SHIFT: The trouble with Bluetooth

[NewsHottie]

One of the most annoying things about the upcoming iPhone 3G is that its Bluetooth abilities are remarkably primitive. Like the previous model, Apple gave it only enough Bluetooth to allow it to pair with a wireless earpiece — leaving out the A2DP technology that would let the phone stream music to wireless headphones, or the ability to act as a wireless modem for a computer otherwise stranded from the Net.
Apple is a lot of things, but the company isn't dumb — clearly if there was a big enough demand for advanced wireless abilities, it would have put them in. Bluetooth earpieces have reached the mainstream, barely, but Bluetooth headphones haven't made any noise just yet, even though they've been available for a while. People everywhere say they can't stand wires, yet Bluetooth tech hasn't come anywhere near obsoleting the headphone cable. What's the holdup? My explanation after the Continue jump.


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