Apple's experimented with allowing iTunes to stream over the internet as well as your LAN in the past and quickly removed the feature (probably due to RIAA pressure), so we're not placing too much stock in this, but AppleInsider's unearthed a patent that seems to describe a way to stream music over the 'net to your iPhone / iPod touch. The goal is to prevent you from having to selectively sync content to your device -- instead, you'd sync just the metadata and stream whatever you wanted direct from your machine as though it was all stored locally. There are some obvious problems here -- it wouldn't work if you didn't have service (or over EDGE, really), most home upstream connections aren't that fast, etc., etc., -- but it's certainly interesting, and a welcome addition to local storage if it ever makes the scene. In the meantime, how about working in some of those
new UI elements from the Remote app into the iPod app?
[Via
Macrumors, thanks Mark]
It might not take too many steps for Apple, but prob get an app with the same high quality as MobileMe
They god damn better! Considering they haven't let Sling anywhere near the iPhone. If they can't do it (because of restrictions from the labels and RIAA) then they should let someone that can. There are numerous examples not unlike the after mentioned Sling Media.
first i thought this was a XKCD comic. then i realised there were no people.
It doesn't already do that? I thought it would at least try to upstage the PSP/PS3.
first i thought this was a XKCD comic. then i realised there were no
people.
first i thought this was a XKCD comic. then i realised there were no
people.
For the time being, you can try using Ampache with the iPhone.
You got it all wrong, that patent will be used by Apple to delete your pirated music or other media downloaded from other vendors or pirated.
I understand that DelPadre Associates ( DelPadre.com) have produced a system that does exactly this. It's for the iPhone 3G and has what appears to be a small base hardware accessory.
"There are some obvious problems here -- it wouldn't work if you didn't have service (or over EDGE, really), most home upstream connections aren't that fast, etc."
Obviously the lack of service would be an issue, but Nilay seems to have made some improper assumptions as to how complicated a process this really is.
In fact, streaming music is neither a big deal or revolutionary. Any symbian or WM, etc. device has been able to do this with the simplest of software, the more complicated bits being getting a proper network setup.
Services like Orb (already mentioned in the comments) take care of that by using their server as a repeater to get around routers and firewalls. Orb is free, and works on virtually all open platforms. Obviously, since iTunes and the iPhone are not "open", orb is not compatible, so Apple fanboys have to wait for some sort of "official" outfit like this.
Meanwhile, Orb users have been praising music streaming since 2G Edge connections! 128k ecoding is standard for medium quality digital audio, and Edge can easily maintain 100-150kpbs bit rates. With good reception, my old Edge smartphone was able to pull down 210kpbs, more than enough to play my 160-190k encoding mp3's without ANY loss of quality.
With 3G, this is a no-brainer... even higher quality 230+kpbs encoding, you'd have plenty of bandwidth to go around without loss of quality.
Now, your comment about consumer internet upload is baffling to me. Nilay, are you using Dial-Up or something? What broadband connection nowadays gives you less than 300kpbs upstream? My home cable connection upstreams at over 1.5mbps, so I would be able to handle about 8+ simultaneous music streams at a time.
Seriously, with services like Slingbox, no one ever questioned how we'd place shift VIDEO, so why are we questioning AUDIO, which uses far less bandwidth?
I love Engadget's news, but seriously- sometimes these reporter's opinions are just... uneducated.
Dot.Tunes has been able to do this for a while now on OS X.
I already do this with TVersity and my PSP, its not that big of deal.
i hope they dont use mobile me for this...as it sucks
Terrible idea. Why the hell would I want to stream my music when I bought the thing to put music ON.
For those of us with a download limit on our connection for whatever reason, this is just absolutely unusable.
If it were to use your wireless home network to sync, that would be great, but to stream? Next.
then don't use it. This would be quite a welcome (and late to the dance) addition for almost anyone.
@Mordy: I don't think the issue is as much with upstreaming as it is with AT&T not wanting you and not allowing you to have 20 gigs with of downloads every month.
Right?
but for those with large limits it means access to all the media on their computer (i have 2TB of music and movies) with a wafer thin, incredibly inexpensive player with very little to no storage... since you have access to everything wirelessly there is no need for lots of storage on the device.... extending this to documents on your computer would be pretty awesome too... open, read, edit, email documents that reside on your computer from your iPhone or iPod Touch would be awesome.
..also for those with WiFi access at work, airport, Starbuck etc.. it means access to every piece of media on their computer for free with no limit... until the 2TB iPod comes out i can't put all my media on my iPod and even if i could it would be huge... this means i have access to everything and the device is tiny... think access to 2TB in a device the size of a nano... that sound pretty appealing to me... all you have to decide is how big a screen you'd like... size to storage is not an issue any more...
The actual product from Del Padre is being sold as SpeakerCraft's MODE for iPhone HD Video.. Grok it at http://www.delpadre.com/#/?id=10&path=iphone.flv
Del Padre does killer graphics....
hello iam reddeppa
isn't this basically slingPlayer for iTunes?
Been able to do this on my HTC phones for over 2 years now.
Apple still has a long long long way to go before they have even half the functionality of smart phones enabled on their iPhone.
This is not interesting unless the batteries become a heck of a lot more powerful. Honestly.
People just don't learn. These patent applications prove nothing. Apple (and probably other major companies) regularly canvasses its employees for ideas and submits applications for anything and everything that they think they might be able to get away with. Today's companies stifle innovation and abuse the patent office by spamming it with low-grade shit that is unpatentable by law but still winds up getting approved.
Software is unpatentable by law, because the patenting of algorithms is expressly prohibited. As are OBVIOUS "inventions."
Yet here we are, in an age where you can work all your life to build something only to have it taken away by a bloated, bullying corporation that has no grounds for its suit but way more money than you, with the backing of a taxpayer-funded sham called the USPTO.
Please keep you horrid spam away from this site, most of us are experts, don't need your crappy pc support.
@Fitz
I get around 115 kbits/second according to Orb
I'm doing it right now with Nicecast.
http://www.rogueamoeba.com/nicecast/
Feed your iTunes library into Nicecast and stream your own
radio station to the internet. Call up the station via Tuner.
This is not new. Works fine, but now we can receive it
with the iPhone.
Dan
Nice to hear. The one thing that Apple Remote was missing was the ability to stream your iTunes Library to your iPhone and iTouch. I was just looking for that functionality while I was within my wireless network, so this extended functionality sounds fantastic.
BTW, are you guys satisfied with anything? Try having constructive critisim, Apple is doing great things.
Example:
I would like to see the Time Capsule become an iTunes media server. I like to shut down my iMac once in a while :-)
The new iTunes 8 is now screen reader friendly on both Mac and PC, or use your screen reader to purchase or download content from the iTunes Store. I got it from here: iTunes 8