Two weeks ago we saw an FCC listing show up for a new Apple product, a network adapter with Lightning, built-in battery, Ethernet, and more. While it was labeled for Apple internal use only, the company still withheld photos from FCC listing but now we’ve got a peek at what the device looks like.
Here’s Apple’s description of the new network adapter seen in the FCC application:
Further in the documentation, Apple detailed how it will be used:
Spotted by mysmartprice, the same device has landed on Taiwan’s National Communications Commission’s (NCC) website but this time with a few more details and photos of the proprietary network adapter. As you can quickly tell, nothing much to see here with a simple black casing for the rectangular adaptor that’s roughly 1.5- x 4-inches in size.
Some of the other details include a small 291mAh battery to offer backup power, the inclusion of a Lightning to USB-C cable, and Bluetooth LE.
While Apple doesn’t further explain its exact use beyond what we uncovered above, it’s possible it could be used as a way to keep display devices like iPhones and iPads in Apple Stores connected, updated, running even in the event of a power outage, or even enable new retail features. That said, it could have multiple use cases as Apple is planning to use it in its offices and factories as well.
