A patent application published today suggests that Apple is planning iPod software that plays songs to suit the pace of listeners' activities.

"[T]he invention pertains to a computing device that is capable of controlling the speed of the music so as to affect the mood and behavior of the user during an activity such as exercise," the patent application says. "By way of example, the speed of the music can be controlled to match the pace of the activity (synching the speed of the music to the activity of the user) or alternatively it can be controlled to drive the pace of the activity (increasing or decreasing the speed of the music to encourage a greater or lower pace)."Coincidentally, Apple and Nike this week announced an upcoming athletic shoe with a wireless interface that can communicate with Apple's iPod Nano. The system is called the Nike+iPod Sport Kit.

It's not too far-fetched to predict that the fruits of Apple's "Music Synchronization Arrangement" patent may one day set the pace for Nike-shod iPodders.

Athletes unable to coax their iPods to switch from plodding ballads to up-tempo anthems will no doubt appreciate Apple's effort to shift the burden of thought from man to machine.