafreefi.com), Boston (bostonfreefi.com), Chicago (chicagofreefi.com), Colorado (coloradofreefi.com), Indianapolis (indyfreefi.com), New York (nyfreefi.com), Ohio (ohiofreefi.com), Portland (portlandfreefi.com), Seattle (seattlefreefi.com), Southern California - LA & San Diego (socalfreefi.com), Texas (texasfreefi.com), Washington DC (dcfreefi.com)

Visit http://bayareafreefi.com or http://metrofreefi.com for more information.

[TL @ Dec 19th 2005 12:03AM]

Adding wifi to the iPod itself would be cool, but also would have it's negatives, such a running down the battery (do you really want to share your music with the people on the subway if it's going to cut your battery time down to a couple hours?). And then there's the idea that it would make it even easier for you to visit a friend and let him download 40gigs of music (no cable necessary).

Adding wifi (and maybe even bluetooth) to the iPod's dock seems more sensible.

[Nick @ Dec 19th 2005 12:03AM]

I dont think adding wi fi and bluetooth technology to the ipod's cradle would benifit anyone. The idea behind a wipod would be to allow you to talk around with your ipod in your house and have the ability to change your music on the go.

Think about it. If those functions were on the dock, would the dock not be connected to itunes and therefore have the functionality to connect to the airport express.... Given that you already have one???

[Tom @ Dec 19th 2005 12:03AM]

Hmm well the dock's not always connected to iTunes. My dock's next to my TV and connected (via cables, of course) to my home stereo system. It would be cool if I could put the dock on the table closer to me, and be able to control the music without... er... getting up!

In other words, wifi or bluetooth from the dock is a usable feature, and probably better than walking around with your ipod broadcasting constantly and draining your battery even faster than usual.