More Details on Wi-Fi Chip Uncovered Inside iPod Touch

[Michael Essany]

Image via CNET


A mysterious discovery has been unearthed inside the new iPod Touch.

According to the San Franciso Chronicle, a Broadcom Wi-Fi chip was discovered during the dissection of the new 32GB iPod Touch by the makers of iFixit, a Web site founded six years ago to help people "tinker with their electronics."

The full list of discoveries was chronicled earlier in our forums.

The new Apple iPod Touch uses a Wi-Fi chip that can support the just-approved high-throughput 802.11n standard, though Apple apparently has not switched on the cranked-up wireless link. If it does, the iPod Touch (which is almost identical to the iPhone but lacks the 3G cellular radio) could support a 50Mbps data rate, more than twice that of the current 802.11ag radios used by the product family.

Exciting, isn't it?

Almost makes me want to disassemble every Apple device I own to see what other cool things may be hidden inside. But for now, I'll hold off.

If you're wondering, the unearthed chip is the Broadcom BCM4329 - the first Broadcom 11n product designed for mobile devices. It's cutting edge stuff, and, apparently, its been in our midst for quite a while. If utilized, it could introduce a broad range of possibilities for the iPod Touch.

The single chip combines 802.11n with 802.11abg, Bluetooth, and FM radio. It runs in both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. The chip reflects the range of implementations available to chip and equipment vendors. The 802.11n technology exploits multiple-input multiple-output splitting a high-rate data stream into, today, two slower streams, each sent from and to a corresponding pair of antennas. It creates a kind of parallel transceiving capability, which dramatically multiplies 11n's capacity.

Although the discovery of the chip inside the iPod Touch was surprising, Apple's use of the chip isn't - they've been employing 11n in their desktop products since 2007.

What might Apple be planning for their mobile devices?

From CNET:

We don't know yet if 802.11n will be supported in the iPod Touch software, but at least the hardware's there.

[xxpwnxx]

well its about damn time we get some N networking

[D to the M]

very cool

[Alkanphel]

Apple will probably release another update to the ipod OS for Fm Radio and conversion to phone

[sayam]

@messany Didn't pauldanielash mention about this new chip already in his post? :S

[whereswaldo]

can anyone translate what this means into lingo an average joe like me could understand?

[StealthBravo]

This is amazing!

[awesomeSlayer]

Awesomeness.

[sayam]

can anyone translate what this means into lingo an average joe like me could understand?

It has the fastest Wi-fi technology built-in which even the 3GS doesn't have... Though, it's not confirmed if the software supports it

[iphoneman76]

hell yeah......

[eternalza]

Pretty cool. I'll probably still get a Zune HD though.

[jrlrule]

more battery usage?

[Jahooba]

can anyone translate what this means into lingo an average joe like me could understand?

Basically this means extra revenue for Apple when they "Activate" that feature and charge you money for it. Either they're screwing over the consumer that bought the hardware and aren't allowed to use it (without an extra purchase), or they had to rush out the hardware to the iPod Touch and didn't finish the hardware drivers/ software in time.

Seeing how they charged us $10(!) for the 3.0 update, I wouldn't be surprised if this is all a sneaky way to make more money.

Christ, I love Apple's hardware but I hate Apple and the way they conduct their business. We need an open-source OS for the iPod desperately.

[rdfisch]

can anyone translate what this means into lingo an average joe like me could understand?

The new touch has hardware in it that would let you surf on WiFi much faster, but we can't use it until and IF Apple decides to let us.

[plcrules]

wtf 50mb/s thats faster then my fois network

[Waylonzzz]

wtf 50mb/s thats faster then my fois network

it's 50 megabits, not megabytes

[ArtemisKitty]

Err... so is FIOS. You really think they'd let you have 25_ megaBYTES per second for that cheap? I wish that were the case! :-D So yes, it really is that much faster than FIOS.

[StealthBravo]

[adrian1480]

wtf 50mb/s thats faster then my fois network

lol. the N wireless standard is for INTERNAL networking.

as in, you'll realize higher file transfers between computers in your home network. HD video will stream smoothly to your HDTV from a source in another location on your network.

It has nothing to do with EXTERNAL networking (the outside world which comes into your house via FiOS). Wireless N won't make a bit of difference there.

[rave-m2s]

Maybe Apple should add a sim card slot to the Ipod Touch.

A) it would untether ipod users from wifi, ( mobile itunes purchases = more revenue)

B) doesn't affect apple's IPHONE agreement with AT&T and opens opportunities to build partnerships with other carriers who might be interested in a NON phone product. (at the end of the day, it's all about ARPU for the carrier which apple could negotiate a share of, just like how they are pimping AT&T).

C) I already mention UNTETHERED wireless which may not be the correct term since there aren't wires involved in WIFI, but you wouldn't be required to be in a hotspot area to take advantage of the full capabilities of an Ipod touch. - better still, you could buy a mobile hotspot device and set up a data account with a carrier which would be even more useful and provide access for your laptop and other wifi supported gadgets - but it is another thing to carry . ( in fact if those carriers were smart they'd start selling Ipod touch units alongside their wireless hotspot hardware ) A GSM Ipod would be good for people who like their phones to be phones and want their ipod to be their "palm sized computing device" - I had a 16gb 1st gen Ipod Touch but replaced it with a 16gb 2g Iphone that Im using with a data only sim, my phone is a blackberry 8900. and they are both on T-Mobile , unfortunately T-Mobile doesn't offer a 3g wireless hotspot device.