Wi-Fi Sync: wirelessly sync the iPhone with iTunes... in your dreams (video)
By Thomas Ricker 
posted April 26th 2010 4:03AM
posted April 26th 2010 4:03AM
posted April 26th 2010 4:03AM
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Frankly, I'm disappointed Apple haven't implemented Bluetooth/Wireless syncing to iTunes.
@Edmunn
Frankly , I don't know what the big deal is. Don't you need to plug in your iPhone anyways because of the battery?
@Edmunn Why would they when they can get you to waste money on adapters?
@Outsider I'd love to charge and sync my iPhone not on my desk. Charge via wall, sync via wifi.
@Outsider We're not talking about syncing entire batteries at one shot. Say I've synced recently, but an hour later I buy a new song on the App Store and REALLY want to have it on my iPhone, I don't have to go hunt for the cable because I can sync that one song wirelessly
@brrip *itunes store
@brrip
I see what you mean, but I can't relate to it, since I like to buy songs directly from my iPod Touch.
@Edmunn
I can see WiFi syncing, not bluetooth. That would take way too long.
@Altairantares
You mean that magical "adaptor" cable that comes with every iPod/iPhone ever sold?
@Outsider
Because I plug my phone into my Bose Speaker system and run a clock app to use it as a cool clock and listen to music whilst charging. I find it annoying to have a cable to my laptop to have to sync!
So I just rarely sync anymore. Come on Apple, I thought you were the kings of computer interaction.
@Edmunn
Hope this makes it in, if not its another reason to jailbreak.
Now all we need is wireless Home Sharing, the ability to stream or copy media from your library to your device over Wifi.
@Outsider Are you seriously questioning the usefulness of wireless syncing? Do you work for Apple's PR team? I'm sure as soon as Apple ads wireless syncing to the iPhone you will be the first person praising them for their ingenuity in coming up with something that no one could have ever imagined.
@Outsider
I charge my iPod in my clock radio base. I can't even say I know where my USB cable is right now.
@brrip If you've recently synced, but then an hour later you've lost track of the cable and need to go hunt for it, then you've got other problems.
As for wireless syncing in general, as an iPhone user this would be great, but I can easily see it killing the battery. For short backups this makes sense, but I regularly sync video to my phone and that would just take too long and kill the battery. Introducing wireless sync would have to add a new mode where the phone knows how to do either a "full" sync or a "light" sync, but then which stuff should be synced in each mode?
@Outsider when will a wireless charging app come out?
@Edmunn 3 years ago I had a Cingular 8525 that could sync by Bluetooth (maybe Wifi too but I never tried). It's funny how much drastically better the iPhone is but still doesn't have some features that were available 3-4 years ago.
@Altairantares
That's Apple for ya!
@Outsider Not if they also add wireless charging. Then Apple can finally realize its dream of making a product with no holes or doors in it.
@Edmunn
Bluetooth would SUCK but wifi.. yes. Especially with 802.11n this would be a very nice option.
@Outsider
For syncing from a distane, like from a dock, or among other things, if you're too lazy to go plug it in
Oh it'll get rlsed, just next year and as part of apple's own update.
@Madmax333 And it will be incompatible with all previous versions of the iPhone and iPod Touch for 'hardware' reasons.
Wow what an original concept, a company adding features to new products and not to old ones thus encouraging you to upgrade and therefore making money. Sorry we don't live in a technology utopia were everything is free and you're 3 year old product is just as functional as the latest model.
Some of the freetards on here, don't have the first clue how real life works :-:
@wilvo yep, and in real life any stupid winmo device can sync wireless since ... winmo 5 and for free. and in real life, you can go to xda-developers forum and find any ROM/radio update, for free, for any 5 yr old product.
@phearme Winmo wireless, uh, no. Not since Active Sync 4.0. Deprecated for security concerns. You can sync wirelessly to an Exchange server, but that is just PIM info.
@phearme
Nice comparison dude. If I jailbreak my iPhone I can also do all kinds of funky stuff to it, people even have Android running on it.
But that's not the point. The point is that in business, you make money selling products. If you put every function imaginable into version 1 of your product you'll be out of business before you can even start selling it. If you keep supporting your products indefinitely and keep adding features introduced in later models to your older products, you'll be out of business after version one. Simple as that.
@snagra Well, if the new iPhone uses 802.11n wifi, then making it incompatible with previous iPhones actually makes sense. Sorry.
@snagra
Which is why Apple won't allow it. And he'll have to sell it on Cydia, and hundreds, even thousands will jailbreak and buy it just for that lol
And Apple will be even more screwed!
@wilvo well when the new products they make are the same and original iPhone users spent a lot of money so the least they can do is give them video recording etc.... that's just cruel. Just because its a business doesn't make it any less of a BS tactic
Now this is something I'll jailbreak for.
@Shaduu
Out of all the incredibly useful extra functionality jailbreaking delivers, this is what spikes your interest the most?
I agree that wireless syncing would be a nice bonus, but I can't imagine it being a primary reason to jailbreak, with so many other awesome Cydia apps out there that will never be approved by Apple.
@Insomnihack "Out of all the incredibly useful extra functionality jailbreaking delivers, this is what spikes your interest the most?"
Yes.
Yes, the Zune can do this.
@furquanatique
Indeed, my Zune HD is syncing wirelessly as I type this.
@furquanatique
As does my Nexus1. Setup over wi-fi now, over bluetooth is also an option.
@furquanatique
Does your zune make phone calls, too?
@DTJ
Is that supposed to be a reason why the iPhone can't do a wireless sync, an additional radio? Sounds like another reason why its so lame that it doesn't.
@furquanatique Yeah, I was wondering why this was a big deal, since my Zune 80GB has been wirelessly syncing for ages. Guess it's only magical when an Apple device does it.
@DTJ
Does your iPhone?
This is awesome!!!
But then again, great things are hardly ever approved by the Apple Police.....
I bet the app review guys are having a pretty good laugh right about now.
The reason Apple don't allow this is for the same reason there is no USB port or SD card slot in the iPad: They make money on the peripherals and/or licensing fees from 'Made for iPod/iPhone/iPad' branded extras. And there is some serious money being made in the need to purchase extra USB charging / syncing cables.
(I don't buy the "You need a cable to charge anyway." argument because it would be very convenient to have your iDevice constantly sync away in the background over WiFi, without it needing to be constantly physically tethered to your mothership.)
Whilst to some, Apple are working towards some form of technological utopia, in fact, they are quite simply in it for the money. The ideology went out the window with Woz.
We Apple fans will always be waiting for tomorrow. Always...
@Oflife They all come with a USB cable anyway, so why would anyone buy another syncing cable?
@r3loaded
While we are on that topic... my dad just bought 4 of those cables to put in different places so he doesn't have to carry it with him.
I tried to stop him. But now that I think about it, man, he'd be the perfect Apple customer.
@Oflife
You're saying a business is actually in business to make money? Shame on them!
I'll tell you why Apple did not implement this. What's the point of this when you're already in your home, and next to your computer, with a cable probably already connected? Are we too lazy to plug it in? And why would I want my iPod Touch to constantly be syncing in the background draining the battery? Lets hope I don't loos the wifi connection as I am in the middle of sync something. This is a gimmicky feature.
I have the ability to download music, videos and new podcasts all from the iPhone or iPod Touch. More and more I find myself moving away from being tied to a PC media management software. I can even load the Remote App on the iPhone/iPod Touch and play all my media files over the wifi network. The times when I do sync is when I'm backing up or mybe charging the iDevices.
@dave95
Apple seems to cater to much with those that live in a home with one PC on a desk in a convenient place that does everything.
My main PC is in the basement running headless, relying on a network to connect to the various virtual machines. It works wonderfully for everything except for apple products.
@dave95
"What's the point of this when you're already in your home, and next to your computer, with a cable probably already connected?"
Well, I'll tell you how I use wireless syncing with my Zune HD. I primarily use it in the car to listen to podcasts. When I get home from work and pull into the garage, new podcasts are downloaded and the old ones removed, so when I get into the car the next day, new podcasts are ready to go.
@Missing Matter
Ok that works for you. But how many people leave their Apple devices in the car? I use my iPod Touch throughout the house (web browsing, accessing media over my network, playing games over wifi), so no need to leave it stuck in the car. But if that works for you great, I still don't see it as some must have feature. Even if Apple did add it in (or Approved this App), I still will prefer syncing over cables cause of the speed etc.
@dave95 "What's the point of this[...]"
I have only so many USB slots on my computer and I have quite a few peripherals. Every now and then I have to unplug one cord on the front so I can sync my iPod or iPhone or some other peripheral. Either that or try to connect the cord to the back where I have more slots, but the back of my comp is more difficult to get to.
Wireless syncing would be great for when I already have a bunch of devices plugged in. In fact, I probably wouldn't sync through wires again (just charge through the wall).
Somebody invent OTA iTunes