May 02, 2007
Coming Soon: A Wi-Fi iPod?
No doubt about it, MP3 players are going the way of Wi-Fi. Take the upcoming Slacker (see left), a music player made by the San Diego startup of the same name which will automatically download tunes via Wi-Fi networks. Or the $250 Sansa Connect from memory card maker SanDisk, which lets users listen to preprogrammed playlists (courtesy of Yahoo) when in a Wi-Fi hotspot. Even Microsoft's Zune has limited Wi-Fi, though it's been criticized as virtually useless since it only lets users share music with each other. But all this begs the question: Does Apple have a Wi-Fi iPod on the way? Recent rumors suggest that yes, the maker of the reigning MP3 player has plans to unveil such a product, and soon. According to Taiwan's DigiTimes, "Apple plans to launch new iPods featuring Wi-Fi in the second half of 2007."
The same report suggests that Universal Scientific Industrial (USI) has been contracted to make Wi-Fi modules for the player and that components manufacturer Foxconn will act as the OEM system assembler. An iPod that lets users seamlessly download iTunes content wherever they are, sans wires? Yeah, I think there will be some takers. But Apple better get the device out there soon—before the Sansa Connects and Slackers of the world start chipping away at its whopping 72 percent music player market share.
dont think it gonna be a hit
