Why Not Possible: WiFi Sync with iTunes

[fjfjfjfj]

I'm sure it's been discussed before but my recent purchase of the iPad makes me ponder again, why can't Apple make it so you can sync your iPad/iPhone/iPod touch with iTunes over your home network? It would be so seamless to have it sync automatically when I am in the house, say on a certain schedule or when I press a button on the device. It just seems so outdated to connect a cord to the iMac to sync. So I am wondering why? I don't know a lot about these things so perhaps there is a good explanation.

 

[aperry]

I agree 100%. There's no excuse for this, especially since the Zune has had wireless sync since day 1.

 

[iChase]

I completely agree. It's not really taking advantage of its 802.11n right now, is it?

 

[aristobrat]

Wonder if the "Home Sharing" feature that they added to iTunes a bit ago (that allows iTunes on different computers to wirelessly sync between themselves) is laying the foundation for future wireless iDevice syncing?

 

[aperry]

I completely agree. It's not really taking advantage of its 802.11n right now, is it?

That's a good point. I guess 802.11n is useful for the increased range, but the iPad really can't take advantage of the bandwidth.

 

[emaja]

I would like that too, especially since we will have two iPad in the house when the 3G arrives. That would make things easier for sure.

 

[Bodhi395]

I also agree, and am unsure why Apple is not implementing this feature.

It might be they realize that some people still have slow wifi routers in their home and it would take a long time to sync up large movies and music collections without a usb cord.

It could also be they are holding back on this, because they like to hold back features so they can implement them in future releases. Maybe they want to save it for OS 5.0.

Yet, the fact the freaking zune of all things has wireless syncing makes Apple seem to be dropping the ball a little. You never want Microsoft to have a more innovative feature than Apple!

 

[adammull]

I also agree, and am unsure why Apple is not implementing this feature.

It might be they realize that some people still have slow wifi routers in their home and it would take a long time to sync up large movies and music collections without a usb cord.

It could also be they are holding back on this, because they like to hold back features so they can implement them in future releases. Maybe they want to save it for OS 5.0.

Yet, the fact the freaking zune of all things has wireless syncing makes Apple seem to be dropping the ball a little. You never want Microsoft to have a more innovative feature than Apple!

It takes forever to sync movies over USB anyway, so not sure it would matter. Hell, sometimes backups take 10 minutes, which is why I skip them.

 

[ScubaCinci]

This has long been a complaint of iTunes and the iPhone. I wish it were possible though.

 

[guinness0514]

Maybe there is an issue of a broken connection between sync'ing. If you lost WiFi connection in the process of loading stuff that it would corrupt the files making a bad user experience? I am sure there are ways around this, but maybe this is one of the problems?

 

[Darth.Titan]

Until the iPad, I could see no point to WiFi syncing. I mean after all, I'm charging it in my dock anyway right? Also, why exacerbate the iPhone's limited battery life?

Enter the iPad... Now I can't charge from USB on my Mac anyway, so it gets synced much less often. Also the iPad's battery performance is considerably better. (I haven't charged it yet this week and I still have 50% charge remaining.) Being able to grab my new purchases or any added content over WiFi would be a welcome enhancement with the iPad.

 

[ScubaCinci]

Maybe there is an issue of a broken connection between sync'ing. If you lost WiFi connection in the process of loading stuff that it would corrupt the files making a bad user experience? I am sure there are ways around this, but maybe this is one of the problems?

That's definitely a possibility. Apple likes to use the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid) and not give users the opportunity to hose things up.

 

[jaw04005]

I’m not as concerned for syncing since it would take forever. However, there’s no excuse for the lack streaming capabilities. It’s been available on the Apple TV (and therefore in iTunes) since 2007.