Affiliate Disclosure
If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Read our ethics policy.

Apple selected leading Audience noise cancellation technology for iPhone 4

While it was known that Apple's iPhone 4 incorporated dual microphones for noise cancellation, teardown experts at iFixit and Chipworks have now identified the audio chip as being a product of Audience, recognized to be the industry's leading vendor.

As described in a report by iFixit, the identity of the iPhone 4 audio processing chip was originally obscured because it remained white labeled.

The site states that "Apple asked the manufacturer to remove their branding from the package to make it difficult for folks like us to identify," and added that the part number didn't match any recognizable components during the initial teardown when iPhone 4 first came out last summer.

Both the GSM/UMTS and CDMA version introduced for Verizon Wireless this spring (pictured above) use the same mystery chip. Its identity has now been revealed thanks to a chip decapping by Chipworks, conclusively indicating that Apple uses a low power audio signal processor designed by Audience, providing analog front ends and an embedded DSP (digital signal processor).

The group notes that due to Audience's chip, "the iPhone's audio cancellation capabilities are very impressive, outperforming just every non-Audience powered cell phone we’ve tried."

The now discontinued Google Nexus One also used an Audience chip for noise cancellation, beating Apple to market with the technology but ultimately failing to sell in comparable volumes.



27 Comments

prof. peabody 15 Years · 2858 comments

Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleInsider

While it was known that Apple's iPhone 4 incorporated dual microphones for noise cancellation, teardown experts at iFixit and Chipworks have now identified the audio chip as being a product of Audience, recognized to be the industry's leading vendor. ...

This is so surprising because usually Apple saves a few cents by going with the second or even third best option given that they don't really care about quality and are really all about whatever is cheapest.

kenwk 14 Years · 25 comments

Quote:
Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody

This is so surprising because usually Apple saves a few cents by going with the second or even third best option given that they don't really care about quality and are really all about whatever is cheapest.

It said "leading vendor" and it said :"the iPhone's audio cancellation capabilities are very impressive, outperforming just every non-Audience powered cell phone we?ve tried." not sure where you are coming from

cmf2 17 Years · 1425 comments

Quote:
Originally Posted by kenwk

It said "leading vendor" and it said :"the iPhone's audio cancellation capabilities are very impressive, outperforming just every non-Audience powered cell phone we?ve tried." not sure where you are coming from

He's (incorrectly) saying that this practice is not typical of Apple and they normally choose cheaper components and sacrifice quality. Of course, such statements have little basis in fact or reality. Apples attention to detail is phenomenal, it's a major reason why I love a lot of their products.

deanbar 19 Years · 113 comments

Quote:
Originally Posted by kenwk

It said "leading vendor" and it said :"the iPhone's audio cancellation capabilities are very impressive, outperforming just every non-Audience powered cell phone we?ve tried." not sure where you are coming from

Ever heard of sarcasm........

cvaldes1831 16 Years · 1832 comments

Quote:
Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody

This is so surprising because usually Apple saves a few cents by going with the second or even third best option given that they don't really care about quality and are really all about whatever is cheapest.

Yeah, that Retina Display is second-rate.

Quote:
Originally Posted by deanbar

Ever heard of sarcasm........

If it was indeed sarcasm, he should have used a smiley. There are many non-native English speakers on this forum who would have a difficult time in identifying sarcasm.

Even native English speakers can find online sarcasm hard to identify.