iPod shuffle: the "authentication" chip that isn't

Stephen Withers
Tuesday, 17 March 2009 10:48

Opinion and Analysis

This arrangement originally appeared on the iPhone, and spread to the iPod touch, classic, nano and now shuffle.

Given the reported simplicity of the scheme, it's likely that accessory manufacturers will be able to reverse engineer the chip. And if one company can, they could choose to sell the device to its peers in competition with Apple.

It's possible that Apple has applied for patent protection (as it did with the remote connector on some early iPod models), but a brief preliminary search of the USPTO database failed to turn up anything relevant. That's far from conclusive, so don't bet your company on it.

Manufacturers that take part in the 'Made for iPod' program apparently have access to the 'official' chip.

But the heart of the matter is that there is no authentication involved. It's simply a chip that implements the control functions. If they're not on the shuffle itself, they have to be on the earphones - there's nowhere else for them.

Even if it turns out that Apple has secured patent protection for the scheme, calling the device an 'authentication' chip is technically incorrect and emotionally loaded.

But maybe that was the idea all along?