Citing unnamed sources, South Korean site ETNews claims Apple is expanding its use of electromagnetic interference shielding to most of the major chips in the new iPhone 7. Apple has previously applied shielding to its circuit boards and connector, but expanding the technique to more components would decrease the space required between them, allowing for further miniaturization of the phone’s profile and possibly providing more space for the battery. Apple first used the process in the original Apple Watch — where space was at a premium — and has reportedly invested “tens of millions of dollars” in contracts with South Korean companies StatsChipPac and Amkor to expand the technology into the iPhone 7. The new process means higher costs for each shielded component, but the publication’s source emphasized the growing necessity to reduce interference “as clock signals of digital chips have increased and as diverse functions such as 3D-touch and others have recently [been] added.” [via Patently Apple]
