Does Apple's iPod touch have Bluetooth?

Yeah, you've seen it before, that's the iPod touch. But take a closer look at the upper-right corner of the display. See that little icon? Right, Bluetooth, as in the not announced Bluetooth radio in Apple's new iPod touch. Is this just a snafu from Apple's arts-and-charts team or something more say, AVRCP and stereo A2DP related? At this point, Apple's not saying and we don't know. But you'd better hurry up and click that Read link because that Apple-harvested picture won't be around for much longer.

Update: It's still there, and spreading! Now discovered on Apple's US store and UK site.

Update 2: Ah, sorry to bum y'all out, we just heard that Apple didn't actually include Bluetooth in the touch, meaning the screen shown above isn't entirely accurate. We'll let you know if we hear more.

Update 3: Two more bits: we heard from a pretty decent source that the touch internals are very similar to the iPhone internals, and that there is a Bluetooth chip in there -- it's just not activated. We'll all find out as soon as someone dismantles one of these little buggers, but whether or not that's actually the case, we took a peek at the touch's FCC filing, which went live yesterday. It only contains tests for WiFi, meaning if there IS Bluetooth in there, at very least they're going to have to get it cleared again by the FCC before flipping the switch.

[Via fscklog, thanks Tom, Mike, and Antihero]

Read -- iPod touch (with Bluetooth icon) on Apple's German website

[Phate @ Sep 6th 2007 7:31AM]

I was just asking myself, "WTF! is A2DP!??!!"
I believe they will release bluetooth support with the release of Leopard.

[booooopz @ Sep 6th 2007 8:51AM]

tiger has great bluetooth support...

[flashpoint @ Sep 6th 2007 9:46AM]

What I was WTF-ing yesterday was that Steve had the Beatles as a ringtone, and you can only do that with, what 500,000 selected iTunes songs... Does this mean that the Beatles are finally coming to iTunes and that was Steve's way of saying that?

[heltrskeltr349 @ Sep 6th 2007 10:01AM]

Give Peace a Chance is NOT a Beatles song. It's John Lennon.

[Brien Mizell @ Sep 6th 2007 11:19AM]

Could it possibly be the shuffle logo instead of bluetooth? just a chance??

[doctorSpoc @ Sep 6th 2007 11:38AM]

@ booooopz

Tiger has REALLY bad bluetooth support... there is no A2DP and no AVRCP support in Tiger i.e. can't use stereo headphones on Macs, can control (prev, next, volume etc) from headset.. what is up with that?

Leopard is supposed to remedy this but no support in Tiger kind of blows.. i know there were some legal issues by allowing this.. effectively circumvents the DRM...

Tiger only has the most very basic bluetooth support

[anthony @ Sep 6th 2007 7:33AM]

What I want to know is, where can you get that 'landscape' mode stand?

[Terry @ Sep 6th 2007 7:40AM]

The stand comes with it!

[glastotom @ Sep 6th 2007 7:39AM]

it comes with a stand by the looks of things

In the box
iPod touch
Earphones
USB 2.0 cable
Dock adapter
Polishing cloth
Stand
Quick Start guide

[anthony @ Sep 6th 2007 7:58AM]

Great! :)

[TDG01 @ Sep 6th 2007 9:42AM]

That's nice....but an integrated stand would be cooler....like the Archos 605 Wi-Fi.....

I'm bound to lose that stand somehwere....then it probably costs $20 to replace...

[Eric @ Sep 6th 2007 5:18PM]

And an integrated toaster! And popcorn maker.

[Jared @ Sep 11th 2007 9:13PM]

the stand can be put on all the way around top, bottom, sides, the iPod is the same depth the all the way around

[Phate @ Sep 6th 2007 7:34AM]

Also, they are prolly trying to release BT functionality with some sort of Apple branded BT headphones .

[ItsTheOMGShow @ Sep 6th 2007 8:24AM]

Hey Apple: We want BT for a few things:

*To view our cell phone pictures on that nice big screen!

*To get on the Internet via BT DUN

*Wireless Music

Please make it happen!

[Josh @ Sep 6th 2007 8:44AM]

Bluetooth HiFi Speakers and BT headphones would help make this a great device.

[Deckard @ Sep 6th 2007 12:11PM]

Hey ItsTheOMGShow - with all those Bluetooth features you want from Apple in the future, why not just buy a Nokia N800 and have them now? The N800 does everything the Touch does, and a whole lot more...

[Solomon Ford @ Sep 6th 2007 4:10PM]

If the Bluetooth is anything like the iPhone implementation, it wont allow file transfer or anything of that sort. The Bluetooth on the iPhone allows Bluetooth headphones, speakers, and possibly song control (although I'm not sure about that). As far as Internet sharing, file exchange, etc., my RAZR has more Bluetooth features in that regard compared to my iPhone.

[humpty @ Sep 6th 2007 7:35AM]

If you wait 6 weeks you can find out for sure and save at least $150.

[AdamY @ Sep 6th 2007 8:17AM]

That'd be hysterical, if it didn't happen to me...

[Emceay @ Sep 8th 2007 10:18PM]

Precious Roy~ Precious Roy~ making lots of suckers out of girls and boys~

[Jim @ Sep 6th 2007 7:36AM]

I was searching last night trying to find out if the new iPod Touch had BT connectivity. Also, am I the only one who sees the iPod Touch's possible ability to handle VOIP? It has almost everything required save the BT for a Headset/Microphone and the software to make it possible. Even if this isn't in Apple's gameplan, maybe another hacker/modder can get it to work. How sweet would an iPod Touch VOIP phone be. A man can dream, can't he?

[martip @ Sep 6th 2007 8:46AM]

jim, you're not the only one... another one dreamin' here! ;-)

[jalapeno @ Sep 6th 2007 9:46AM]

I was thinking the same thing..get a SIP client or Skype on there!

[lassi @ Sep 6th 2007 11:09AM]

not mentioning bluetooth on the product launch would have been so so so so so so stupid if they have it. because everybody on the planet(who cares, which isn't that many) now assumes that the touch lacks bluetooth, and if it had bluetooth it would be quite useful for DUN and a2dp.

possible voip? sure, any device with a microphone and audio out and a fast enough cpu is "possible voip device" if you think it like that. however, does it even do instant messaging is another question.




if you want skype buy a n800..

[liquado @ Sep 6th 2007 11:24AM]

Think three words: "Cannibalizing the iPhone." I bet they had BT included, and someone a fair ways into development said, "Oh, shit -- what about.....?"

[h.grand @ Sep 6th 2007 2:40PM]

yup skype can be installed, well it can be installed via IM+ on iphone so i think its safe to assume it can be installed on the touch as well. i was just waiting for the word of some variation of a mic/bluetooth whatever have you and im all set. btw i ordered up the 4gb iphone in the meantime (too much of a deal to pass) but i would like more memory.

[Panathas17 @ Sep 7th 2007 12:33AM]

I think there was a site posted here on engadget based on skype for the iPhone... Same screen
http://www.shapeservices.com/en/products/details.php?product=skype&platform=none

[Homeboy @ Sep 6th 2007 7:37AM]

It's very possible that the iPod Touch has bluetooth. Apple will most likely announce it at a later stage when they have launched some sort of accessories like remote looking like the current one but with no wire, and uses bluetooth instead. A new Apple HiFi might also be in pipeline.

After all Apple never launches a feature unless it can be used properly.

[Nick @ Sep 6th 2007 9:28AM]

If they did build in Bluetooth then the Skype/VoIP people will rejoice.

[Alan Partridge @ Sep 6th 2007 7:11PM]

Well he's with a bunch of ten year old girls...and today is a school day...I've made my assuption and im happy with it

[Tim Abbott @ Sep 6th 2007 7:41AM]

BUT DOES IT have LOUDSPEAKER!?

[UK PLEASE @ Sep 6th 2007 7:50AM]

No

and with good reason too, if io put up with another bunch of 11 year old girls listening to crap techno 'music' out of a speaker at the back of the buss i will just have to kill them all

[supermeerkat @ Sep 6th 2007 9:55AM]

No you won't as I'll have killed them first.

[Alan Partridge @ Sep 6th 2007 10:36AM]

Why are you hanging out on the school bus anyway?

[Shadow @ Sep 6th 2007 12:34PM]

No one said school bus.

[gtellez33 @ Sep 6th 2007 7:41AM]

this is probably a mistake. Even the reflection of the ipod screen is wrong!

[byaah @ Sep 6th 2007 12:55PM]

Good observation, aside from the stand, everything in the reflection isn't even on the Touch's screen.

[jbulava @ Sep 6th 2007 2:45PM]

Yeah, flip, rotate, and change some levels to get 'Nelly Furtado/Afraid/Loose.' I don't recognize the interface with that pause and info button. I'd post a link to an image, but don't feel like getting an email from Apple legal today!

[jbulava @ Sep 6th 2007 2:47PM]

Never mind...it's coverflow.

[Matt C. @ Sep 6th 2007 7:42AM]

Gosh, I hope so - I'm trying to figure out what cellphone to get - right now I'm leaning for a Sony Ericsson with stereo bluetooth, but if the iPhone gets it I'll make the jump to that for sure, but stereo bluetooth is a dealbreaker for me since I want to use my phone as a wireless music player while jogging and at the gym...

[jron @ Sep 6th 2007 8:00AM]

the iphone does have bluetooth.

[Matt C. @ Sep 6th 2007 8:16AM]

You're right - it has bluetooth 2.0, but for some reason Apple hasn't enabled Stereo bluetooth for music, just mono bluetooth for a one ear headset for phone calls... so it's no good for working out at the gym.

[Mrmean @ Sep 6th 2007 7:42AM]

wow, better and better!

[Dunspendin @ Sep 6th 2007 7:42AM]

What about the reflection - seems to be some text there - woooh, spooky-wooks!

[D.Wallace @ Sep 6th 2007 5:31PM]

The reflection is playing Nelly Furtado's Loose. Just fyi. I'd love to be able to play a movie and music at the same time, over two different sets of bluetooth headphones... think that's what they're saying with the pic??? :P (Joke)

[Dougal @ Sep 6th 2007 7:42AM]

Same photo on the UK store (and probably other EU stores - I haven't checked). The strange thing is that the US store version of the same shot has a badly photoshopped still of Zoolander in place of the iPod screen so that none of the icons are visible. Weird - why are they hiding it in the US and didn't they get the memo in the UK/Germany.

[Jared @ Sep 11th 2007 9:13PM]

you can watch videos in full screen with no info or anything on the screen, the other photos woth it are just showing what it looks like with the info/menus showing. if you watch the learning guide on apples site theres a short demo on a video and the info fades away after like 2 seconds of not touching the screen.

[antihero @ Sep 6th 2007 7:43AM]

Its showing on the UK site aswell.

http://www.apple.com/uk/ipodtouch/gallery/index10.html

[Nick F @ Sep 6th 2007 7:45AM]

US store link:

http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/gallery/index10.html