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VIRTUALISATION Apple to handcuff third-party headphone vendors?
VIRTUALISATION Apple to handcuff third-party headphone vendors? | Apple to handcuff third-party headphone vendors? |
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| by Jake Widman | |
| Tuesday, 17 March 2009 | |
  
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Tinkerers who dissected the tiny control module found a chip inside with an unknown purpose. (The same chip has been found in the iPhone Stereo Headset that comes with the latest iPhones.) It may just be part of the control system, or -- some worry -- it may be required for the shuffle to authenticate the headphones.
In either case, it theoretically gives Apple control over what 'phones can be used with the shuffle. It's possible that the company could restrict the shuffle to Apple-brand earbuds, but it would be more likely for Apple to use it to extract licensing fees from third-party manufacturers.
On the other hand, it may just be a straightforward part of the control mechanism that other vendors could easily reverse engineer without repercussions.
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