Teardown hints at iPod touch hidden capabilities

Stephen Withers
Monday, 14 September 2009 08:17

Opinion and Analysis

The wireless chip used in the third-generation iPod touch is a Broadcom BCM4329FKUBG.

iFixit notes that the BCM4329 supports 802.11n wireless networking, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, and an FM receiver and transmitter.

But don't get too excited. It is possible that the BCM4329FKUBG is a custom version of this chip with some features omitted.

When you read about the much higher speeds delivered by 802.11n in comparison with 11b/g, they are achieved by using two or more sets of radios and antennas. That means more space and power are required, so it is unlikely to appear in handheld devices soon.

However, the BCM4329H supports single-stream 802.11n, which is usefully faster than 11g (though not as fast as the version we associate with larger devices) and may also be more power efficient thanks to chip design improvements.

So if the touch's chip is derived from that version, it is possible that a subsequent software upgrade - one that Apple will almost certainly charge for - will deliver a useful speed boost for wireless networking.

But if the circuitry isn't in the chip Apple's using, no amount of software will provide 11n capability.

As for FM radio, if the iPod touch includes the necessary connections to use the earphones as an antenna, a software update might deliver radio capabilities a la iPod nano.

My guess? Assuming everything needed for these functions is already inside the new iPod touch, I have a feeling that they might not be enabled until the old 8GB model goes away.