The Bluetooth SIG has started to push the next version i.e. Bluetooth 4.0 already. While we are still seeing numbered devices offering Bluetooth 3.0 being announced, Bluetooth 4. 0 is said to be ready for a year end launch. The high power requirements for Bluetooth 3.0 has been a deterrent to its adoption and thats exactly what the new version fixes. The new 4.0 specs supports even coin-cell batteries to compared to the minimum requirement of a AAA or larger capacity battery for Bluetooth 3.0.
Bluetooth 3.0 has enabled data transfer speeds of upto 24 Mbps by allowing Bluetooth transfers to piggyback on WiFi – 802.11 signals. The Bluetooth 4.0 specification retains this speed (25 Mbps) and brings in lower power requirements. This promises that Bluetooth 4.0 would see much faster and widespread adoption compared to v3.0.
