Wireless without the WiFi? Apple’s got big plans for AirPlay

It’s called “Airplay Direct” despite Apple being unable to confirm or deny this snappy moniker. We’re dealing with “sources familier to the matter” or “people who want to leverage fame off a few dollars” who’ve leaked the plans for AirPlay Direct. Plans include streaming music without the need for a wireless network. All we’ll need is a stereo and an iDevice. Sounds dreamy, but how likely is it to materialise?

Very, if Apple’s involved, which it is. The iPad, iPhone, iPod, iForgot or whatever will simply bond with the HiFi, sans WiFi. Airplay in its current form is a beautiful mess that when functional, feels like a touchstone of the future. Nokia understands wireless music with its NFC playback skills, but Apple never cottoned on to the power of this cable-free technology. It had something else up its sleeve, and Airplay Direct is it.

It gets smaller

We’re all well aware of Apple’s plans to shrink the dock connector even further. If we stretch the thought process, the goal ends at cable-free charging, no more docking to sync and this, AirPlay Direct. But as we said earlier, Apple’s keeping mum. We’ll update you as the story progresses.