The Bluetooth SIG launched Auracast™ this week. This is the brand name for the broadcast audio ability enabled by LE Audio. It has been eagerly waited for by the industry and is very interesting new way to use Bluetooth.
Regarding branding, this reminds me of previous attempts by technology organisations to stir up consumer interest in specific technology. Generally this fails as consumers are not interested. Most people have only just got to grips with Bluetooth as a concept after 20+ years (most still don’t know or care how it works). Why not just leave it as Bluetooth? Maybe the Auracast™ brand will fade away into the background over time (like Miracast)?
The aim is to create a Wi-Fi like solution to enable people to connect to an audio “hotspot”. Why create a new way to do this when Bluetooth pairing is already available as part of the OS? Hopefully Auracast™ will become part of the existing Bluetooth experience, rather than being a separate solution with a separate app. It seems to me that keeping the current solution — the one that people understand and are comfortable with — is the best path.
I’m looking forward to seeing how it all pans out and I hope that broadcast audio is successful across multiple sectors. One thing it does need in order to be truly successful is a world in which everyone has a device in/on their ear. While this does seem to be happening, it is still many years away.
