Teardown finds DAC chips in Apple's Lightning EarPods & Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter for iPhone 7
As anticipated, a teardown of Apple's Lightning EarPods and Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter -- both included with the iPhone 7 -- has discovered small digital-to-analog converter chips, though their exact supplier remains a mystery.
The DAC in the EarPods was labeled "338S00140 / A0QK1623 / TW," while the one in the adapter was marked "338S00140 / A0MU1621 / TW," according to Vietnamese site Tinhte. The "TW" could be a reference to Taiwan, where a number of Apple suppliers are based.
The chips were likely designed by Apple's usual partner on such components, Cirrus Logic, but manufactured by another firm -- possibly Taiwan-based TSMC, which also manufactures Apple's A-series processors. In 2015, Cirrus reportedly switched back to TSMC from Vanguard International Semiconductor.
The iPhone 7 is Apple's first major product to completely abandon a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack in favor of Lightning and Bluetooth audio. Because many people still rely on 3.5-millimeter accessories -- an industry standard -- Apple bundled the adapter by default, despite the new EarPods and the growing prevalence of Bluetooth headphones and speakers.
The DAC in the EarPods was labeled "338S00140 / A0QK1623 / TW," while the one in the adapter was marked "338S00140 / A0MU1621 / TW," according to Vietnamese site Tinhte. The "TW" could be a reference to Taiwan, where a number of Apple suppliers are based.
The chips were likely designed by Apple's usual partner on such components, Cirrus Logic, but manufactured by another firm -- possibly Taiwan-based TSMC, which also manufactures Apple's A-series processors. In 2015, Cirrus reportedly switched back to TSMC from Vanguard International Semiconductor.
The iPhone 7 is Apple's first major product to completely abandon a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack in favor of Lightning and Bluetooth audio. Because many people still rely on 3.5-millimeter accessories -- an industry standard -- Apple bundled the adapter by default, despite the new EarPods and the growing prevalence of Bluetooth headphones and speakers.
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That said, this move limits manufacturers to native Lightning-based solutions, and increases demand for them as well, over phones with a headphone jack. So that will encourage more competition and innovation than there was before, despite Apples decision to give away a free headphone adapter and subsidize its pricing, rather than price with its usual margins.
Will the headphone jack be dropped from future iPads?
Apple is seriously underpricing these adapters, by their usual standards. And one might say it's to prevent someone from buying a cheap counterfeit dongle and getting an inferior experience.
Obviously, the DAC has to be be two-way or the controls and button on existing EarPods would not work.
The DAC is THE most important element in high end audio. Will better headphones sound better than Apple's $9 adapter? Depends on who makes the DAC, but probably, yes. Good chip design for low noise costs more. We can suspect that Apple's chip is just a basic converter with limited noise filtering, etc.
Of course, this assumes Apple will continue to not include headphones with the iPad. If they want to push their courage along faster, they could include free Lightning EarPods with the iPad.
Removing the analog headphone jack is obviously a huge change and step forward, and I was skeptical myself about it a few months ago, but I've now come around, and I see all of the numerous benefits to doing so now. It freed up space inside of the phone, it allowed the iPhone 7 to become officially water resistant, and since the adapter comes for free with every iPhone 7, there's really nothing that anybody can legitimately object to.
And the fact that additional adapters only cost $9 ought to shut up anybody whining about the removal.
Apple is obviously making the transition as smooth as possible.
Imagine if the adapters were $50? I can just imagine what certain people would be saying.
Apple made the wise move here.
However on the iPad, Macbook Air and MacBook Pro, removing the 3.5mm jack isn't quite as much of a loss as people typically don't use them in a portable manner (like an iPod) so people are generally sitting when they use these devices. The iMac, MacMini and Mac Pro seem like the most obvious to replace the 3.5mm headphone/microphone jacks with USB-C.
The largest disappointment with lightning so far is that it doesn't support HDMI/Thunderbolt. The device sends a h264 video to the lightning connected device for HDMI which is not what "pro" users want. That makes me wonder if that's a lossless or a lossy audio output for lightning.
I actually disagree with you in one point here. I don't think Apple should have included an adapter in the box. I think they should have included an adapter but one that allows the Lightning EarBuds to be used on a Mac, and older Apple products, as well as everything else in the world. That would have pushed the digital message and forced those who wanted to keep using their old headphones to cough up only another $9, after their $700 phone (the price subsidy was probably a good idea though). And it would have made them think about wireless options, rather than just slap the adapter on their old headphones and keep going.
As it is Apple is actually encouraging people to continue to use whatever it was they've been using. And for anybody interested in using the Lightning earbuds, Apple has not even created an optional way to plug those Lightning buds into a non-iOS device. So for anyone planning to use their EarPods with anything other than their iPhone 7, and maybe their iPad, they won't be able to -- at all. So for many, they will need to get out their old 3.5mm EarPods and use them with the included adapter in order to have the widest compatibility and convenience. Now where's the logic in that?
By not having the AirPods and Beats earbuds ready ready to go from day one (it will be over a month at least), they've all but guaranteed many customers are simply going to fall back into their old routine, and sell a few more Inexpensive adapters in the interim, which only perpetuates the problem. It's almost like they need another launch at the beginning of November to remind people now. And Lightning to anything else adapters would be nice as well.
Indeed, a health topic not often talked about - and subject to controversy- is that classic 3.5 mm jack headsets conduct electromagnetic waves and act as antennas (even if it's not done on purpose), transmitting waves to the brain when many people use headsets to avoid those waves.
Generally when digital signal is involved (like the lightning port) there's some radio shielding involved and thus maybe the lightning connector headsets are safer in that sense.
But really it's an open question, anyone has data about this? Does this headset shows some cable shield that cannot be seen on the 3.5mm shield? Anyone electronic engineers who can measure the waves or any tips on how to do that?
It's in no way an attack against Apple, I'm a Apple client and other brands don't address this topic better. I had bought some air tube headsets but find them not very practical nor reliable. Now that Apple is involved in the health business it'd be nice we address RF waves exposure, at least with simple and cheap ways such as shielding headsets.
http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/02/pono-player-review-a-tall-refreshing-drink-of-snake-oil/