This article may contain affiliate links. Learn more on our Partner Program page.
Once a company creates a product using radio frequencies (like Bluetooth or Wi-Fi), it must be approved by regulatory bodies like the FCC. Interestingly, new FCC documents reveal a mysterious new Apple "network adapter" that runs on iOS.
The product is codenamed "A2657" and is simply referred to as a "network adapter." According to documents released by the FCC, Apple sent a sample of this device to the agency on January 22, 2022. Although there are no images of the adapter, the documents describe details about its internal hardware. Apple's mysterious network adapter features two Gigabit Ethernet ports, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC antennas, and a USB-C port. Interestingly, the FCC filings also reveal that the device has 32 GB of internal storage and 1.5 GB of RAM. A second version of the same product has a Lightning port instead of USB-C and only 1 GB of RAM. The documents reveal that the adapter is running firmware "19F47," an early internal version of iOS 15.5.
Mysterious Apple network adapter runs iOS
Therefore, it can be assumed that the adapter runs on an Apple Silicon chip, just like the Apple Studio Display. Apart from the fact that the FCC tested the new accessory on a MacBook Pro and an iMac, further details are unclear as Apple has a non-disclosure agreement valid until November 2022 requested has.
Of course, that doesn't mean that Apple's network adapter will ever see the light of day - at least not for regular consumers. Apple has filed several devices with the FCC that are intended for internal use, such as tools used by technicians to repair iPhones and Macs. Could the product be a new version of Apple's AirPort router? We don't know - so it's likely that things will remain exciting. (Photo by Unsplash / Sumudu Mohottige)
