Apple to let you sample media on the iPod before purchase?
By Cyrus Farivar 
posted October 20th 2006 7:18PM
posted October 20th 2006 7:18PM
Here's another bit of Apple speculation to get your weekend started right -- our favorite fruit company appears to be working on a way to let you sample music while out and about. But Apple's patent lawyers explain it in much more eloquent terms than we ever could: "Techniques for facilitating purchase of media items, such as digital media assets, are disclosed. A computing device, e.g., a portable media device, can save media indicia pertaining to one or media items of interest to a user. The media indicia can thereafter be use to purchase the one or more media items or other products associated therewith." From our reading of the patent filing (we're not lawyers, mind you), that means Apple is possibly working on a way to let you taste music "by tuning into a wireless signal" (e.g. terrestrial radio, digital radio, or satrad). You'd then be able to tag the songs you want to buy, and when you get back to your computer and fire up iTunes (or, "electronic commerce environment"), you could download that new Decemberists track that you fell in love with while your car was stuck in traffic. Now of course, this doesn't quite go as far as the MusicGremlin MG-100, which lets you download whole songs directly from WiFi hotspots, but this could be a good intermediate step.[Via OrbitCast]
So for that, either they'd have to release an attachment or finally release the 6G iPod, right?
The theory is that it would be an attachment, since Apple is so adamant about keeping things very compact. And the official patent application (which Orbitcast links to) specifically mentions XM.
Wow, this sounds like a really good idea! Sort of an "iWish List."
This patent reminds me of a comment I made in this thread on Engadget over a year ago. Perhaps I can claim prior art? HMMM
i know what your refering to emo, sonyericsson just released (or about to release) a phone with a similar service. record a bit of a song, send it to said service, get the name of the song and a option to buy and download it to your phone.
I guess my "a href" was too l33t. Here's the thread: http://www.engadget.com/2005/07/28/the-clicker-design-your-own-drm-scheme-and-win/6#comments
Emo, I followed your link but was unable to find a post under your name. Are you sure it was page 6?
If you could post your link up again, but this time, click on the timestamp on the bottom, it will link directly to your comment.
I'm really interested in reading what you wrote, so thanks!
Sooo... it's an FM or Sirius or whatever reciever that remembers what songs you've listened to and then searches for them on iTunes?
Not exactly the most useful thing in the world but kindof cool I guess.
I think we're missing the Apple "Ahhhh" moment here. I remember some Apple/Google (remember, they are working together now much more often) patents referring to software to "know" what an audio source is playing. Knowing Apple's poichant for the simple and the cool, what about a device that "listens" to the radio and knows what song it is you were listening to and "bookmarks" it, or even better - something you could sing into and it would go find that song. The technology sounds a little out there, but I could see it happening. That Apple speech software in Leopard sounds pretty damn good - going the other way would be harder, but not impossible.
Rich, that sounds kinda similar in theory to the mobile phone services that have been offering song recognition over the phone for a few years now. They've been going for at least 4 years in the UK and they text you back the song information within a about a minute. It doesn't work with every single track, but the number of songs catalougued is quite large and it's increasing all the time.
hey nice nod to the decemberists! Awesome band! I didn't realize they were played on the radio. At least not FM/AM I have heard them on sirius.
Wait.. the Zoon already does this. How is this in any way new at all? Is it just because it has the "Apple" name on it? The Zoon's implementation makes a LOT more sense, and I'll always despise Apple for their idiotic DRM strategies that make using iTunes or an iPod such a nightmare that I abandoned all Apple products long ago.
It'll be interesting to see how it plays out. Lotsa applets on record saying listening to radio is stupid and only windoze idjits would think it was a plus. Glad to see iPod at least trying to get creative (no pun intended). Thank Zune for that. Too bad it'd be a peripheral-something else to lose and a kludge, to put it charitably. The iPod form factor is now going to start hurting iPod should it wish to add value. Oh well. Win, lose or draw, competition is a good thing.
Is this a hint that they may put an RFID reader into the iPod? They would encode specific information on the tag, attached to the display album, that would point the ITMS to a specific song for downlowd. The action would be a simple "touch and go" while in the store. It is the same technology Nokia will have in some phones on early '07. Numerous other uses too...
This reminds me of Disneys MOVIEBEAM but Apple is using this as MUSIC BEAM. Using publice airwaves to send me songs very cool.
Haha Apple fooled yall again. I often do this with my iriver that has fm tuner. Here are the steps..
1. tune to radio
2. listen to new songs on radio
3. write down name of new songs
4. search for songs on PC
5. buy song, load and go
Another attempt by Apple to dictate what and when it gives to consumers instead of consumers dictating what they want.
I love those people who attack Apple for "ripping them off" w/ crap like DRM and limited features. Get a grip on reality! I'm pretty sure Zune, iRiver and every other digital music player sold play by the same rules. Either you provide the rip/free MP3s or you buy DRM digital songs. WMV is no less restricted than AAC in these music stores. But by all means, go ahead and buy one to use d/ling "free" music on Kazaa until the RIAA shows w/ your fresh new federal subpoena.
Oh, and 3rdsun, your process has been done for the last 80 years when anyone could listen to a song on the radio, write down the name and then go buy the record. What's your point?!
I mean 80 million iPods sold is a tough mtn to climb to prove Apple has it all wrong...especially considering Zune has sold nothing!
i read the patent... and from what i read this thing will let you sample from an audio source just like the drawing says... i.e. any audio source.. i.e. the waves in that picture are sound waves... i.e. that thing on top of the iPod is a microphone. so it samples the music by sampling the sound.. and they make the claim for an embedded device that does the sampling or an add on device.. i've been part of a few patent filings myself so i know they will put both even if they intend to do either one just to make the filing as wide as possible... so who knows if it will be an add on or not... but from what i read it wasn't a recording device it's a device that lets you listen to music the iPod via a network identify it and tag it as some thing you'd like to buy... so you are in a store and the play a song and you grab your iPod press sample and the iPod says this song is "pump it" by the black eyed peas and when you get home in your wish list of songs is this song with a "buy" button beside it.. know depending on your memory, no embarrassment of singing the song to your buddy to try to figure out what the h@ll it was etc.. press a button and boom when you get home you can buy it... or if someone has a zune you could take a sample if the songs they have if you like them and if you want to buy them when you get home you can...
Well in the uk, maybe everywhere, you can ring 2580(straight down the middle), hold the phone to an audio source - say a radio, and they will text the name of the track to you within 15secs and I've yet to beat it even with really obscure stuff. Could they be using the same database? seems like a fairly simple thing to implement on an iPhone.
Not sure how often I would use it tho'
iPhone feature?
This actually sounds a lot like Zune's current wireless functionality, to me.