Apple planning wireless iPod

The next version could be a digital shopping cart that uses Wi-Fi and mobile networks to tag songs for download.

Apple has published a couple of patents that suggest it will be adding wireless features to a future iPod - and we're talking more than just Bluetooth for headphones.

The patents describe a device that is fully wirelessly enabled, able to hop on to mobile networks as well as Wi-Fi hotspots. The purpose of this is not to share tunes and movies wirelessly, but to turn the iPod into a kind of mobile shopping trolley for digital content.

The idea is that, while out and about, the user could find a song being sold online and then tag it, downloading it later when they sync the iPod with their home computer. Mobile phone operators already offer a similar service - and they aren't likely to be too pleased at Apple's attempts to muscle in on the market.

Apple's second patent is also quite nifty - it describes a method for enabling voice commands on an iPod. Handy if you simply can't be bothered to pull it out of your pocket.