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Rumor: Apple to awaken dormant FM tuner in iPhone

By | October 14, 2009, 6:26am PDT

Summary: According to 9 to 5 Mac Apple may soon enable the dormant FM tuner hardware currently sitting idle in the iPhone and iPod touch. 9 to 5 reports that Apple is developing an app that offers the same functionality as the FM radio found in the new fifth generation iPod nano. The new radio.app will be [...]

http://9to5mac.com/files/image/00000/iphone-fm.jpgAccording to 9 to 5 Mac Apple may soon enable the dormant FM tuner hardware currently sitting idle in the iPhone and iPod touch.

9 to 5 reports that Apple is developing an app that offers the same functionality as the FM radio found in the new fifth generation iPod nano. The new radio.app will be able to run in the background according to the source and “could also be incorporated into the iPod.app before release.”

The chipset in the iPhone 3GS and the 2nd and 3rd generation iPod touch models include FM radio tuning, Apple just hasn’t yet activated it in software.

This wouldn’t be the first time Apple awoke sleeping hardware functionality from its mobile products.  Apple sometimes chooses to leave hardware features dormant in their products until they feel the time is right.  For instance, Apple didn’t enable Bluetooth in its 2nd generation iPod touch until 9 months after it was released.  Apple also hasn’t enabled the 802.11N +5GHZ wireless networking (which we also hope to see updated shortly) in its latest iPhone and iPods.

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Apple iPhone, Apple iPod, FM-radio, Apple Inc., Apple iPod Touch, FM Tuner, Smart Phones, Digital Music, Digital Media, Consumer Electronics, Personal Technology, Jason D. O'Grady

Jason O'Grady is a journalist and author specializing in mobile technology. He has published six books on Apple and mobile gadgets and his PowerPage blog has been publishing for over 15 years.

Disclosure

Jason D. O'Grady

Jason D. O'Grady is the creator and editor of O'Grady's PowerPage, which has been publishing mobile technology news since 1995. He maintains an advertising relationship with the following legacy advertisers on the PowerPage:

  • Amazon Associates
  • Google Adsense
  • Tekserve

    • Advertising on the PowerPage is brokered by a third-party agency (BackBeat Media) and he recuses himself from these negotiations.

Biography

Jason D. O'Grady

Jason D. O'Grady developed an affinity for Apple computers after using the original Lisa, and this affinity turned into a bona-fide obsession when he got the original 128 KB Macintosh in 1984.

He started writing one of the first Web sites about Apple (O'Grady's PowerPage) in 1995 and is considered to be one of the fathers of blogging. He has been a frequent speaker at the Macworld Expo conference and a member of the conference faculty. He also co-founded the first dedicated PowerBook User Group (PPUG) in the United States.

After winning a major legal battle with Apple in 2006, he set the precedent that independent journalists are entitled to the same protections under the First Amendment as members of the mainstream media.

O'Grady is the author of The Nexus One Pocket Guide, The Droid Pocket Guide, The Google Phone Pocket Guide, and The Garmin nuvi Pocket Guide (Peachpit Press), the author of Corporations That Changed the World: Apple Inc. (Greenwood Press), and a contributor to The Mac Bible (Peachpit Press). In addition, he has contributed to numerous Mac publications over the years, including MacWEEK, Macworld, and MacPower (Japan).

When he's not writing about Apple for ZDNet at The Apple Core, he enjoys spending time with his family in New Jersey.

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RE: Rumor: Apple to awaken dormant FM tuner in iPhone
Liath.WW Updated - 28th Jun 2010
@bobiroc
The same reason that the iPhone 3G has the capability to use many of the "features" that only the 3GS is 'supposed' to do. Take Exchange Server support. The 3G was able to do it fine for a while, then Apple 'patched' it and disabled the 3G from doing so. somewhere around the 3.0/3.1 software update.

They just want you to go out and buy a 'newer' device that is not much better than the one you already have to get the features that even a 2g iphone could have used if the software wasn't overly restrictive.
View in thread
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I bet there will be an activation fee
Linux Geek 14th Oct 2009
Apple beat its M$ mentor when it comes to ripping cult members off.
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Silly Penguin !
Jkirk3279 15th Oct 2009
M$ was NEVER Apple's Mentor. After all, Apple came first.
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More BS from Apple
croberts Updated - 14th Oct 2009
What a scam they have running. Create a product with all kinds of disabled features, and then slowly enable them later one by one in lieu of real product updates.

Kinda like buying a car, and having an airconditioner control on the dash but being unable to operate it until a softwre update 18 months later.

Interesting though that most people would probably associate that sort of thing on a car with a quality assurance problem (ex. they rushed the car to market, they couldn't make it work right, etc).

Get your camera ready. The Apple fanboys will shortly fall all over themselves to get this cool "new" feature.
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Yeah Seriously
bobiroc 14th Oct 2009
Not that I would ever use this in my iPhone but that is not the point. If the FM Tuner was there already why disable it? Is it so the can enable it later and make themselves look like some sort of hero like they did with Cut and Paste? I mean some people went gaga when Appple Announced that firmware 3.0 was going to give them cut and paste.
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The two of you... silly.
James Quinn 14th Oct 2009
Who exactly when goo goo over the announcement of cut and past? I
have yet to find a use for it myself, but I guess I'm glad its there as
long as it does not get in my way:P As for the radio maybe Apple was
waiting for it to be ready in terms of power use issues which seems to
be a major concern with products like these. It could also be that
there had to be UI considerations taken into account and a smooth
solution had yet be devised. It could be a combination of these
factors and others. As for Version 3.0 I think and catch me if I'm
wrong there was a lot more to 3.0 than Cut n Paste was there not?
Personally I have no use for FM on my iPhone. I can't imagine using it
but hey if it makes some people happy and again it does not get in
my way go for it Apple. After all if there were people gaa gaa over
Apple adding cut n past it was likely because there'd be one less
pointless complaint from people like the two I am responding to who
kept bringing it up as one of the iPhones faults. IT'S THE FEATURES
BLANK IT. WHY DON'T YOU APPLE PEOPLE GET THE SIMPLE CONCEPT
THAT IF MY PRODUCT HAS MORE FEATURES IT IS BETTER!?!

Pagan jim
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It's actually a very common error
oncall 14th Oct 2009
Of the technically adept to mistake "features" for "ease of use". It's the same folks who think Sony ereaders are going to blow Amazon's Kindle out of the water because the Sony has like 2 more features than the Kindle or the next smartphone by company X is going to spell certain doom for the iPhone because the new one does like two additional things that like 0.5% of the end users even give a rats rear about.

I work in the medical field and I see it ALL THE TIME. Vendors sell the "big feature list" then the buyers are left wondering why their technologists are having trouble managing a 10 page, windows based, control screen on the ultrasound units.
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The Koolaid is strong with this one!
Hallowed are the Ori 15th Oct 2009
nt
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Well though out arguments, Oh wait... NOT:P
James Quinn 16th Oct 2009
Pagan jim
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I'm with ya
Pete "athynz" Athens 15th Oct 2009
and I own an iPhone. It could be so much better than it is now - and even right now as "crippled" as it is it still kicks a$$... but the whole thing boils down to Steve Jobs being a massive control freak.

As for the FM radio... meh. I have the Pandora App, the XM/Sirius radio app, Slacker radio app... yeah it would be cool but I'm don't really care about it either way.
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RE: Rumor: Apple to awaken dormant FM tuner in iPhone
Liath.WW Updated - 28th Jun 2010
@bobiroc
The same reason that the iPhone 3G has the capability to use many of the "features" that only the 3GS is 'supposed' to do. Take Exchange Server support. The 3G was able to do it fine for a while, then Apple 'patched' it and disabled the 3G from doing so. somewhere around the 3.0/3.1 software update.

They just want you to go out and buy a 'newer' device that is not much better than the one you already have to get the features that even a 2g iphone could have used if the software wasn't overly restrictive.
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Seriously??!!
mistergsf 14th Oct 2009
Seriously? You're comparing an iPhone to a car? I think you've "fallen over"
and hit your head or something.
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nothing wrong with cars ...
ericesque 14th Oct 2009
your reaction makes you look silly.

People use car references to compare in IT all the time. It's a familiar and well understood product.
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OTOH
use_what_works_4_U 14th Oct 2009
They could have chosen to wait for the hardware updates until they were ready to release the software. It's possible that there were licensing and/or software issues that delayed the release of the software. Had they done that, then there would be a new rev of hardware and everyone with recent purchases would be upset that they didn't get the tuner a month ago!

So basically, if you have one of these products then you have a product that does everything advertised at the time you purchased it and presumably does what you purchased it for. Now there is the rumor that you might get extra functionality beyond what you were promised and beyond what you had any right to expect at purchase time so you ***** and moan? If there is a fee and you don't want to pay it, then simply use the device for the purpose you bought it for.

Strike up the band, it's time to throw a pity party.
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So you are saying
bobiroc 14th Oct 2009
Apple could have had licensing issues to use license free FM Radio Waves and Apple does not have the ability to develop software and features found on competitor devices so they delay them for years.

The point is the hardware was put in the device and this rumor/news makes it look Apple intentionally disabled it for unknown reasons. Just seems a bit shady to me.
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maybe they just had higher priority features...
doctorSpoc 14th Oct 2009
to complete and this one just fell off the
table at the current time... could be as simple
as that. that's what they said about copy and
paste.. do you think they would take designers
off of enabling MS Exchange support to do copy
and paste OR FM radio?.. if you only have so
many resources you need to make choices.. the
reason people have iPods in the first place is
because they hate radio and would rather play
their own music on their own terms.. i call
putting FM radio at the end of the heap a
pretty good call.. i'm not going to use it even
if they enable it.. why? i have my own music.

why would they not put in the all singing, all
dancing chip and just provide as much features
as they can to take advantage of as much of the
available hardware as they are able to at each
release? so are you all saying you would
rather they put in chips that only do exactly
what they are able to provide software for at
the time of release.. then when they are able
to produce software for new feature sell new
hardware that as well has the capabilities as
the current software can provide? that's
stupid.. you'd be spending 100s of dollars to
get they next feature instead of nothing in the
case of iPhone and $10 ever now and then for
for major releases for iPod Touch.

think it through guys.. stop thinking about
bogus conspiracies... apple puts the best,
future proof chips in the device as they can
get their hands on irrespective of what they
can currently supports and provide software
for.. then when they have the resources to
provide the software to take advantage of all
the hardware capabilities they write said
software.. think guys!! does that not make all
kinds of sense?
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If you're the "conspiracy minded" type
oncall 14th Oct 2009
Then yes, everything Apple does is going to be part of some grand conspiracy to make money. Why would Apple want to release just another FM tuner when the Pandora app is there? They want, as the article implies, to release a full featured app that integrates with the iTunes store. For me personally, I would like to see an app that integrates FM radio as well as available internet radio with the iTunes store. If you're going to do it, do it right.

"Just seems a bit shady to me."
An FM tuner ability was never hinted at or implied by Apple to be available for the iPhone. Perhaps look for a better explanation. They got an FM tuner thrown in by the manufacturer at minimal cost. Why not throw it in and figure out what to do with it later? But rather than rush an unstable and half-baked tuner app out the door, that they will have to revise a dozen times down the road, they are waiting until the app is ready.
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Did they disable it or simply not enable it?
James Quinn 14th Oct 2009
See there are many ways to look at any given subject. You choose for
some odd reason to see something sinister where Apple is concerned
that sounds like a personal issue to me and not one Apple has to
address. Maybe the chip set needed to do something else came
bundled with the FM ability as well? Maybe it was a power issue or a
UI issue and Apple considers those two WAY more important than FM.
Maybe it was simply a time and resource issue and it was very low on
the priority list. The first problem you had is to assume that Apple to
any action to disable the FM chip set rather than simply not enabling it
in the first place. Sheeeeezzzzzzzz.

Did Steve Jobs give you a swirly in HS and we just don't know it?

Pagan jim
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Just Apple's Track Record
bobiroc Updated - 14th Oct 2009
Apple has a pretty good history of omitting features that are found standard on most competitor products. I am not just talking about the iPhone either which omitted plenty of Standard features otherwise found in cell phones for years. Look at their iMac and Macbook lines. Until recently the wouldn't even include a SD or Multi-Card reader which have been found in desktops and laptops as a standard item for years. That is my point and I probably would never use an FM tuner but I know from reading forums it is a feature that many wish they had and if this ZDnet article is true and they included the hardware to receive radio transmissions and now years later are thinking about enabling it I guess I have to question why and I have heard over and over that Apple has some of the best software developers in the business so why are they behind the times with what should be a simple application.

And as for the title of your Post "Did they disable it or simply not enable it" is like saying "I didn't lie, I just didn't tell you"
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Not a lie... it FM was not listed as a feature.
James Quinn 14th Oct 2009
"IF" FM was important to the user then he/she should have gone with
a product that had said. Or was it not all that important just a wish
item? I guess based on the satisfaction and continued robust sales of
the iPhone it would be the later. I am well aware that Apple does not
compete based on "features" alone. That is my point exactly. I could
not list the features that others manufacturers but in their MP3
players only to find and continue to find that they could not put a dent
into Apples wild sales. Which again goes to prove my point.... keeping
the UI or the product simple and focused is better than adding the
kitchen sink in many ways. As for the iMac I a few months ago
bought the top of the line iMac and as far as I know it does not have
an SD or multi card reader nor do I care but am I wrong here? I don't
think I'd use it but hey one never knows I actually for a couple years
did not think much of the iPod... could not see a reason for one.

In the end "IF" Apple wants to take the time to get the important
things right and add to it's products feature list as time goes by I'm
good as long as I the consumer understands that when I purchase an
Apple product it will do X and not Y. As the consumer I have no
complaints as long as it does what I'm told it will do. If Apple has
other reason for not enabling a given feature or features but chooses
to do so later again I'm good. I may never need or use said but hey
one never knows. I don't know what I would do differently if I had an
SD or multi card reader in my iMac nor would I have bought an iMac if
I had a need for said and it did not have it.

I can't tell you over the years how many so called "features" that
people from the PC/Windows world have mentioned that we in the
Apple/OSX world are lacking. Both in the Mac line, OSX, iPhone and
iPods. I can honestly say that to date I have yet to want or need any of
them. One of the many reasons I tend to look side ways when
someone start spouting "features". I know what features I need/want.
I purchase based on those wants/needs. I don't suffer from "features
envy" nor do I drive a sports car:P

Pagan jim
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That's interesting
bobiroc 14th Oct 2009
that you ended your post with a Car reference. Sure it was not a listed feature but like someone referenced above it is like putting the hardware in your car for air conditioning and then 2 -3 years later saying oh if you update your computer flash you can now have air conditioning. It is a shame that you cannot see how this could be construed as a way to make Apple look amazing buy enabling a feature that they included the hardware for years ago. Seeing (unless something changes) that people with iPod Touches will have to pay for a firmware upgrade to 3.x to probably get this feature for which the hardware was already included secretly I think that even a person that defends apple on everything can see how this can be perceived as deception.
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First of all if you were to pay attention you'll find
James Quinn 14th Oct 2009
on the odd occasion I do slam Apple for an action or decision that I do
not find to my liking.

Second.... You nor I know what Apple is doing nor basing their
decisions on it is all conjecture or our parts and I only represent a
counter to your negative as a possibility. If you have any actual fact
please present then and if I had any myself I would make you aware of
them but we you nor I have said.

Last and I did point this out in an earlier post 3.0 had a lot of stuff in
it not just copy n paste. Again you nor I know what those of us who
upgraded were paying for nor do you or I know for sure if the next
major upgrade will include a price or this FM thing might be included
in the minor upgrades that Apple does not charge for. So it might be
included in 3.3 or something like that. I can assure you that if it
comes in 4.0 that there will be a lot more to the upgrade than simply
FM. So you decide what you might be paying your 10 bucks for and
weather you feel ripped off or not and I will do the same.

Oh and Apple did not secretly take down the towers on 9/11 either:P

Pagan jim
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Agree to disagree I guess
bobiroc 14th Oct 2009
I guess it can be taken either way but there is a big difference in including a new software enhancement that is purely software. But enabling a piece of hardware that was put in the device without the consumers knowledge is a bit deceptive in my book.
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@bobiroc
oncall Updated - 14th Oct 2009
Your arguments are starting to sound circular. Look, if the choices you seem to be proposing for Apple are:

1) Fully enable every hardware feature of the iPhone at the time of release, even if not advertised and even if the software to handle it is not ready or stable. Now there may be companies out there that will pack every damn feature imaginable into a piece of hardware/software and worry about stability and the user experience later. IMHO Apple is not one of them.

-or-

2) Don't add such hardware.

Those are not good choices. The rational choice is:

3) Add hardware that is cheap and can be added without degrading performance and worry about the software to support it at a later date.

You would probably be equally upset if Apple held off adding the FM hardware and came out next year and said "We're now adding FM capabilities to the iPhone 3GS+" whining because "Why wasn't it there in the first place?! What a RIP-OFF Apple could have put an FM receiver in long ago!!" Well, as it turns out, they did.

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P.S.
oncall Updated - 14th Oct 2009
If you read the original article closely you would have noticed that the real reason the FM chip is even there has been to support the Nike+ peripherals. So it's not like they put it there to milk future users. They put it there because they had reason to. Just because it can also be used as a regular FM receiver is no reason to accuse Apple of anything other than maximizing the hardware potential which is what they are trying to do.
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Actually...
Jkirk3279 15th Oct 2009
"Kinda like buying a car, and having an airconditioner control on the
dash but being unable to operate"

Manufacturers do that with cars ALL THE TIME.

They release an engine of x cubic inches and set the computer for Y
horsepower.

Then they come back two years later and start issuing "new" models of
the car with slightly updated programming.

You lose a little gas mileage, get a little more horsepower.

You can reprogram your car's computer yourself. Get a kit, and make
the choice between higher pollution and better gas mileage, and lower
pollution but worse gas mileage and more power.

As for Apple, they obviously put in the chip so it would be there when
the software requirements were ready.

Everybody knows v1.0 releases are buggy: best not to pile too much
work on the processor while working out those issues.
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RE: Rumor: Apple to awaken dormant FM tuner in iPhone
TimmyB 14th Oct 2009
I don't own an iPhone, but I have no problem with Apple doing it this way. Palm is doing the same with the Pre. There are many features that have been discovered in code that have been commented out, so they don't execute. The rationale is they want to make sure the really important features work first before they worry about having to support the cool, newer stuff.
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RE: Rumor: Apple to awaken dormant FM tuner in iPhone
Droid101 14th Oct 2009
If it's not HD radio, then I will yawn and continue my day.
0 Votes
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Whats so special about HD radio ???
mrlinux 14th Oct 2009
NT
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iPhoney is junk
pacman7777 14th Oct 2009
My daughter is on her third iPhone. They are a pile of junk - unfortunately I have a contract with AT&T...

...an no she isn't rough on them.
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How old is you're daughter?
James Quinn 14th Oct 2009
How do you know she is not rough on it? Do you watch her day in and
out? How do we know this story is true? Why keep buying and iPhone
AT&T sells other phones and yes smart phones. I'm an Apple and iPhone
fan but even I would have stopped after the second one:P

Pagan jim
0 Votes
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I Have 3 iPhones In Our House
panzrwagn@... 14th Oct 2009
And we are rough on them, leaving them in hot cars, dropping them, and a lot more, short of washing and drying them. We have had zero failures, lost data or other problems.
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Message has been deleted
Hallowed are the Ori Updated - 15th Oct 2009
Message has been deleted

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