New iPhone to get real digital compass?

David Martin | May 22, 2009

(Credit: Asahi Kasei)

As we get closer to WWDC in June, iPhone rumors continue to pop up. The latest reports that the iPhone will have a digital compass that will report, for instance, the direction you are facing when taking a picture or directions from the Mobile Map app as you walk or drive.

According to AppleInsider, Asahi Kasei may be the supplier of the magnetometer used in a new iPhone. The discovery of this was made by some developers recently examining header files from the iPhone 3.0 software developers' kit. AppleInsider has more to say about the discovery:

...header files attributed to the Japanese manufacturer in a directory appropriately labeled "compass." More specifically, the files identify Asahi Kasei's azimuth sensor No. AK8973, a 16-pin leadless IC package measuring 4mm square and 0.7mm thick, as the chip that will help future iPhone users determine their direction. It bundles a master clock oscillator.

While there has been previous speculation that the iPhone would have a compass, the mention in Apple's own SDK moves this rumor solidly into the "probably true" column.

Via CNET Crave

Filed under: Mobile Phones
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