Apple first wireless chip is the new W1 for wireless EarPods

After months of rumors around Apple's plans for the headphone jack, the company revealed today that it is scrapping the 3.5mm port on its latest iPhone. That leaves lightning-powered headphones and Bluetooth wireless headphones as the only compatible accessories without the need for an adapter. Apple is introducing a new wireless communications protocol alongside its plans to remove the headphone jack, and it's called the W1 chip.

Apple's Phil Schiller described Apple's move to a new wireless chip as "fixing the challenges" of wireless audio in a keynote address this morning. Apple hasn't detailed whether its W1 chip uses a proprietary communications protocol, but the chip sits inside the company's new EarPod headphones and can...

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