Can I get around Apple MFi for this? Bluetooth?

[jjoll]

Hi,
I am creating a product that is supposed to pair up with an ipad then receive a photo through a classic Bluetooth module and display it on a screen, I was just wondering if I still need to get Apple MFI certificate for this? I have read from other posts in other forums that I would need to get a Bluetooth authentication chip and add it to my device if I am using Bluetooth Classic. But if I only need to transmit pictures from ipad, cannot I just get over this software wise? like some of those apps out there, such as "iBluetooth" to just transmit the pic from ipad and receive it with any kind of BL receiver on the other side?


I am not incorporated company, I don't think apple will even give "MFi license" to people like me.


I also have heard that I can be using Bluetooth Low Energy that doesn't require any MFI certificate. But my concern is low throughput, I am afraid that is going to take ages to transmit a picture.
Is Bluetooth 4.0 low energy a suitable substitute for this kind of application (picture tranmission)? any suggestions?


Also how transferable (technological wise) is Bluetooth Low Energy to Classic Bluetooth? I mean if I develop my product on classic bluetooth (for the start), can I later upgrade it easily to Bluetooth low energy if I want to? (in order to get around this MFi license thing).


thanks alot

 

[twerppoet]

I can't answer any of the legal/licensing questions; but I'd like to point out that Bluetooth 4.0, also known as Bluetooth LE (low energy) not only uses less energy, it's also faster.

The energy savings is not done by slowing things down, but by being more efficient in when to transmit and at what power. It's not that it's faster mode is more power efficient, only that it's smarter about when to use high power and speeds.

 

[jjoll]

I can't answer any of the legal/licensing questions; but I'd like to point out that Bluetooth 4.0, also known as Bluetooth LE (low energy) not only uses less energy, it's also faster.<br>
<br>
The energy savings is not done by slowing things down, but by being more efficient in when to transmit and at what power. It's not that it's faster mode is more power efficient, only that it's smarter about when to use high power and speeds.

<br><br>Thanks for the reply, but in this article it says that data throughput of the BLE is 100kbps vs 2Mbps for Classic BL. does not this make BLE slower?

 

[twerppoet]

I stand corrected.

Bluetooth LE (BLE) is not faster than classic bluetooth (or at least I didn't find anything to contradict your article (link missing) . My mistake was in equating the Bluetooth 4.0 standard with BLE. In reality the 4.0 standard includes Bluetooth Low Energy, Bluetooth High Speed, and classic Bluetooth. The Wikipedia article is sparse on details like relative data speeds, but it seems unlikely there would be a new high speed mode that is actually slower than an already supported classic Bluetooth; though that's hardly a guarantee, humans being humans.

Bluetooth - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bluetooth 4.0 devices can support any or all of these. Apple's spec sheets only specify Bluetooth 4.0, so I don't know if the high speed mode is supported, or if it requires a Apple MFI certificate to implement.

I'm afraid that all I did was waste your time. Sorry.