Boeing Wisely Scraps 787 Wireless Entertainment System

The Wall Street Journal reports today that for the 787 program, Boeing has “decided to move away from wireless in-flight entertainment, or IFE, after determining the technology wasn’t going to work as well as initially believed.”

The weight of the system, along with wiring challenges were cited as the main reasons. I say hooey to all that. The main reason to scrap the system can be defined in one word: iPod.

In the next few years, every passenger will be carrying their own in-flight entertainment system, whether it’s an iPod or a laptop/player with a DVD drive.

Dear Boeing and Airbus: Forget all these centralized command and control entertainment systems that seemed futuristic during the Clinton administration. Just give us power outlets.