The rumor goes like this: 6th Generation iPod will be a potent WiFi device to support YouTube. It’s either a whopper to be forgotten or Apple is making a mistake.
Hot off the rumor mill over at CrunchGear.com is the little tidbit that the upcoming 6th Generation iPod will have built-in YouTube connectivity. The popular gadget site’s sources merely said, “We can’t honestly say it won’t have YouTube.” They explain their complicated rumor-fishing process, but CrunchGear says it comes from a fairly reliable source at Apple.
Where there’s YouTube, there’s WiFi
The real kicker about the 6G iPod rumor is WiFi and you can’t have YouTube without Internet, making the 6G iPod the first to feature it. And get this; the sources say the WiFi connectivity in the upcoming iPod is going to be 802.11n - yes, WirelessN. Which is hard to believe considering iPhone didn’t even get it.
Sadly 802.11n is not a complete wireless specification so I’d be surprised to see it in a mainstream product. And the consumer shouldn’t even want to buy any “DraftN” product. Why does an iPod need the new ultra-fast MIMO-capable WirelessN spec anyway? Either Apple hubris or it’s just a rumor.
Reasons why you DON'T want a DraftN 6G iPod
1/ WirelessN is not a complete specification until the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) releases it as such. Until then it’s only DraftN. So, the whole spec is subject to change.
2/ Most WirelessN devices will operate in the 5GHz range. This will have negative effects on battery life of the iPod.
3/ Incompatibility is a reality with the DraftN specification. You want to connect your mobile device anywhere you can find WiFi. But DraftN devices don’t always play nice.
4/ You just don’t need 802.11n to stream YouTube video! WirelessN is going to be able to flex its multi-channel WiFi muscle in ultra-busy enterprise environments and for streaming home theater with high-definition video and multi-channel sound. Why do you need this on an iPod?
