New iPod Shuffle locks out Unapproved Accessories

The new iPod Shuffle, to many people’s frustrations, moves the controls off of the unit onto the headphones. Most found this means that non-Apple headphones will require a special dongle that includes the new three-button controller. As Engadget put it, “if you want to use your own cans[headphones]: assuming the adapter will cost between $20 and $30 like most other Apple accessories, you’re looking at minimum $100 outlay for the new shuffle, and at that point you might as well pick up a $150 iPod nano.”

Now, this new Shuffle uses a specialt chip to lock out aftermarket accessories that aren’t authorized by Apple. This chip can’t legally be reverse-engineered, and thus Apple now controls the headphone and adaptor market for the Shuffle, because you have to have the chip in order to produce an accessory with the necessary control buttons.

Thus, Apple, which already has a serious command of the music player market share, has ensured they will control and tax every part of the iPod purchase, headphones, chargers, music…and will force users to repurchase things they already own, ie headphones, to be compatible.

Crunchgear, which has a picture of the DRM chip, points out that Apple has a long history of creating “authenticated” hardware and this definitely could be a situation where Apple is adding lock-in controls to their hardware if not actual DRM. It is one of our pet peeves with Apple dating back years. Their attempt to control the process at every level, giving little or no freedom to the user. They’d relaxed somewhat, but now this philosophy is back.

We’re told that Apple offered to sell developers the chip for $1 in a bundle with a $2 microphone, costs which are then multiplied and passed on to consumers. There are also authentication chips inside the new Apple Earphones with Remote and Mic, and the In-Ear Headphones with Remote and Mic. It is not technically a DRM chip, as many said, it is merely a controller that sends signals in a proprietary format. But they could have easily put that in the device instead of the headphones, if they wished.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Why Apple’s New iPod Shuffle Isn’t Consumer Friendly [Apple] (consumerist.com)
• Third-party iPod shuffle headphones will require Apple-licensed authentication chip (engadget.com)
• Holy Cats! There is a DRM chip inside the iPod Shuffle earbuds! [Update] (crunchgear.com)