Reports Say Apple Is Shrinking Its Docking Connector With iPhone 5

jones_supa writes "Two sources have told Reuters that Apple's new iPhone will drop the classic wide dock connector used in the company's gadgets for the best part of a decade in favor of a smaller one. The refresh will be a 19-pin connector port at the bottom instead of the previous 30-pin port 'to make room for the earphone moving to the bottom.' That would mean the new phone would not connect with the myriad of accessories playing a part in the current ecosystem of iPods, iPads and iPhones, at least without an adapter. On the upside, a smaller connector will allow for more compact product designs. Some enterprising vendors in China have already begun offering cases for the new phone, complete with earphone socket on the bottom and a 'guarantee' that the dimensions are correct." Gizmodo writer Adrian Covert says it's for your own good.

Comments

Standard connectors? LOL you wish!

[GameboyRMH]

I'm sure MicroUSB and other industry-standard connectors weren't considered. For how many years now has Apple been the last holdout with proprietary connectors?

Even if they did they'd still find a way to make it proprietary with something like the charger resistor trick or the headphone recess.

Re:Standard connectors? LOL you wish!

[GameboyRMH]

Apple going through the trouble of abandoning their old proprietary connector and MAKING A NEW PROPRIETARY ONE instead of going to a standard one like every other phone has had for years sounds at least a bit nefarious to me.

Re:Standard connectors? LOL you wish!

[tripleevenfall]

Do we know there won't be any adapters available? They have produced adapters for their products in the past, such as the numerous display adapters.

It's kind of "heads I win, tails you lose".

If Apple moves to a slimmer profile device, people say they are just trying to make people buy new cables. If they stay on an old one, people say they won't give up on their proprietary cables.

If they produce an adapter, people will say they just want to cash in by selling the adapters. If they don't produce adapters, people say they just want to make you buy new cables.

Re:Standard connectors? LOL you wish!

[Anonymous Coward]

It's really sad that you're a fucking piece of shit moron. But we don't really care.

I can appreciate that people get crazy-sensitive about their mobile phones, but "you're a fucking piece of shit" might be a tad over-the-top.

Why does it matter to you in the slightest that Apple is using space and components efficiently, instead of creating huge devices with half-a-dozen ports?

I don't know of anyone advocating half a dozen ports. What I do see is people saying it'd be nice if they used micro-usb like everyone else instead of a proprietary connector.

Re:Standard connectors? LOL you wish!

[chispito]

Why is it that stupid people hate Apple? Is there something about being stupid that I just don't get?

And yet many of us prefer the company of the decent and stupid to the condescending and average.

Re:Standard connectors? LOL you wish!

[v1]

For how many years now has Apple been the last holdout with proprietary connectors?

OK then clearly they should have gone with the other industry standard cable that supports power, usb, video, remote volume and play selection, etc. Oh wait, that's right, there isn't another one!

Your argument is only valid when there are other non-proprietary options. It works well when talking about say, Sony's "i-link" proprietary firewire connector, or any of those proprietary USB connectors on cameras, where they're using a special connector to force you to buy cables and other accessories directly from them at some absurd mark-up. But that's not the case with Apple's dock connector.

This is the only connector that does it all in discrete pins, vastly simplifying construction of accessories. Even cars are coming with Apple's dock connector in them nowadays. Apple's not being an ass and forcing you to use their connector to do what they could have done with another standard connector. They just happen to have pioneered the market and have been using this one connector for the last decade, with a crapton of accessories being made by other vendors. You don't have to buy your dock from Apple. Try getting an iLink cable from someone besides Sony. (for $35 or so) That's how you abuse proprietary connectors

Re:Just switch to USB

[GameboyRMH]

To Apple that isn't a feature, it's a bug.

Re:Just switch to USB

[Kenja]

USB lacks video & audio out as well as other feature connectors. So its one custom connector, or several standard ones. Apple wants fewer connectors, so a custom one is used. Not a big deal really.