Apple prepping intelligent iPod?

Leaked documents show Apple's newest player identifying songs from any source, and then letting you download them from iTunes.

The latest 'Pod-flavoured brouhaha comes after Apple patented plans for a player that can identify songs from the radio, or any other source for that matter, and offer them up for download from iTunes.

Diagrams in the 'Podfathers' latest patent documents show the iPod recording a sample of a song as it's played, before submitting that recording to a central server.

Once received, the server compares the sample to its music library to find the tune it came from. That song can then, according to Apple, be listed alongside similar songs for purchase.

It's a neat system, although it's not clear whether the source, such as a radio, used to obtain song samples would be in the iPod itself or separate.

Apple's documents make repeated mentions of an "in-vehicle network," so maybe this is a way to tag songs from your car's stereo for purchase on iTunes.

It's also unclear whether the submittal of samples or purchasing of songs could be done on the move. Maybe from a Wi-Fi equipped player?

If not, it means hitting a button whenever you hear a song you like the sound of, but then having to wait until you get home to identify or purchase it.

There are clearly several holes in Apple's system, but it's obvious plans are afoot at Cupertino to make the iPod much more than a portable jukebox.

What we'd like to see is the iPod packing a microphone to make sense of songs not just from the radio, but from adverts on TV, music in bars, and, of course, cheating at devilishly difficult "name that tune" pub quizzes! Now that, Mr Jobs, would be clever.