News Archive for 07/03/05

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Vacuum tube amplifier dock

03/05, 12:40pm

Roth to ship vacuum tube amplifier dock

Roth has unveiled the Music Cocoon MC4, an amplifier dock that relies on vacuum tubes to produce what some say is a richer, warmer sound. Roth recommends that iPod owners load lossless files to ensure maximum fidelity, and the dock charges iPods as they play. The rear of the device also features inputs for laptops, CD systems, and other MP3 players. The dock is simply an amplifier, shipping with no speakers and requiring users to supply their own. The device is rated at 13W with a frequency response of 20Hz-30KHz and an output impedance of 8ohm. The dock is due to launch in April for $780, according to Electronista.

iPhone camera report

03/05, 9:35am

Micron to produce iPhone camera sensors?

The two-megapixel sensor in the iPhone will be manufactured by Micron Technology in Italy, reports setteB.IT. The two-megapixel, 30 fps (frame per second) device, which is about a quarter of an inch across the diagonal, is about $11 per sensor, according to prior estimates by iSuppli; however, the report says that the cost price to Micron is in the range of $5-$7 per device component. Those same sources claim Micron's semiconductor fabrication plant in Avezzano is the sole source of the sensor for Apple's iPhone and that Apple has placed initial orders for between 2,000 and 3,000 wafers per week--for a theoretical yield of 600,000 sensors per week (the nature of semiconductor fabrication yields, however, will result in lower numbers of working sensors)