“An iFixit teardown found there’s more going on inside than may be expected from a $9 dongle,” Michelle Maisto reports for eWeek. “After a little help from Creative Electron, which took an X-ray image of the adapter… Their findings, in a nutshell: ‘There’s actually a lot going on in there,’ wrote iFixit’s Jeff Suovanen.”
“The teams found the expected bits—the connectors. ‘But what’s all that silicon around the Lightning connector end?’ asked Suovanen. ‘”Most of the retail space near the connector is taken up by a single mystery IC,'” Maisto reports. “The function of the IC, the team surmised, is likely, at the very least, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC).”
“Earphones, and human ears, need analog signals to work. Apple’s new connector is digital. The IC likely behaves as the needed translator,” Maisto reports. “‘By the same logic, this chip must also contain an ADC circuit to convert the analog signal from your headphones’ built-in mic into something that can pass back through the Lightning port so your iPhone can make use of it,’ explained Suovanen.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: As expected.
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Listening test: Apple’s Lightning EarPods sound better than antiquated 3.5mm headphone jack – September 20, 2016