A newly-published teardown of the third-generation iPod touch by iFixit has revealed that the player contains an 802.11n-capable Wi-Fi chip, despite being listed as an 802.11b/g only device. According to the article, the iPod touch 3G sports a Broadcom BCM4329FKUBG wireless chip, which the manufacturer states is n-compatible. Notably, this chip appears to be more advanced than the 802.11 a/b/g-only Broadcom BCM4325 chip found in the iPhone 3GS, and also offers support for Bluetooth 2.1 +EDR and an FM receiver and transmitter. In addition, iFixit found enough space left at the top of the board—6mm x 6mm x 3mm—to house the video camera found in the fifth-generation iPod nano, but not enough to fit a more robust sensor like that found in the iPhone 3GS. Finally, the iPod touch’s ARM processor is labeled 339S0075 ARM, possibly indicating a later version of the processor found in the iPhone 3GS, which is labeled 339S0073 ARM.
Charles Starrett was a senior editor at iLounge. He's been covering the iPod, iPhone, and iPad since their inception. He has written numerous articles and reviews, and his work has been featured in multiple publications.