14 DAY TRIAL // The wealth of accessories available for iPods is an integral part of what has made it such a huge success and Apple knows this well. With the iPhone being the next big thing, Apple is making sure that it too is ready to work with a wide array of accessories.
The Cupertino Company has just won a patent for something that they describe as a cell phone 'accessory detector.' It will have two functions, the first ensuring that the various different radios on cell phones don't interfere with each other and the second being that devices attached to phones also don't cause any interference or dropped calls. "There is a need for techniques that ensure the integrity of the wireless communication with a mobile device when an accessory is coupled with the mobile device," Apple wrote in its patent application.
The accessory detector will be compatible with a wide range of products that Apple does not manufacture, such as remote controllers, global positioning system (GPS) devices and wireless handheld gaming devices. Most likely Apple will not be manufacturing such devices, leaving others to come in and fill the gap. However, such third party solutions will undoubtedly need to use Apple's mobile-focused software in order to play with the iPhone. Much like with the iPod, which is kept basic but can be enhanced via accessories, Apple is probably going to want to keep the iPhone as lean as possible, both in order to keep the price down and in order to avoid unnecessary bloat.
Apple will like to use something similar when it comes to software, as the company has stated that they do want to offer third party developers the possibility of coding for the iPhone, but at the same time cannot risk the security and stability of the device.