All apps currently use data either via wifi or cellular. What the post I answered to said was Apple doesn't want to turn on radio frequency ability because it wants to steer users to an Apple Music subscription. I was just pointing out that free radio is currently available without an AM subscription.
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FCC Chairman Encourages Activation of the FM Radio Receiver Built Into Your iPhone
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All apps currently use data either via wifi or cellular. What the post I answered to said was Apple doesn't want to turn on radio frequency ability because it wants to steer users to an Apple Music subscription. I was just pointing out that free radio is currently available without an AM subscription.
So with the rumoured wireless charging, there is magically space in an iPhone and no interference with 3G/LTE/WiFi signals. I don't buy it, remember the "you are holding it wrong" quote. You have to think if it is free to the consumer what financial benefit does Apple have as a conflict of interest with Apple Music. Does Apple Music allow health and safety alerts and announcements on a municipal level. Again not buying it. Next up Apple enables this and your comments will be see its magical and Apple innovates. We should push Apple to be the best it can, rather than make excuses that they cannot. It will only benefit the consumer, unless you are against the consumer.
Affordable Android phones have this capability for years, are you telling me that Android engineers are able to do this under a budget and Apple cannot.
This is an engineering problem, nothing else. I'm ignoring things like space in the case as that doesn't matter. Like I said, the android phones don't have an antenna inside, they do it with the headphone jack, which the iPhone doesn't have. The problem isn't with space but interference. Induction charging causes minimum interference with radio frequencies (it's a magnetic field, which affects radio signals but only at a very close distance with the power levels used and generally not too terribly so) . Plus you aren't going to be wirelessly charging and using the phone actively for the most part, and if you do it still has the advantage of an IP network and data re-transmission and error correction. This isn't true with general FM radio. When you have such a powerful transmitter antenna right next to a low power receiver, along with the analog signal, with no means of error correction, it's going to create a LOT of interference and distortion making it almost unusable. You would have to completely turn off the LTE/GSM/CDMA for the FM radio to work if the antenna was in the case. If you really need emergency alerts in an area where you don't have cell coverage you are NOT going to depend on a phone. You'd (like I do) have a dedicated, device with recharging capabilities since you don't want to stake your life on a secondary feature on a device with terrible battery life.
Addition: While internal may not be possible, it would still be nice to see apple make an external lightning FM tuner like they had for the old iPods. At least then it would be an option.
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Lightening wired headphones.
Lightning is a digital interface, I don't think going to provide the analog circuit (wire loop) all the way from the FM radio chip to the headphone wire.
Personally I really wish they'd implement this. I would really like built in support of emergency broadcasts and things like local news and sports stations. I mean, why not?
Question though - would this in theory work on LTE iPads as well? As in, is the FM receiver mentioned in this article built in to those devices too?
Question though - would this in theory work on LTE iPads as well? As in, is the FM receiver mentioned in this article built in to those devices too?
Feeling vindicated. Apple prevents FM broadcasts, so I'll prevent Apple music subscription payments through causal piracy. Tit for tat.
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FM radio coming to a country near you.
AM? That band that only makes weird noises? You gotta be kidding..... Nobody ever listens to AM, only for nautical purposes and other strange stuff.
It's staggering the level of ignorance about how FM radio works.
"I don't want it... Another way to be tracked ...... It'll use up network data..."
Jesus, what do they teach in schools these days? You really have to fear for the future of the human race if this is the present state of the youngest generation.
"I don't want it... Another way to be tracked ...... It'll use up network data..."
Jesus, what do they teach in schools these days? You really have to fear for the future of the human race if this is the present state of the youngest generation.
Think about a zombie invasion and everything shuts down including the internet. Assuming you would have battery left in your smartphone, you could find the last outpost of humanity using the FM receiver in your phone and listening to their emergency broadcast.
I see a dongle opportunity.
That would require a second port of some sort on the iPhone.
Can't have that.The alternative would be to make the FM Radio tuner a dongle itself, which Apple has done before. But that makes this whole initiative to get the radio inside the iPhone activated moot.
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So dongle opportunity, now included in the box as Apple removed the audio port. One step forward (remove audio port) two steps back (include dongle for lightening to audio port and include lightening earphones that will need another adapter to convert it to an audio port to use with your MacBook and if the FCC wins then include a digital to audio converter dongle to audio port to use wired headphones). Sounds like Apple to me. We need to remove the audio port to make it water-resistant and more space for a TouchID, when other companies can make a device with a audio port that is water-resistant as well. Could Apple have made the motor smaller to drive the tactile vibration mechanism, sure, however then we will have to include the audio port.
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That would require a second port of some sort on the iPhone.
The alternative would be to make the FM Radio tuner a dongle itself, which Apple has done before. But that makes this whole initiative to get the radio inside the iPhone activated moot.
Time for Apple and their engineer dept to work some magic.
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It's one more chip that takes up more space, drains more energy and introduce more bugs. And since it's FM, it might require its own antenna and a redesign of the iPhone case. We don't need to be tethered to terrestrial FM when every single station is on the Internet so putting it in now serves no purpose. They're more likely to put the headphone jack back in.
This is what makes you realize that? The level of stupidity when it comes to basic things having to do with electricity/electronics or any engineering and physics related fields is amazing. They don't seem to be teaching anything related to logical/critical thinking at all since that's not part of the "core" subjects on any test.
"these modern-day mobile miracles don’t enable a key function offered by a 1982 Sony Walkman."
Let's force Apple to enable telegraph reception as well. That 'key function' was available in the Civil War.
Engineering design by right wing appointees. What could go wrong?
Let's force Apple to enable telegraph reception as well. That 'key function' was available in the Civil War.
Engineering design by right wing appointees. What could go wrong?
::facepalm::
The chip is already in the phone. It uses less battery power than running an internet radio app. There would be as many "bugs" with FM in your phone as there are with a standalone FM radio (namely: none). Apple redesigns the iPhone case at least every other year, and especially with the phones getting larger, there is plenty of room to put in an FM antenna (if necessary). None of your points are valid.
Maybe this part of what the chairman said was overlooked (it was in the OP). Force isn't acceptable.
"Pai said that while he will keep speaking out about the benefits of activating FM receivers in smartphones, he is a believer in free markets and the rule of law, and he thereby cannot support a government mandate requiring activation of these chips, nor does he believe the FCC has the power to issue said mandate."
This would be nice for people that go to a gym that require you to tune into an FM station for TV audio.
True. FM radio uses no network data, and has no tracking capability. But it does use up battery life. listening to FM for long periods would be the same battery drain as being on the phone talking that entire time.
But FM radio serves a valuable purpose. In a national crisis and/or when the cell phone grid goes down, How will you get the warning? Many FMs are required to offer the service. So Local FMs will probably still be on the air at least some of them on generator, but you won't get the warning on your iPhone since it's disabled.
And also ATSC 3.0 is coming soon. Other manufacturers already have cell phones that get over the air TV. And it's coming to the USA soon, whether Apple enables it or not.
Not sure about HD
ATSC 3.0 is in the works as we speak. Much of the world will use it and it will be 4K too!
Headphones can act as an antenna, but probably not without a headphone jack. It's as if Apple's botched Apple TV strategy is invading the iPhone design.
