A new patent application from Apple focuses around HD Radio, a wireless radio format which allowed both AM and FM radio stations to simulcast digital and analog audio within the same channel. This patent hints at future handsets from Apple to include HD Radio, allowing users to have a greater flexibility when listening to music on their iPhone or iPod. HD Radio has been rumored for a long time to be incorporated into iPhone and iPods, especially when Apple finally put an FM radio in the most recent iPod nano. With an HD radio on iPods and iPhones, Apple could allow users to tag songs that they here on the radio, which the current iPod nano allows users to do. The iPod competitor, Zune, (Microsoft) featured HD Radio, which was a heavily advertised feature when the product made its debut.
Entitled "Digital Radio Tagging Using an RF Tuner Accessory," the application states that users could use a handheld device to scan all stations, or only for stations delivering high-quality digital audio content. Collecting a list of digital stations and the accompanying "raw digital data" broadcast with them would allow users to scan and search stations based on the content that is currently playing, or a number of other factors included in the data.
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