Mystery Apple wireless device w/ Bluetooth & NFC passes through FCC

Apple AirPort Extreme teardown

Following the launch of iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 2 this month, a mysterious wireless Apple device has passed through the FCC that doesn’t seem to line up with any known Apple products (via Consomac).

Referred to in the filings as simply a wireless device with model number A1844, what we do know is that the product includes Bluetooth and NFC functionality.

It’s also a low-powered device rated to draw between 100mA and 700mA and between 5.5V and 13.2V. Compare that with the current Apple TV rated at 12V at 0.917A or the iPhone 5 V at 2.4A.

In addition, we see only two torx screws visible on the bottom plate of the device where the regulatory markings are shown (pictured below), the positioning of which seem to hint at a rather small Apple TV-size device, although exact dimensions aren’t shown. 

Apple made sure that the filing leaked minimal details with its usual permanent confidentiality request that removed documents showing block diagrams, electrical schematic diagrams, technical descriptions, antenna gain and antenna locations. The report also notes references to color-coded cables, which doesn’t seem very Apple-like for a consumer facing product, but likely related to Apple’s testing procedures only.

With Apple’s iPhone 7 and Apple Watch Series 2 debut behind us, the next rumored product that seems like could line up with this mystery wireless device is the Siri-powered Amazon Echo competitor. Interestingly, this morning Bloomberg reported that the in-development device is now in prototype testing.

The rumored device is expected to compete with Amazon Echo and Google’s recently unveiled Home platform that offers dedicated hardware for controlling home accessories and more via voice commands. Apple’s product is expected to offer a similar experience using Siri, but it’s unclear exactly how it plans to implement the hardware. The report from Bloomberg claimed Apple had considered integrating it with Apple TV, but later opted for a different approach with a standalone speaker device more like Amazon and Google’s offerings.