Apple snubs Marconi
It is ironic that Time Magazine’s “Invention of the Year” lacks the basic live radio functionality that was available in transistor radios as far back as the 1950’s. Heck, even in the ’80’s you could get footloose listening to the airwaves on your Sony Walkman. So where, by golly, is the radio feature for the iPhone and iPod touch?
Leave it to a non-commercial, super eclectic, former college radio station in Jersey, to be the first to stream live radio to the iPhone and iPod touch. The WFMU stream plays through QuickTime and is made possible by Tversity, a software company that claims to be the first enabler of streaming live radio for the iPhone. The audio quality of the stream is good, but be sure you stick to wi-fi because EDGE is just too slow. Hopefully more radio stations join the party so we can soon enjoy a broader selection of stations to listen to.
Listen to WFMU’s live stream at iphone.wfmu.org.
Add a comment (8 so far)
radio is old, ppl want to listen to there OWN music, well am totally happy that it doesnt have radio very happy becose if it did it wouldnt be cheaper, apple know most ppl dont listen to radio on there ipod but if you want you can buy it sepretly i have a radio at home ,dont you ?? Listen to that!! Anyway i have a phone with radio a old nokia i was veey happy but that was 6 years ago!! Where in a new age!! Itunes store,youtube , wifi those are more used !! Not radio , apple knows that well!!
Speak for yourself. There are more than just music radio stations. There is news and sports talk as well as out of town radio stations.
A major blunder from Apple that will lead me to dump the iPhone if another product comes out that allows streaming feeds. Not supporting such is tantamount to designing a car without a radio.
So what if the audio won’t be up to Apple’s pristine standards? So instead we get nothing. Is this arrogance, incompetence or both?
thats why they made the small thing that you connect on the ipod to the radio, well why dont you just go buy a zune, it has radio! If radio is SOOO important for you! Am better of with my ipod touch with wifi, ill listen to radio in my car!
It would be very nice to have live internet radio on the Touch; to listen to the international radio stations I have on my iTunes library would be a final decision maker for me.
I don’t understand arguments against adding radio to the iPod — commenters sound so defensive!
AM radio would be essential for me, and for a lot of sports fans. That is a huge market being missed.
If a phone with AM/FM radio and podcasting capability is released by a competitor, I will have to choose it over the iPhone, despite my strong and well-earned brand loyalty to Apple.
This will sound weird to most, but I only listen to Audiobooks and National Public Radio (US). Music is for background noise and parties, not for when commuting, or just waiting, and trying to be aurally entertained.
My 2nd Gen 20GB iPod is _still_ always ready with great books on history, language, science, etc.
So to the point about radio reception, for some of us at least it is not about tunes, it’s about quality stuff that is free on radio, or–in the case of NPR–which you can pay Audible for.
Remember when Apple started supporting Audible format? I can listen to Talk of the Nation and Car Talk for free on the radio, or I can pay Audible to download to iTunes…maybe we have a partial answer as to why no radio?
P.S. Sports fans should be drowned in their own vomit, who cares if they can listen to “the other opiate of the masses?”
Sorry for double, but one other thing: Just got through setting up an RV roof-mount antenna for cellular data (internet). Data plans are about $50/month, and I do not mean iPhone’s crap Edge network. Both Verizon and Sprint do offer data only (no voice) plans.
No reason why a crazy person can’t just get a free phone (with contract) and data plan, hook to a $100 (old, used) laptop wired to car DC and stowed under the seat, and have personal wifi around the car/truck/SUV while driving. I did say crazy person, didn’t I? lol. Would be better if Apple didn’t make such awesome stuff then put these restrictions on it.
The reason there is no radio on any ipod is probably very simple:
People that listen to radio is likely to buy less songs on itunes, and that is of course a bad thing for apple…
Thats why we previously have had to pay extra “tax” in the form of radio remote, since this probably makes us less ideal iTunes customers. But with touch they removed it altogether, too bad.