Now that Apple has caved and decided to give us support for stereo Bluetooth, what will we have to beg for next? It looks like Bluetooth 3.0. Bluetooth SIG -- the special interest group that oversees the development of Bluetooth standards and licensing -- formally adopted Bluetooth 3.0.
At the top of the short list of reasons why this new version should be highly anticipated is the fact that it's 8 times faster than the current Bluetooth 2.1 standard which caps it's speed at 3Mbps. The speed increase to 24Mbps is done in part by combining the power of Bluetooth with the power of WiFi. For example, when transferring files using Bluetooth 3.0, a temporary WiFi connection will be made between the two devices to give the transfer that extra speed boost. That WiFi connection will only exist for enough time so that the transfer can be completed and will be ended before it's noticable to any other nearby device.
For iPhone and iPod touch fans, this is exciting news. Progress on Bluetooth technology is important to anyone who uses their phone with a Bluetooth hands-free headset or would like to use their phone to quickly transfer contacts or files to another phone. Don't expect Bluetooth 3.0 to start hitting devices soon though; the Bluetooth special interest group has said they don't expect the new technology to be available to consumers for another 9 to 12 months - which is just in time for the 4th generation iPhone to be introduced!
If you have the itch to better understand the more technical side of Bluetooth 3.0, AppleInsider has a solid breakdown of the subject.
