Goodbye headphone dominance for the new iPod Shuffle

Apple will force third-party headphone manufacturers to integrate a licensed authentication chip into their headphones, without which the headphones will not work. The manufacturer will have to pay Apple a certain amount to get this very coveted chip. This means that many small manufacturers will not even release headphones for the new iPod, while those few models of released headphones will cost more than they could cost.

via engadget.com

UPD : There was information from Apple that this chip does not contain authentication data, but it is still proprietary. Here's food for thought:
Macworld.com
boingboing.net
iLounge.com
Dear Khabrovites, who understand English well - help to understand the intricacies.