The suits in Cupertino already
confirmed the existence of a
proprietary chip in the new iPod shuffle headphones, but if you're squarely in the tin foil hat crowd, we've got one more shred of evidence to win you over. iLuv's newest adapter, the iEA15, outrightly asserts that it is "equipped with a remote control chip provided by Apple, Inc.," but it's the functionality of said adapter that has our interest piqued. Rather than settling for a set of
VoiceOver-capable
earbuds that you aren't really fond of, this here go-between enables any headphones with a 3.5 millimeter jack to connect with (and control) Apple's newest shuffle. Moreover, it'll play nice with the iPhone family as well, and the built in microphone enables you to handle a call without ever removing your 'buds. The frightening part is that no price and release date have been set, which probably means iLuv's lobbying to get that
Made for iPod tax down in order to not charge $50 for this thing.
[Via
CNET]
posted Jul 23rd 2009 9:21AM
Honestly, somebody actually bought the new shuffle?
Who cares, the clone is $15 and has buttons on the bottom... good show...
I think the next and only think that Apple can do to this is add a shake feature. And more voice control. E-ing display would be nice.
I did. Well, my girlfriend bought it for me. It an amazing unit, and I don't know what all the hate is about.
I would lose it so fast. Nothing needs to be that small.
That's alright Ett. We get your secret signal. Your girlfriend must be breathing over your neck when you typed that comment.
This would be great. I can now use my Shure headphones and still control my iPhone. Can't wait...
seriously! I like the remote control on my Iphone headhones, but the headphones themselves are rather subpar in terms of audio quality.
i've pretty much been waiting for a remote control mic adapter to come out for the iphone!
Shure headphones with an ipod? ....you cant polish a turd.
I would say wait for the $5 version from DealExtreme but knowing Apple and what they did to Palm Pre pre users that proprietary chip is nothing more thatn DRM to make sure you dont use anything but APPLE$$$$$$$ $ertified products...
Nasty precedent they are setting here folks
You suck.
You spelled certified wrong. You suck.
You FAILED to realize it was a play on spelling
Nub.
The chip in Apple's headphones has been confirmed, and widely reported, to NOT have anything to do with DRM. The EFF retracted their initial complaint about the "DRM".
The chip merely handles the signalling to the player, it does not prevent other headphones being used with the player, and its presence in Apple's headphones does not prevent other manufacturers from making compatible headphones and adaptors (c.f. the very subject of this article).
A modicum of research, before opening one's mouth, does wonders.
Not sure the built-in mic will be that useful since it's located down near the iPhone in your pocket. The nice thing about the included-earbuds is that the mic is inches from your mouth.
Those were my thoughts exactly, the benefit of the apple phones is that I can just hit the pause button to stop my music and take a call. I don't wana have to pull out my iPhone and hold the bottom of the cord near my mouth
Good point.. and here I had been thinking this was a better solution than buying a new pair of Shures with built-in mic... hmm. The cord is already too long, don't need the mic down by my knees.
I want one - sorry I mean ... I NEED ONE!
The "proprietary chip" is not DRM, it's just an IC that encodes the commands into the microphone pin. I'm sure it can easily be reverse-engineered, it's just probably not the effort.
Though it might be a violation of the DMCA.. :-/
This + Shure se310 + iPhone = WIN.
My thoughts exactly! The plug as shown can't work with voice on an iPhone.
Shouldn't that plug have 3 rings (plus ground) on it?
... and in the darkness bind them
Look at the linked article, the image there has a four-conductor plug. Not sure why Engadget's copy only has three.
Since I don't have bluetooth in my car, I think it would be a good idea to rig it up with this thing using the aux audio jack. I refuse to use an fm transmitter or a bluetooth earpiece.
i won a new shuffle at work and cant stand the ear buds. they are so freakin big that my ears kill after using them. bring this cable out NOW. please.
I know the price sucks, but the apple in ear headphones are awesome.
iThink iAM iSick of iSeeing *i* iN iFront of iEvery iProduct on the iMarket.
iApple, iPlease iNvent iAnother iLetter.
I say the picture's a fake. Where's the fourth ring on the connector that the mic and control signals usually go through?
Its a fake!
I can begin to explain the disdain I feel that such a product would even NEED to exist! Seriously what is next Apple, you are going to make your customers rewire their houses with Apple certified power outlets?
Why does everyone think apple is sooooo great? seriously. They are like everyone else...money-hungry, proprietary, litigious, greedy corporate knobs who happen to have figured out that people can be easily mislead by round corners and shiny finishes.
On another note, yah, that mic would seem to be too low to be useful...sooo....what's the point of including it. oh well.
They would be r etarded to not make that wire longer. Once that's done it would be perfect with the Shure SE-530 and its break out cable.
boring. once again apple fail to do what other manufacturers have been doing for years. the nokia n95 came with a wired remote/mic that would accept and 3.5mm jack
Hey,
Price is official on iLuv site.
$14,99
Quite low i think