iOS 7 May Include AirDrop Wireless File Sharing Capabilities

[tekboi]

but wouldn't this mean that apple would have to open up iOS7 and allow access to the file system in some regard?

 

[toaster64]

I have never used this once.

If I need to share a file I just throw it into a Dropbox folder that's already being shared by people I know. Proximity and platform is then irrelevant.

Except you have to send the shared folder to them, have them accept, and have them make an account or verify their email address if they haven't already. It's also slower, sometimes a LOT slower if one of you has a bad Internet connection, but AirDrop is ad-hoc. I'm a big fan of Dropbox, but I've found that shared folders have also gotten glitchy the past couple of months, which was annoying during my partner programming project.

I don't use Airdrop because it doesn't work on my Mac since I didn't upgrade to the newest OS. Apple, to make standards fly, they have to work.

 

[tekboi]

This post of yours, while helpful, works under the assumption that everyone uses Wi-Fi on their iDevice and Mac products.

Not everyone does.

No, it doesn't. You don't need wifi for your photos to upload from your iphone to the cloud. Only a phone that is activated and has a data plan. And you HAVE to have some sort of data plan if you have an iphone.

You also don't need wifi to be able to pull them from your photostream to the Mac... just an internet connection.

 

[toaster64]

This would be cool for photos/videos, messaging, documents, and music/ringtones (yeah right, not going to happen).

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No, it doesn't. You don't need wifi for your photos to upload from your phone to the cloud. Only a phone that is activated and has a data plan. And you HAVE to have some sort of data plan if you have an iphone.

You also don't need wifi to be able to pull them from your photostream to the Mac... just an internet connection.

What if you have an iPhone with no data plan (like my iPhone 1 I got for free), and you don't have wifi? OK let's face it, nobody does that.

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If Apple implement this rather than an actual files app, then I'll be sad. The way iOS handles inter-app sharing of files is a total mess, and you end up with copies in various states spewed all over, thanks to each app living in its own universe - and if you delete an app, you lose the files. A files library is all it would take to solve this, and would solve so many other issues *cough* file uploads *cough*

It works great with iWork. Apple just has to expand it to 3rd parties.

 

[bushman4]

Hopefully it happens !! Tired of hearing this rumor each time a new iOS comes out

 

[toaster64]

They already have this functionality. Its called s-beam (android beam) Its also much better implemented and uses wifi direct so it doesn't require devices to be on the same wireless network like this will. Using NFC for the pairing makes the setup of the connection extremely simple.

You don't even pair Macs to use AirDrop. They don't have to be on the same network. It's some ad-hoc connection. The "pairing" is just the user accepting or denying the transfer request.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AirDrop

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Why not Airdrop functionality over ethernet ? I still don't get why this isn't an option without hacking settings.

"Because wired connections are, like, so 2003."
"So is VGA. We need Mini VGA."
- Apple mentality

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You mean something like NFC? It's completely revolutionary.

It will take the market completely by surprise.

Buy Apple stock tomorrow. They've changed everything... Again.

I don't really think you know what NFC or Airdrop is, or at least you're pretending not to. They're more different than Bluetooth and wifi. Seriously, I've seen you everywhere trying to sell the Galaxy. I don't want your phone.

 

[Cougarcat]

I am not stating the exact tech was in the iphone 4. I am saying, a solution should have been made before now. Plain and simple.

Apple could have had something that required a wifi network to work, but it shouldn't come as a surprise that they waited. They would rather not have a solution than a half-assed one.

Hopefully it happens !! Tired of hearing this rumor each time a new iOS comes out

It's just the second time...

 

[toaster64]

I have Apple products.

Are you like that guy iGrip who just had a //c in college and is therefore eligible to be here?

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you know, this is one of those things where i wish apple wouldn't try to be the maker and doer of everything; i just wish they'd partner with dropbox like everyone else.

I want Apple to partner with Dropbox. Dropbox knows almost exactly (better than anyone else) how to do cloud services well. Remember, Apple tried to buy Dropbox. I hope it didn't fall through just because Apple was bidding too low

But who else is partnered with Dropbox? It seems like Dropbox just makes their app for everyone instead.

 

[thleeal]

Unsure

Well, as I said above, the required hardware wasn't there until the iPhone 5. They probably wanted to release it then but the software wasn't quite finished.

Not quite sure about this, it could be a backwards comparable feature, all you really need is a phone that supports wifi tethering. Don't you?

 

[toaster64]

Apple could have had something that required a wifi network to work, but it shouldn't come as a surprise that they waited. They would rather not have a solution than a half-assed one.

I'm pretty sure that the technology for this to be implemented well existed before.

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Not quite sure about this, it could be a backwards comparable feature, all you really need is a phone that supports wifi tethering. Don't you?

No, Macs with AirDrop (those that really support it and are not hacked in with Terminal) somehow connect to one another without being on the same network at all, just near each other.

EDIT: It's part of WiFi Direct. Most post-2009 wifi chips have support for some separate connection for only peer-to-peer networking.

 

[olowott]

Thank you Lord

hope they wont go privacy on music and videos etc

allow for documents too


a file system aint gonna happen

 

[Smartass]

this should've already been on iphone since 2010 and not in 2013 for f... sake


And let us not forget long time ago (2005) mobile phones already had a great wireless data transfer, it was called bluetooth. You didnt have to be on a same wifi network, hell you didnt even need any cellular network data transfer. Like apple would say - MAGICAL.

 

[Cougarcat]

this should've already been on iphone since 2010 and not in 2013 for f... sake


And let us not forget long time ago (2005) mobile phones already had a great wireless data transfer, it was called bluetooth. You didnt have to be on a same wifi network, hell you didnt even need any cellular network data transfer. Like apple would say - MAGICAL.

It was never great, it was always way too slow. Bluetooth is far slower than wifi.

 

[Smartass]

It was never great, it was always way too slow. Bluetooth is far slower than wifi.

Thats true but apple could easily have this feature in all of its iphones already (at least untill they could implement this new airdrop with higher speeds via wifi) but for some weird reason they said "NO!" and the iphone was left without any easy file sharing capability

 

[bushido]

the things you learn ... didnt even know airdrops works without a wifi connection

sounds promissing but i doubt it will work for songs or anything but pictures really because iOS doesnt give me access to the file system. obviously

 

[Onimusha370]

I have Apple products.

How about they put out something that is actually worth buying so I can buy a new toy.

This feature if it's even in iOS7 will more than likely be limited to the 5S and maybe 5 just like Siri and Maps.

Why not tell me how this is revolutionary or evolutionary instead of calling me a troll.

By the way, hope it comes to Apple and welcome to the 2009 warp drive.

And for the record. I never argue. I state facts that some Apple users don't like. It's call being a realist.

I call it 'being an idiot'

 

[Jayomat]

They already have this functionality. Its called s-beam (android beam) Its also much better implemented and uses wifi direct so it doesn't require devices to be on the same wireless network like this will. Using NFC for the pairing makes the setup of the connection extremely simple.

- how do you know that "s-beam" is better implemented when you have no idea about the implementation of airdrop for iOS?
- airdrop does not require you to be on WiFi

 

[Smartass]

the things you learn ... didnt even know airdrops works without a wifi connection

sounds promissing but i doubt it will work for songs or anything but pictures really because iOS doesnt give me access to the file system. obviously

my guess is Contacs, photos, maybeee videos (or they'll leave that feature for feature iphones only lol)... and thats about it.

 

[Patriks7]

What's with features leaping from OSX to IOS and vice versa and being touted as "new" when they release? Need NEW features.

You mean like majority of features from Samsung, which are useless after 5 minutes? I'd rather have features that actually do something useful and do it well.

 

[MythicFrost]

Need ways to get photos, videos and other files to and from my computer quickly. iMessage isn't ideal, and PhotoStream is often slower than just emaling them :/

This could be good.

 

[ClemyNX]

The day I can stop emailing myself photos that I take on my iPhone will be a good day.

Apparently you and twenty other people have never heard of photo stream.

Also, if there's Airdrop, there has to be a way of distinguishing other phones. Maybe not a 'user' but an icon of some kind like in OSX?

 

[Gamoe]

This will be a welcome feature! A much more secure, personal and local option than iCloud.

 

[Walter White]

Apparently you and twenty other people have never heard of photo stream.

Also, if there's Airdrop, there has to be a way of distinguishing other phones. Maybe not a 'user' but an icon of some kind like in OSX?

Why? Every iOS device has it's name based on OS X/Windows user account name.

 

[3282868]

WRONG..

OKAY

You certainly showed me

 

[esaruoho]

- airdrop does not require you to be on WiFi

Err, I hate to be the guy but uhh.. this is what my 10.8.3 tells me while being online via ethernet-cabling.. am i doing somethin wrong?