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Was the iPod Accessory Port Inspired By a 40-Year-Old Camera?
An anonymous reader writes "While Samsung has been accused of repeatedly borrowing everything from Apple's hardware, to packaging and accessories, it appears that all current iDevices share a port which is very similar to one found on a forty-year-old Polaroid camera. It gets more interesting when you realize that camera was the 'supreme achievement' of a man Steve Jobs idolized. Edwin Land was the creator of the Polaroid camera and, if Steve Jobs obsessed over Land's devices the way many do with iPhones, etc. today, there's a chance this similarity is not a coincidence."
It wouldn't surprise me in the least that a look/feel would be emulated, especially if the designer were idolized. It might even be a sort of design Easter egg, the sort of in-joke that only those in the know would get as funny. Like font jokes, which are only funny if you use the fonts every day.
Actually I am a lab rat in an elaborate plot to take over the world.
You guys remember the days when every piece of bullshit spewed by an Apple fanboy wasn't immediately posted on the front page of slashdot?
That slot on a Polaroid camera was actually an edge connector. The flash bar was printed on a PCB and had gold trace "fingers" on a protruding section, like an ISA card. These are very cheap, as only one side of the connector even is a connector at all, the other is just a PCB. But they also aren't physically very strong and aren't good for a lot of insertion/removal cycles.
The iPod 30-pin has a metal shelled connector on both mating pieces. These are more precise, last longer and with the a latch system (present on some iPod cables, not others) physically strong. You can hang an iPod Mini easily from a latched 30-pin connector while the Polaroid flash bars fell out without even putting weight on them.
Also note Steve Jobs didn't design Apple's 30-pin connector, Donald J Novotney did.
http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
Interesting - how much time until there's an app for loading Polaroid pictures to the iOS?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW0DUg63lqU
good job janitors, erm i mean editors...
Slashdotted within ten minutes at 2100 EST on a Saturday night? What are all of you people doing reading /. now?
Stop learning! Only you can prevent esoterrorism.
I think the sites aer /.'ed as I can't load them. Actually if anyone can post the content on all the links in the OP posting it would help everyone out.
I'd state that the current USB port and a connector on the Gameboy would be closer than a PCB edge connector (which was made to give enough juice to pop flashes, flip the board, pop more flashes.)
This is my server. Running wordpress. I have supercache enabled and all of my media is on a CDN. Still couldn't handle the load. Sorry guys. Sorry for submitting Timothy. I really thought it was up for the task. Best, M
Who is General Failure, and why is he reading my hard disk?
Given the interesting timing, does this story potentially fall under the heading of "you can't libel the dead"?
I'd read the story and decide, but it's already been slashdotted...
#DeleteChrome
I remember searching bookstores fruitlessly for one a couple decades ago (pre-Internet days), so I was surprised to find one still in print. I think there were probably several others published over the last fifty years focused specifically on Land (as opposed to histories of Polaroid) that are no longer available.
Who wants to hear some blogger gossip about how some component of an Apple product kinda-sorta-maybe looks like that of some other 40-year-old product? It's in the same vein as comparing the Kennedy/Lincoln assassinations: you can always find random coincidences if you look hard enough.
People are just jealous of Apple's brilliant innovations in the areas of rounded black rectangles, white box packaging, grid-like arrangements of icons, and, yes, accessory ports.
Apple would never copy other companies' designs. They have way too much integrity for that!
Even if the ports aren't the same, what's the harm in your article? I don't get the hate.
http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
Samsung really has been shamelessly copying apple almost exactly. It looks like a clear attempt by samsung to milk apples design, I'm sure they think that's the key to success is just copying every little thing from something else successful.
Why don't they just ask him if it's true?
Oh. Right. How convenient.
It's just a black rectangle...
Almost every PDA since the 1990's has had iPod-like connectors, since before USB.
Palm and Windows PDAs and phones have had most of the other things Apple-fans associated with the iPhone, including the launch screen, MP3 players, finger keyboards, cameras, etc.
For tablets, it's pretty much the same: tons of prior art, tons of prior designs that were quite similar.
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/next/archives/2008/12/what_apple_lear.html
Here's something that is barely relevant about standards. At least some of it isn't made up! ;)
Why are (most) automobile axles as long as they are?
Because they were the same length as the then railcar axles (I think railroads were originally narrow Gage).
Why were railcars axles as long as they were?
Because that was the Gage (duh) of the railway.
Why was the Gage of the railway set to be that width?
Because it matched the width of the wagons and carriages used on roads at the time.
Why was the axles of the wagons and carriages standardized on that length? (they were made before mass production so many varying lengths would be more probable).
Because they were made to match the ruts formed in the often muddy roads.
Why were the ruts in the road formed at that particular width?
Because one width was used by one kind of common vehicle (the roman chariot).
Why was that width particularly useful?
Because it was the width of two horses.
(Sort of) Moral: nothing is new and our primary transportation technology is based on horses assess!
some chancer trying to score some easy hits off Jobs' death. Quality work slashdot.
Edwin Land would certainly be a good role model for Jobs.
He was probably the greatest developer of optical and photographic technologies in American history. I'm particularly fond of him for designing the folding ultra-high resolution cameras that allowed the U2 spyplane to photograph objects at 2.5 foot resolutions from 60,000 feet up. Those cameras were refined into those used on the blackbird (80,000 feet and resolution high enough to see the stripes on a parking lot) and those used in satellites. These cameras were, of course, was just one of many achievements in his field.
Anyone with those kind of standards would have been a god to Steve Jobs, I'm sure.
Especially when you consider that the click wheel iPod is thought to be influenced by a 1954 transistor radio.
Plus even Jobs' comments about the iPhone 4 being "like a Leica camera" betray the fact to yes, their designers look to past gadgets for inspiration, so I wouldn't be surprised if someone given the task of locating the port saw the Polaroid camera and went "let's try that"...
I don't see the comparison on the Land camera but Samsung cloned Apples packaging. They are obviously trying to create confusion. Hey ours is just as good, look at the box art! To me it makes me assume it's a cheap knock off but plenty of people will fall for it.
You are the one who posted the article? Why did you post it anonymously only to follow up with your real account? It's a conspiracy, isn't it?
I thought it was a well-known fact that Apple's more recent products have taken design cues from electronics of the '50s-'70s, especially Braun products designed by Dieter Rams.
(I'm typing this on a brand new Macbook Air :)
This editorial is a must read: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/10/08/jobs_funeral/
"What kind of music do pirates listen to?" -Paul Maud'dib
"Yeeeaaarrrrr n' Bee!!" -Stilgar, Leader of Sietch Tabr
Fucken Apple Haters. Fucken Apple Fan Boys. You're all as fucked as each other.
Fuck Haters of Apple Haters. Fuck Haters of Apple fan boys.
Well, fuck all hatters. You're all fucked.
I hate hatters.
hummm!!!
I hate hatters, therefore
I hate, therefore
I'm a hatter, therefore
I hate me !!!?
Why is it so important to not copy something or to no make something that exists better? The rules that govern free development are quite natural in the corporative world, but in the end we end up being self-centered hypocrites. Shouldn't the consumers decide?
Well done, timothy! You've linked to a malware-serving ad farm, right on the front page of /. where it will get thousands of hits.
In any case many of apple's products bear more than a passing similarity to the work of the Braun designer Dieter Rams.
What in the world could anyone have against hatters?!
I always thought it was satire, because the reasons given were so stupid.
At the risk of appearing mercurial, maybe it's because they're all mad.
But I digress. We're talking about applostles, so maybe this kind is more appropriate.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
posts starting with "An anonymous reader writes" should be filtered out, or just skipped over. Glad to see their server was slashdotted, saves the rest of us from this carp.
There was an unknown error in the submission.
Not a native English speaker duh!!!
Go fuck yourself, and your nazi spell checking.
to think apple innovated since the 80's.
Who makes more than 1 /. account?
Generally it is trolls and people that lose track of their passwords.
I know several people who create new accounts whenever they change jobs, schools, organizations, etc. That makes them a little more anonymous in case they post something regarding the former employer.
I've even known people that just got bored with an old account name. Wanted something to match (or no longer match) an account name on a gaming service, etc.
If I find out that Apple got a patent on this I'll be furious.
If such a direct inspiration doesn't count as prior art I don't know what else would be.
You should have setup a Varnish instance in front of it. A bit of a plug for some foss software, but it does work *really* well. In every place I have ever deployed it webpage load, even from spikes like "slashdoting", is never a problem if its configured remotely correctly.
Thanks for the interesting submission. Thanks for keeping up with the replies with quality comments. Please keep blogging because the world needs people who can connect dots more than it needs people who can recite straight-up facts.
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this is total BS. The video clearly shows that the iPod connector may be a SIMILAR size and perhaps shape, but the internals have nothing to do with it. It doesn't even fit. In fact, it's completely unrelated. One of them was used to control a flashbar, a multiple flashbulb device, and the other is a data port which was meant to house multiple connections on a device which is continually getting smaller.
complete coincidence. Especially considering Apple never even invented the iPod.
They're using their grammar skills there.
iCopy
Let's say you have to design a connector for a device which is relatively thin, and is expected to get thinner in the future. Existing common connection standards like USB don't provide the functionality you want. What's the most obvious shape? How about a flat line?
Wow, amazing work. I don't think there's much inspiration required.
Jesus Christ. And you wonder why Ars started moderating comments. /. needs to rename Anonymous Coward to Chicken Shit Troll.
We've slashdotted many servers before; welcome to this week.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slashdot_effect :)
Truth isn't Truth - Guliani
So they cut it in half.
Truth isn't Truth - Guliani
people who make things are often inspired by other people who make things.
Interesting how this comes up after the man passes away, leave it alone and drop it ffs.
The Newtons 26 pin connector: http://myapplenewton.blogspot.com/2009/07/interconnect-port-101.html
Pics:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4043/4281355248_0d8d04f355.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3044/3090113889_9483dbd7af.jpg
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_86fa3woQOHU/SgV_ZUYBrrI/AAAAAAAAAfk/jxzCukhEE2M/s1600-h/IMG_6905.JPG
I thought the iPod connector port was a standard port that's been around a while but Apple changed the pinout and patented that pinout change to maintain control over who make attempts to make compatible devices they don't like.
Apparently Apple have got the video and images removed from the web, but here are they again =) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSkUM6HonkY https://picasaweb.google.com/111571551554338213029/WasTheIPodAccessoryPortInspiredByA40YearOldCamera?authuser=0&feat=directlink
You know now that I think about it the author is right. Not only that, Steve ripped off a bunch of other inventions as well. Ipads use glass, aluminum, and switches just to name a few. Isnt it deplorable. I guess there really isn't anything innovative about a bunch of aluminum, switches, glass, and semiconductor.
Author you are a trolling axx.
This "article" appears to be complete and utter bullshit.
If you value your time, stop reading now.
Much farther down in these comments, someone with lower karma posted links to youtube video & picasa jpegs of the connectors:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSkUM6HonkY
https://picasaweb.google.com/111571551554338213029/WasTheIPodAccessoryPortInspiredByA40YearOldCamera?authuser=0&feat=directlink
These connectors are not even close to compatible:
1) As demonstrated, they do not even fit together.
2) The old camera appears to have a FEMALE connector (accepting a male PCB edge from a flashbulb or whatever), while the iPod has a MALE connector (wafer-card which inserts into the female enclosure on an ipod cable or dock).
3) The iPod connector has 30 contacts, while the old Polaroid connector appears from the pics to have 8 (or at most 9) contacts.
Comparing these connectors is like comparing apples...and dolphins.
Bad slashdot. No dinner. Go to your room.
It looks like someone should ban the OP.
I recently picked up my first SX-70 to add to my collection. As soon as I folded the camera, I was struck with the feeling of holding something brilliantly engineered in my hand. Simple, technologically advanced, and powerful. Added to that the form and weight, I could have been holding a 40 year old iPod or my Newton MessagePad. (which also has a dock connector-like multifunction port) The location of the accessory port on the Polaroid was just the icing on the cake. If you want to look back to the introduction of the SX-70, watch this advertisement/PBS program on YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96Wzv-vgfsk
There are significant parallels and similarities in tone to the Apple Think Different campaign. It's almost spooky for someone born in the '80s that has experienced Apple before Polaroid. It seems almost like Steve Jobs and Jonathan Ive went back in time to 1970.
The connector on the camera appears likely to be for the flash bar, a 10-use flash. So I suspect it had 11 connectors, since that seems like the design that would minimize the manufacturing cost of the disposable component.
But I don't see anything special, it just looks like your typical connector made out of the edge of a circuit board. I suppose the general shape of the connector is similar to that of the iWhatever connector, but hardly unique or inspirational.
That said, it was a very popular, very well designed camera. And clean design was certainly of interest to Mr. Jobs.
The preferred solution is to not have a problem.
The headline says "inspired by", not "pin compatible with". Your comment is bullshit. Bad slashdot commenter. No cheetoes. Go to your basement.
Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
Haters gonna hate
Thank you. I'll look into it. Moved my site to Tumblr for now. I barely use it anyways. And this crash was inconvenient to sites I host. Varnish is a good suggestion. Thanks.
Who is General Failure, and why is he reading my hard disk?
Hi. The observation was about design. Not functionality. With the SX-70 collapsed the similarity is more striking. The iPod connector didn't fit, but the tip was snug, meaning that the measurements were the same. I have many connectors here for phones, PDAs, gaming devices, etc. and nothing was close. It didn't seem random. My guess, and it was just a guess - presented as a question, was that someone designing this new port for the iPod liked the aesthetic of the SX-70. By the time the 30pin adaptor was added, the iPod was already an iconic device. As was the SX-70. It seemed reasonable to me that there would be some thought put in to the aesthetics of the newly designed port. I am sorry the story was green lit for you. . If it's any consolation, I spent the weekend trying to get my host to re-instate my server account. So, I guess I was appropriattely 'punished'. I didn't mean to waste anyone's time. I was excited to find something that seemed connected. I did several searches and couldn't find anything on it. (perhaps because I am off base). There's been lots of interesting feedback from engineers who work on ports. I still haven't' seen anything that was as close of an aesthetic match as these two. If you still feel like I should be banned, that's certainly your prerogative. Cheers.
Who is General Failure, and why is he reading my hard disk?
No one mentioned pin compatibility. It would be ridiculous to consider pin compatibility between these two devices.
A less-astute consumer like yourself could at least consider appearance, which is what the OP claimed to do when he said the connector was "very similar".
And yet...you cannot even force an ipod cable into the huge slot on this camera, which was designed to accept a PCB edge connector. Even if you could force it, no electrical contacts would be made except maybe with the mangled connector shield. Because (duh) you're trying to jam a female connector into another female connector.
It makes as much sense as taking two extension cords and trying to jam the socket ends of both together, while the plug ends are connected to a potato battery on one, and a 30 kilovolt transformer one the other.
The observation was about design. Not functionality.
That makes it even more depressing, because those ports don't appear even superficially similar.
The SX-70 has a large beveled bump, around a chunky black plastic insert, with a slot in that plastic that accepts an edge connector from flash bulb or other accessory.
The iPod has a simple hole in the bottom with a male connector wafer inside, the same design as most modern cell phones.
If your vision is very poor...and you view both ports from a distance...I suppose they could both look like blurry black rectangles. That's about it. They aren't even close to the same size.
I didn't mean to waste anyone's time...If you still feel like I should be banned, that's certainly your prerogative.
And yet you did. Though it would be more appropriate to downgrade the idiots who let your musings through.
I mean, this article had approximately the same value as saying "Hey, I can stick a butter knife into the holes on these two devices!". Fail.
If your vision is very poor...and you view both ports from a distance...I suppose they could both look like blurry black rectangles. That's about it. They aren't even close to the same size.
. Fail.
I'd have to disagree with that. They are exactly the same size. That was my observation. That's why you can fit the tip of the iPod cable in the SX-70 jack and it's snug. They are micrometers different. If i had a more powerful lens and a micro meter, I'd be able to better show the fit. If you look at any other device between 1970 and 2003, I am not sure you would find a device port that has these dimensions. I could be wrong, but for all of the conversation, nobody has cited a device that is the same match. It seems random if you think they are random devices. But the SX-70 was the iPod or Walkman of its day. It's legendary. I am not saying it's important to anyone else. I left that for the editors to decide. I just thought it was interesting. It's not supposed to be any more significant that potentially seeing a lineage in consumer electronics. It got me to pull my SX-70 of the shelf. It's quite amazing. If you like technology you'd likely enjoy the camera. Sorry you didn't like the greenlight. My server shares your sentiment. On that front, I agree with your 'fail' assessment. Cheers.
Who is General Failure, and why is he reading my hard disk?
Again, 'inspired by', not 'exactly the same as'. Your inability to understand the word 'inspire' as used here continues to amaze.
Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
Coward
Shut UP CUNT!
Tsk tsk, excessive use of capitals on the internet is shouting, and it's rude to shout.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
When Samsung have a tablet that has bevelled edges, Apple cared enough to sue.
This is much more similar.
I actually liked "The Hatters" (Luton Town F.C., an English football club) when I was a child purely based on their stunning orange and black kit with the bold white stripe down one side. Of course, Liverpool have always been my club after growing up there and going to the games. Luton ultimately lost their way and are now languishing in some non-league side. However, they have brought back their kit in a move of retro goodness - there's hope yet.
Right, time for my tablet and a little nap. Goodnight!
Your inability to understand that these ports don't even look similar, and the connectors for each can't even be forced into the other one, continues to amaze.
So they look different, don't fit, have opposite genders, have radically different construction and numbers of pins...exactly how do you think one "inspired" the other?
You obviously haven't looked at any of the pictures.
Hatters gonna hat.
You obviously have a poor grasp of the English language. The 2011 New Beetle was inspired by the 1938 Type 1. But there is not a single part that carries over. You can't even force the engine of one into the other.
Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
You're talking about different model years of the same product. That's evolution, not inspiration. Apparently you have a poor grasp of the English language.
Yes, all of the Beetles look similar. That's the whole point. The bulbous-arc body design. You can look at an old one, or a new one, and tell immediately that they are related.
By contrast, if you look at the port on an iPod, and on an SX-70 polaroid camera, they do not appear similar in any significant way.
The most you could claim is that they are both rectangular. Wow. But...the rectangular slots on my toaster bear a much greater resemblance to the ipod port, than does the port on the SX-70 camera. Hmm, perhaps the ipod port was inspired by a toaster. I tried to stuff some bread into it, and it kinda sorta squished in there! Well, that proves it.
Please stop kicking yourself in the mouth, and go look at the pictures and videos of these ports.
If your vision is very poor...and you view both ports from a distance...I suppose they could both look like blurry black rectangles. That's about it. They aren't even close to the same size.
I took a photo for you: https://plus.google.com/u/0/116488482438030317181/posts/PntqnoWn6qV?hl=en I couldn't place the ruler exactly but both ports are just under 7/8ths of an inch by apprx. 1/16th high. They opening and placement is exactly the same size. You have to look closely on the SX-70 since the opening is surrounded by black plastic. The SX-70 was the iPod of its time. Steve Jobs was known to manage design details including over the transparency of the glass in the Apple store and the shade of yellow in the Google logo on the iPhone app. It's entirely plausible that he had input on the single port on this iconic device. That was my guess. If I was a betting man, I'd wager there is not another consumer electronic device between 1970 and 2003 with a port of these exact dimensions. Let alone a device of the prominence of the SX-70 or iPod. Why is it relevant? Because it shines a light on the Polaroid SX-70, which might deserve more recognition for its design achievements. Also, like the terrific 'Everything is a Remix' series, it's good for creative people and engineers to know that decisions are sometimes arrived at by looking at choices made by your predecessors. I figured the Slashdot audience might include people who build and design ports and connectors for a living. If that's not interesting to you, that's ok. I just wanted to give you a more detailed photo so you can draw your own conclusion based on the best information available. Cheers.
Who is General Failure, and why is he reading my hard disk?
You're talking about different model years of the same product. That's evolution, not inspiration.
I'm not sure which you know less about, the English language or the VW Beetle. The new Beetle has nothing whatsoever to do with the old beyond overall shape and name. Similarly, the iPod connector has nothing to do with the SX-70 port other than overall shape.
Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon