Apple to launch "The Circle" Wi-Fi services for iPods

"Close sources" talk up new wireless offerings

4 September 2007 21:49 GMT / By Amy-Mae Elliott

The Zune had "the social", and although they would no doubt not welcome the comparison, "close sources" have it that Apple will launch something similar tomorrow with "The Circle".

Apple is almost certainly due to launch a new range of iPods tomorrow, and one of the strongest tips for the new players, from multiple sources now, is Wi-Fi connectivity.

With that Wi-Fi connectivity it seems that Apple wants to tailor "new products and services" to better fit the new wirelessly capable devices than iTunes alone can offer.

One rumour doing the rounds is that Apple are planning to introduce a "buy now" feature for music streaming, or radio, where users can click to purchase a song while it's playing.

That could logically fit in to a "Circle" themed offering, although like the Zune's "social" features, it's hard to believe that DRM management would allow further iPod-to-iPod sharing in any kind of meaningful way.

If you were really speculating about this news for tomorrow's launch then "The Circle" name fits with Apple's iconic scroll-wheel design which would in turn fit with a music-themed service.

Whether it's Wi-Fi downloads, Bluetooth sharing or none of the above, Pocket-lint.co.uk will bring you all the new tomorrow, live, as it happens...