Hey Apple, Get Rid of the Wire

Date: 6th December, 2004

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I love my iPod. That sounds really corny, but it's true.

Obviously, I'm not talking about love in the romantic sense. I'm talking about love in the way that a keen driver might love a Ferrari Enzo, the way an aircraft aficionado might adore the sleek lines of the Avro Vulcan or the way a train-spotter feels when watching a Mallard pull majestically away from the station, in a feathery cloud of steam.

The iPod is a truly beautiful piece of hardware. An MP3 player of such class and elegance it inspires desire - and envy. Other manufacturers are falling over themselves as they try to mimic the iPod's success, but they just can't compete.

So the iPod is today's definitive MP3 player. But, for me, it still has one big flaw...

I wisely invested in the 40GB (3G) model so that I wouldn't have to upgrade for a while and I don't see anything coming out of Apple that's going to make me consider upgrading anytime soon. I don't want to view photo's on a 2" screen and I don't want a black fascia with a red scroll wheel (WTF?).

What I want is to be able to enjoy my music unencumbered by wires. What I want... is a Bluetooth iPod.

Imagine not having to suffer the pain and embarrassment caused by snagging the earphone wire anymore. Imagine not having to waste time threading wires through clothing, in order to avoid that same snagging. Imagine not having to remove your iPod earphones to make or answer a call on your Bluetooth-equipped cellular phone. Imagine your iPod automatically pausing while you make or take a call. Imagine yourself and a friend enjoying the same music from just one iPod. Imagine your iPod automatically syncing with iTunes by proximity alone...

Apple could enjoy a whole new market from sleek, Apple-designed Bluetooth headsets to boot!

Apple Computer, Inc. got just about everything right with the iPod and they continue to improve it with each new model (U2 Special Edition aside). It is very nearly perfect. All Apple has to do now is cut the wires. Come on Apple, how hard can it be?