On Wednesday Apple announced the addition of three new products into the Bluetooth v4.0 ecosystem — the iPhone 5, iPod nano and iPod touch. The nano received Bluetooth support due to consumer demand, according to Suke Jawanda, CMO of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group.
The first two are Bluetooth Smart Ready hubs, making it possible for a wide-range of devices from a mobile phone to a sensor device like Nike’s new Hyperdunk+ basketball shoe or Polar’s H7 heart rate strap, to connect, collect and share information in real-time. The connection supplied by Bluetooth technology enables the three new Apple devices to communicate securely with the more than seven billion Bluetooth enabled devices already on the market.
“Bluetooth v4.0 is the only wireless technology available today that provides low energy consumption, security, performance and the massive installed base manufacturers need to create, innovate and enhance the usability of their products,” says Jawanda. “Apple knows it – in today’s keynote the company called out Bluetooth technology as one of the biggest requests for the iPod nano. Our 16,500 member companies also know it. To make the wireless connectivity of your product better, the clear and obvious choice is to use Bluetooth.:
Apple announcement also highlighted the company’s aggressive global rollout plans for its new products, placing Bluetooth Smart Ready hubs in the hands of more consumers and ensuring that developers will have even more incentive to make their products better with Bluetooth, says Jawanda. By adding Bluetooth v4.0 to the new iPhone 5, iPod touch and iPod nano, Apple not only gives consumers the ability to stream high fidelity music to speakers and earphones, but also connect to thousands of new ultra power efficient Bluetooth Smart products like watches, training shoes and heart rate monitors, he adds.