Over-the-Air Podcast Downloading in Firmware 2.2

[MacRumors]

TUAW posts another screenshot from the iPhone 2.2 Firmware Beta 2 that has been provided to developers. This new screenshot seems to reveal that Apple will be delivering over-the-air Podcast downloads on the iPhone and iPod Touch.

TUAW speculates that this may be why Apple rejected the Podcaster application. The "Get More Episodes" button in the latest beta firmware does not appear to be functional at this time.

Article Link: Over-the-Air Podcast Downloading in Firmware 2.2

 

[Telp]

If this is true, this is gonna be very great, Ashame for the developer who wanted to do this, but would rather it done through Apple anyways. I imagine this would be a wifi only thing, but who would want to download huge podcasts over EDGE or 3G. Next up, Movie downloads? TV shows? I can't believe this is a higher priority than C+P.

 

[Rybold]

Over the air podcasts will be awesome!
I never know when I'm going to have free time, and being able to download a
podcast and listen to it while I'm waiting for someone or just "killing time" will be excellent.

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[Drumjim85]

If this is true, this is gonna be very great, Ashame for the developer who wanted to do this, but would rather it done through Apple anyways. I imagine this would be a wifi only thing, but who would want to download huge podcasts over EDGE or 3G. Next up, Movie downloads? TV shows? I can't believe this is a higher priority than C+P.

ya, id imaging i would be tied into the music store some how ... (which is only wifi)

 

[Rybold]

I can't believe this is a higher priority than C+P.

Maybe copy & paste is TEN TIMES more difficult to make than this add-on to iTunes. Maybe and maybe not.

 

[Drumjim85]

This was not made by Apple. This was made by a third-party developer, just like all the other Apps on your phone.

so you're telling me that "notes" and "safari" and "ipod" are all 3rd party apps not made by apple ?

that screen shot is part of the "ipod" app

 

[mkrishnan]

This was not made by Apple. This was made by a third-party developer, just like all the other Apps on your phone.

Yes, I too am totally confused by what you mean by this.

 

[broncopde]

Excellent

This is certainly a very useful feature that will be appreciated by many ipod touch and iphone users!

 

[kmcrawford]

Ok, so I'm assuming 2 things.

1st, you'd already have to be subscribed to a podcast to "get more".

2nd, I'm sure they are going to make you have to be on WiFi to download podcasts.

It would be cool if you could browse podcasts, like on the Apple TV.

 

[fishmoose]

This is great!! Finally i can just download my podcast from anywhere in the house without booting the macbook and then sync!!
I usually lissen to my podcast in bed at weekends so i dont wanna get up and boot the computer to download the latest episode of Mark Kermodes rants!

 

[hfletcher]

ya, id imaging i would be tied into the music store some how ... (which is only wifi)

I don't understand why you can download apps up to 10mb over the air, but not a 3mb song off iTunes? OK, maybe not a full length podcast, but I don't understand why the iTMS still has to use wifi? It would be really nice if you could download the occasional song in a 3G area for example

 

[Arran]

This is great!! Finally i can just download my podcast from anywhere in the house without booting the macbook and then sync!!
I usually lissen to my podcast in bed at weekends so i dont wanna get up and boot the computer to download the latest episode of Mark Kermodes rants!

You mean Kermode and Mayo's film review? You can stream many BBC podcasts to your iphone here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/ip/#_home.

I use it daily.

 

[AeronPrometheus]

I don't understand why you can download apps up to 10mb over the air, but not a 3mb song off iTunes? OK, maybe not a full length podcast, but I don't understand why the iTMS still has to use wifi? It would be really nice if you could download the occasional song in a 3G area for example

Restrictions on Apps are much more lax than music, which is why you can re-download an App you've paid for, but not a song. I think Apple thinks that iffy downloads are alright for Apps (cause they can go back and re-download the missing bits if the connection is interrupted) but are not cool for songs. It might be part of their DRM deals with the music companies that prevents this, who knows.

Podcasts are for the better part, free and unregulated. If I cannot download via 3G at -least- then I will be very disappointed in this feature.

 

[deriko100]

Woot, no wonder they took down podcaster.

 

[nagromme]

Sounds nice, but it does make you wonder if Apple might not have rejected Podcaster and THEN decided to add the feature in imitation of Podcaster's idea. I don't really believe that worst-case interpretation--it's a fairly obvious feature that Apple probably had already thought of. But if I was Podcaster's creator, it would be hard not to wonder.

Re lack of 3G music downloads: I think the music download system is simply older and less sophisticated than the app download system--and probably bound up in agreements with music labels too. That could change, you never know.

 

[Drumjim85]

Re lack of 3G music downloads: I think the music download system is simply older and less sophisticated than the app download system--and probably bound up in agreements with music labels too. That could change, you never know.

i think if anything, it would be some ATT deal that is stopping it, not the labels... they dont care how much cell tower bandwidth gets used.

 

[fishmoose]

You mean Kermode and Mayo's film review? You can stream many BBC podcasts to your iphone here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/podcasts/ip/#_home.

I use it daily.

How can i have missed that, thanks for the tip!

 

[Rybold]

so you're telling me that "notes" and "safari" and "ipod" are all 3rd party apps not made by apple ?

that screen shot is part of the "ipod" app

Yes, I too am totally confused by what you mean by this.

Oops. "My bad." I thought that was a third-party App. Sorry.

 

[fleshman03]

This was the only reason why I wanted to jailbreak my Touch. Now, I'm 100% happy without jailbreaking.

I'm so happy that I will no longer need to pull out my MacBook Pro to update my MSNBC CountDown podcast! YES!

I hope Apple isn't going to screw us and only have it be audio podcasts. Video is needed!!!

 

[MacMuttonchops]

i think if anything, it would be some ATT deal that is stopping it, not the labels... they dont care how much cell tower bandwidth gets used.

No. Apps up to 10MB are allowed to be downloaded over the air. Songs are 3MB. AT&T stopping it makes no sense.

 

[ChrisN]

I cannot wait! Hopefully I will get back into listening to podcasts.

ChrisN

 

[fleshman03]

No. Apps up to 10MB are allowed to be downloaded over the air. Songs are 3MB. AT&T stopping it makes no sense.

My video podcast is ~300mb/hour. Surely I'll be able to download that via wifi?

I cannot wait! Hopefully I will get back into listening to podcasts.

ChrisN

There is a lot of awesome stuff out there. Personally, I use podcasts as a type of talk radio.

So does anyone have an idea on a release date? Before election day?

 

[ntrigue]

2.2 is shaping up to be quite the upgrade.

I'm pleased to see constant Firmware improvements again after a series of just bug fixes.

 

[Drumjim85]

No. Apps up to 10MB are allowed to be downloaded over the air. Songs are 3MB. AT&T stopping it makes no sense.

and the app store negotiations happened (probably) a lot later than the itunes store did.... The whole thing doesn't make sense, but this is my only logical suggestion.

 

[foobarbaz]

Hmm, so maybe Apple rejecting this app wasn't entirely evil. Imagine how many people would complain now that they spent 10 bucks on the 3rd party app... (But it's certainly not fair to the developer. He did a lot of work, and was first, only to be c*ck blocked by Apple.)