Apple Says Yes to Wi-Fi Direct Standard

Technology companies that are members of the Wi-Fi Alliance have agreed to a new peer-to-peer wireless standard whose aim is to make electronic devices communicate more easily. As a member of the Alliance, Apple is likely to introduce the standard in whatever new products it may release in 2010, when Wi-Fi Direct is expected to be approved for networking without hotspots.

According to an AppleInsider report, Wi-Fi Direct would allow devices like the iPhone and iPod touch to communicate with other devices for tasks like printing or file sharing. The standard is intended for both consumer electronics as well as enterprise applications, the report reveals. By including WPA2 security and management features, it will make the perfect wireless protocol for enterprise environments, the Apple-focused site suggests. By using roughly the same power, while providing similar data rates and access range as current Wi-Fi products, the standard is likely to become widely adopted.

"Wi-Fi Direct represents a leap forward for our industry," Wi-Fi Alliance Executive Director Edgar Figueroa, said. "Wi-Fi users worldwide will benefit from a single-technology solution to transfer content and share applications quickly and easily among devices, even when a Wi-Fi access point isn't available. The impact is that Wi-Fi will become even more pervasive and useful for consumers and across the enterprise."

"With Wi-Fi technology already shipping in millions of consumer electronics devices and handsets every year, this is a terrific innovation for the industry," Victoria Fodale, senior analyst and market intelligence manager at In-Stat, added. "Empowering devices to move content and share applications without having to join a network brings even more convenience and utility to Wi-Fi-enabled devices."

AppleInsider adds that Wi-Fi Direct offers many Bluetooth-specific capabilities and will likely compete with this particular wireless technology when new devices are released next year. Apple uses Bluetooth in many of its devices, including iPhone and iPod touch, iMac and MacBook computers, as well as the peripherals they’re controlled with.