FM Radio On Your iPhone?

A few days ago 9to5Mac posted a rumor that Apple is on the verge of releasing an FM Radio App for the iPhone. Apparently, the iPhone 3G/3GS currently have an FM transceiver inside which is used to communicate with the Nike+ accessory. All Apple has to do is flick a switch and TaDa! FM Radio on your iPhone.

The BCM4329’s FM transmit capabilities enable consumers to stream music directly from their mobile devices to car stereos or home theater systems without special adapters or bulky cables. With the FM receiver, users can get real-time traffic information as well as music, news, and sports broadcasts on their mobile devices.

Apple has been known to disable some features on its iPhone/iPod chips (see Bluetooth on the iPod touch or A2DP on iPhone) so which features will be available from the outset are uncertain.

As the current iPhone models can recieve FM transmissions, Apple could theoretically enable “radio” functionality in an upcoming update.

It isn’t that far off for Apple to disable a core feature of a device until they are ready to release an App that supports it. When it comes to the Apple Marketing Monster, timing is everything. This rumor definitely seems like something we can look forward to.