Apple's Lightning to HDMI adapter opened up, discovered to contain a tiny AirPlay-esque computer

The fine folks at Panic were experimenting with video out from iOS -- never we mind why -- and came across an interesting discovery: Apple's Lightning Digital AV adapter, aka HDMI adapter, doesn't seem to pass along a 1080p signal in the traditional manner. Instead, it looks like it's passing along upscaled AirPlay-like video. Intrigued as to how, Cabel Sasser gutted the adapter like a Tauntaun on a cold night to find out, and shared what he discovered on the Panic Blog:

Your eyes don’t deceive you — that tiny chip says ARM. And the H9TKNNN2GD part number on there points towards RAM — 2Gb worth.

So it's a tiny computer. More specifically, a tiny, single purpose, hard-lined Apple TV-esque device. That explains the less-than-stellar quality of the output (ugh!), but not why Apple chose to go this way.

For some theories on that, and more on Panic's adapter adventure, including the torn-open guts of the gear, check out the link below.

Source: Panic Blog

Rene Ritchie
Contributor

Rene Ritchie is one of the most respected Apple analysts in the business, reaching a combined audience of over 40 million readers a month. His YouTube channel, Vector, has over 90 thousand subscribers and 14 million views and his podcasts, including Debug, have been downloaded over 20 million times. He also regularly co-hosts MacBreak Weekly for the TWiT network and co-hosted CES Live! and Talk Mobile. Based in Montreal, Rene is a former director of product marketing, web developer, and graphic designer. He's authored several books and appeared on numerous television and radio segments to discuss Apple and the technology industry. When not working, he likes to cook, grapple, and spend time with his friends and family.