New iPod shuffle requires headphones with an authentication chip

By on Mar 16, 2009 at 9:32 AM
General March 16, 2009

The folks over at iLounge stumbled upon some curious info regarding the new iPod Shuffle that has us scratching our heads. We all know the controls for the new Shuffle are on the headphones, but apparently Cupertino decided to make it even more difficult for headphone makers to get in on some Shuffle action. Control of playback and adjustment of volume will not be permitted unless the headphones used are equipped with an Apple authentication chip. D’oh! To further complicate matters, headphones with this new authentication chip are not yet available. Phooey, you say, I will pair my high-end headphones with a third party remote control device instead. Denied! Third party remotes with this authentication chip are not yet available either. Until these new accessories hit the market, shuffle owners are stuck using the stock headphones for the time being. What is Apple’s reasoning behind the move? We’re not sure, though we imagine it has to do with ensuring Apple can prevent companies from producing Shuffle gear without its blessing. Good job Apple, now it’ll cost less-than-scrupulous manufacturers overseas an extra 7¢ per unit to make compatible headphones. Major fail.

[Via EFF]

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38 Comments

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  • mingkee

    just boycott this shuffle
    that’s it
    only blinded will buy such POF!

  • Al

    summary of previous comments:

    iPod Shuffle doesn’t solve AIDS. Fail

  • E21P

    Apple, your going alittle too far now.

    Posted from BGR Mobile (iPhone).

  • Rich

    Anything and everything Apple does comes down to making money and serving its own self interests. Whether someone pays and arm and leg for more desirable Apple headphones, or a cheaper third party solution, Apple guarantees itself a cut.

    Thanks the gods I’m not an Apple lemming.

  • backbeat

    Wow, I’m an idiot and I just now realized how pathetic I am. I can’t help that I carry a thesaurus in my a$$ wherever I go just so that I sound halfway intelligent. Truth is, i rarely have anything interesting to say, I would rather bash unsuspecting posters like a troll lying in wait. I can’t help that I don’t have a life and I really wish that someday I could score a girlfriend, hell at this point I would settle for a boyfriend! Ya, like I said, I’m pathetic.

  • sd

    I own a large amount of Apple stock and even I feel this is total bullshit. This is a consumer electronics company, not a fascist dictatorship. Please, Apple – get with the program. You really want to alienate buyers of your cheapest product?!

  • Christopher Cox

    @Eric

    Thank you! I was reading through these comments and was thinking the exact same thing. People whine like little babies on here. This is just a way for Apple to ensure that accessory developers create working devices for their new shuffle. Control is done through the headset, so it is a big deal what you use with it. Besides, it is not like it will stop them from making new 3rd party ones, and you can’t use your old stuff anyways because it has no control buttons. Grow up people.

  • ching chong

    apple alwayz finds a way to take your money

  • Rey

    uh-oh :(

  • Jude Allen

    pretty soon you won’t be able to use any apple products without having a certified apple microchip in your dome. You will probably be able to buy a refurbished one from their online store for %10 off though.

  • jimmy

    More propaganda for the isheep. Screw apple. Itunes is a pita to use. Blackberry or any phone with a memory card drag and drop ftw

  • backbeat

    What is one of the lowest forms of pathetic is typing a post and signing someone else’s name to it. What a coward … but, why am I surprised?

    @JustaGuy: Yes, I used whatshisname’s logic to show how idiotic the premise is of using the monetary unit as the final arbiter. In a perfect world, such a universal standard could have real merit. That, however, is not the case.

  • Rob

    Hey, so now that it turns out that the EFF was wrong and there’s no DRM or “authentication chip”, you guys will retract some of your statements, right?

    Right…?

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