Bluetooth 4.2 to Bring Direct Internet Connectivity and Increased Speed

[name99]

You call this "misuse"? It's apparently against the rules for me to make an app that just scans for nearby Bluetooth devices. I wasted hours, thinking it would be easy. There's the walled garden, which is fine, but this is the anti-competition zone.

And how much power do you expect your unregulated BT scanning app to burn up?...

Look, it's not a secret that Apple sells iOS as being a low-hassle system where THEY have decided the optimal tradeoffs between power, security, and usability. Turns out, there is a large (but not 100% of the population) user base that likes this tradeoff.

To get all huffy about this now, as though you've discovered some secret great injustice that no-one else is aware of just makes you look like an idiot.

 

[stars_fan]

Looks like IPv4 will be going away sooner rather than later. They'll definitely need IPv6 addressing if all kinds of bluetooth stuff will be connecting directly to the internet.

No it won't. I work for a large managed services provider as a network engineer. The adoption rate of IPv6 is extremely low.

You do realize that the class A private range has almost 17 million available addresses?

 

[Menneisyys2]

iOS supports a full Bluetooth stack, just not for App store apps to access and misuse.

Absolutely wrong.

 

[unplugme71]

The end of ethernet?

Maybe if fiber becomes cheaper to implement. But there will ALWAYS be hard wired connections. Maybe not home, but at least in backbone networks across the country and data centers. Imagine 10's of thousands of devices in a building all speaking over wireless. It would be a kill-room for anyone who walks in.

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Absolutely wrong.

Absolutely correct. But there are many profiles that iOS doesn't support that aren't really needed or used anymore. So technically, iOS supports most of the much needed stack

 

[H2SO4]

Too bad iOS users won't ever get a full Bluetooth implementation, unlike those of competing mobile operating systems.

I agree. Apple will bring it to the market first but they will cripple it.

 

[AlecZ]

And how much power do you expect your unregulated BT scanning app to burn up?...

Look, it's not a secret that Apple sells iOS as being a low-hassle system where THEY have decided the optimal tradeoffs between power, security, and usability. Turns out, there is a large (but not 100% of the population) user base that likes this tradeoff.

To get all huffy about this now, as though you've discovered some secret great injustice that no-one else is aware of just makes you look like an idiot.

BT won't use more power running the non-Apple way than it will through Apple's APIs. Literally the only difference is that I have to use GameKit to connect with Bluetooth and can only do it with iOS devices and "made for iPhone" accessories. I can still make it scan all I want (which probably doesn't use that much power) as long as it only discovers Apple products or MFi devices. Also, since when are there regulations on battery usage anyway? Any complex game will use a lot more.

 

[topmounter]

Wow, I had no idea 4.2 was right around the corner. Surely my Audioquest Diamond USB cables will support USB 4.2... right?

 

[cariacou]

why not just using WiFi directly?

BT is useful for accessories that require privacy/security (Keyboards, Earphones, etc...) but for the rest, I feel like a WiFi connection to the network would be much more convenient (Speakers, HotSpot, Car Audio, etc...).

WiFi would allow lower consumption (ie: everyone always has WiFi on, why needing BT on top of that?), easier to use (no pairing needed, easier to connect multiple devices), higher data rates (no way BT 4.2 can compare to Wifi ac).

 

[iMcLovin]

its funny how he made fun of the earplugs and now this. he seem to be a pretty arrogant and self claimed expert. Im sure he knows a lot, but as far as the way I see it, APple has done more to music than Beats have.

 

[ikir]

I guess this is somewhat related. Do a lot of people use airdrop? I do not think I have ever transferred a single file over bluetooth.

Everyday

 

[CFreymarc]

The end of ethernet?

Not the end but definitely a compromise of the "low power WiFi" that many have been pushing over the last few years. This is just an announcement, no hardware, no software and no upgraded firmware. Guess this will be the next big thing for mobile devices.

 

[firewood]

I agree. Apple will bring it to the market first but they will cripple it.

Which might make Apple a ton of money, because tons of people prefer to pay more for "crippled" (from getting filled with malware, adware and other cruft) devices.

 

[CFreymarc]

I was just thinking...

The day the Internet of Things prevents my coffee pot from making coffee in the morning, because the network is down is the day heads will roll.

One of the better laughs I had this morning. At several security conventions, people are already talking about "poltergeist effect" being a black hat hacking into a IoT household and playing merry hell with all the connected and automated devices in the house.

Never underestimate the power of bored teen with a laptop and wireless connectivity. Neighbor across the street upset you, hack into their home appliances and ruin their dinner, screw up their home heating and cooling, close the garage door on a car as it pulls out, turn on the water sprinklers as someone walks on the lawn, play cartoons in the middle of football Sunday, etc.

 

[Menneisyys2]

Which might make Apple a ton of money, because tons of people prefer to pay more for "crippled" (from getting filled with malware, adware and other cruft) devices.

Another post without any clue...

 

[alexgowers]

I wonder if audio quality will improve as well. Bluetooth headphones are going to be a big deal with all these wearable devices coming out.

Surely uncompressed wave files can already be transferred, I didn't think Bluetooth was that limited in data rates. I don't know enough about it but it's more likely a matter of amplification of the transmitted signals and digital to analogue conversions. 99% of the time a cable is better and anyone who cares about audio quality has avoided Bluetooth anyway.

Is wifi really that much worse than Bluetooth now, the two seem to be converging.

 

[gotluck]

Hilarious, iOS users had Bluetooth 4.0 LONG before the competing mobile OS's and it went completely unnoticed. Yet a profile or two not being supported because the OS offers other methods to do such things is just completely horrible, right?

IMO, yes

At least jailbreaking offers a btstack solution.

 

[iliria]

The day I will use BT is the day that the god damn thing stops draining the battery like a thirsty camel who has just found water in the desert.

 

[Menneisyys2]

IMO, yes

At least jailbreaking offers a btstack solution.

Unfortunately, not all "traditional" BT hacks work under iOS 8.x. The ones that do include BTstack GPS and BTC Mouse & Trackpad. (They're both highly useful and it's a pity Apple didn't implement their functionality in their BT implementation. Sure, I know they do want to maximise their profits by forcing people purchase the 3G / LTE iPads even if they don't need mobile net access - just for the GPS...)

Nevertheless, the other highly useful JB hack / app, AirBlue Sharing (the only real OBEX implementation - it's a real pity Apple is so stubbornly refusing giving us OBEX too), doesn't work under iOS8 and it's still not know whether it can/will be made iOS8-compliant at all.

That is, JB is no real help either, at least not as of now, under iOS8 - iOS can't come close other mobile OS'es WRT Bluetooth.

 

[lincolntran]

With NFC-enabled handsets, just bumping the two phones together. (Also works with NFC-enabled Symbian phones like the Nokia 808 when transferring files from the 808 to any other NFC handset. I've never managed to transfer files from my NFC Android handsets (Note4, Nexus7 2013) to my 808's, though.)

Without NFC, a bit more convoluted (much more taps) but still much easier than sending a mail / setting up a common Dropbox account / whatever.

Are you saying that you can transfer files from windows phones to android but not vice versa? I thought bumping phones is just a samsung thing and only between androids?

For same OS file transfer, Apple has both android and windows beat. AirDrop is just absolutely fantastic. It doesn't even require NFC. In this case, able to just drop file between OS X and iOS is even bigger. The speed is mind blowing.

 

[Menneisyys2]

Are you saying that you can transfer files from windows phones to android but not vice versa?

Nope, I referred to the Symbian-based Nokia 808. IIRC, NFC-initiated file / contact etc. transfer between Windows Phone and Android devices work just fine.

 

[Keirasplace]

Bluetooth 4.2: Coming to an Apple Watch near you on Valentine's Day 2015.

Great timing, and drastically reduces the hassle of having indirect access to the cloud for the Watch.


Bluetooth 4.2: Coming to Apple Watch-compatible Bluetooth earbuds/headphones near you on Valentine's Day 2015.

Once we get this tech, we finally have a true high-quality, wire-free sound option.

I'm guessing the hardware in the new watch would support it, and maybe the software soon (maybe not at launch).

This would allow to have VOIP voice connection of the watch with Apple devices around, no sweat ;-). Ideally handing off voice connection from one device in the house to another through continuity all over the house . This is much much lower power than WIFI, so maybe you don't need WIFI in your watch after all...

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Surely uncompressed wave files can already be transferred, I didn't think Bluetooth was that limited in data rates. I don't know enough about it but it's more likely a matter of amplification of the transmitted signals and digital to analogue conversions. 99% of the time a cable is better and anyone who cares about audio quality has avoided Bluetooth anyway.

Is wifi really that much worse than Bluetooth now, the two seem to be converging.

WIFI is meant for longer distance and you get loads of possible interference. If your on your own channel and the distance between origin and source if not to far, I don't know why WIFI wouldn't work for anything. Its not low power though; it is a big fire-hose of data ;-).

If your blasting a 400Mbs of data... I'm pretty sure your covered for most things.

 

[uwdude]

I was just thinking...

The day the Internet of Things prevents my coffee pot from making coffee in the morning, because the network is down is the day heads will roll.

It's funny you should say that, because I recently purchased one of those new Keurig 2.0 coffeemakers, and we were noticing that on the bottom of the coffeemaker is an ethernet port- we were like WTF. If you have one of those, check it out. There's a little door on the bottom, and underneath is an ethernet port, lol.

I can just imagine, Keurig offering upgrades via ethernet, and you get up in the morning and stumble out to the kitchen for coffee, and the Keurig says "Your Keurig software hasn't been updated in x days. Please download the latest version before making coffee." Then out comes the sledgehammer, lol.

 

[jmantn]

I guess this is somewhat related. Do a lot of people use airdrop? I do not think I have ever transferred a single file over bluetooth.

Almost every other day I use it and definitely useful for multiple files and or videos.

 

[laszlo182]

I'm not sure how it will be implemented... Does it require just a software update or a new hardware? My point is if it will be avaiblable only on 2015> devices or on all devices with BT 4 technology. Thanks.

 

[avanpelt]

No it won't. I work for a large managed services provider as a network engineer. The adoption rate of IPv6 is extremely low.

You do realize that the class A private range has almost 17 million available addresses?

I realize that; but it's not too far fetched to think that at some point in the future, bluetooth devices that are capable of connecting directly to the internet will come with built-in cellular radios so that they're "always on" without needing to be paired with a smartphone or be on a Wi-Fi network. If bluetooth devices start getting their own public IP addresses, IPv4 will be maxed out in a hurry.