New shuffle earbuds use ‘authentication chip’
It has been less than a week since the 3G iPod shuffle shipped, but much is already known about the device—breakthrough voice synthesis assisted virtual interface, stylish stainless steel construction and ultra compact form factor. However, Apple’s engineers also baked something a good deal less savory into the company’s new entry-level mp3 player—a familiar twist on digital rights management (DRM).
Whenever our favorite fruit company releases a new product, the fan boys descend upon it with screw drivers, putty knives and cameras at the ready—they’ve just gotta know what’s inside. Apple’s third generation iPod shuffle predictably elicited the same response, and iLounge has one of the more insightful riffs on this theme.
However, reviewer Jeremy Horwitz stumbles on a facet of the clip-on mp3 player that will have people talking for months if not years — the new shuffle requires earbuds or headsets with an “authentication chip” that vendors can only buy or license from Apple. Horwitz said:
The prices for the third-party adapters will be no less than $19, and quite possibly more like $29; compatible headphones announced thus far start at $49 [...] This is, in short, a nightmare scenario for long-time iPod fans: are we entering a world in which Apple controls and taxes literally every piece of the iPod purchase from headphones to chargers, jacking up their prices, forcing customers to re-purchase things they already own, while making only marginal improvements in their functionality? It’s a shame, and one that consumers should feel empowered to fight.
See also:
— The iPod Shuffle Gets Even Smaller
— What’s inside the 3G iPod shuffle
— What is the 8A83E3 chip inside the iPod Shuffle headphones?
Sadly, this isn’t something new from Apple. The company’s latest unibody MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro models all must be matched with an Apple 24″ Cinema Display for external playback of many movie titles purchased from the iTunes Store—no other display or monitor has the company’s DRM lock built in.
Want to use earbuds with your 3G iPod shuffle designed and manufactured by a third-party? They must include that authentication chip and will be priced accordingly. Play the movie you purchased on iTunes on a display or TV without Apple’s chip? Think twice. According to Technologizer:
Apple says you’ll be able to buy an adapter for third-party headphones. Better than nothing–especially if you’re the type of person who associates Apple headphone with a stinging feeling in one’s ears, or with them just falling out–but adding an adapter certainly eliminates some of the appeal of the Shuffle’s tininess.
All of this is just wrong. Apple’s greatest successes come when it embraces open standards—USB, FireWire, PCI, Unix, etc. It’s greatest failures have been all about proprietary, closed loop dead ends that we the users have paid for—Apple Desktop Bus, NuBus, Apple Display Connector.
iLounge is absolutely correct in surmising that we should feel “empowered to fight” this latest outrage from Apple…
What’s your take?
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March 16th, 2009
uhm how do you know it’s an “authentication chip”? every website repeats this like a parrot, but fact is: nobody knows what this chip is or does.
March 16th, 2009
“but fact is: nobody knows what this chip is or does”
Um, right. It’s a mystery (Just like no one knows what’s in the kool-aid). So why not call it “the increases the value of your third party earbuds chipset” because it could be that too, couldn’t it?
March 16th, 2009
way to treat your readers. copy “news” from other websites without thinking or adding value, and when it’s pointed out to you, you attack. no wonder I seem to be the only guy around. so, I’m happy to hear you *know* it’s an authentication chip. you’re the first, btw. all the other guys are still guessing.