Apple Says "No" To Releasing New Dock Connector Specs

sl4shd0rk writes "According to sources, Apple hasn't offered any specs to developers for the new '9-pin Connector' to be used on the next version of the iPhone. Apple has also said it may use 'licensing agreements and threats of lawsuits' to prevent third-party adapters from hitting the market through at least 2012. There have been suggestions that this tactic is to allow Apple time to leverage competition and reap in revenues of $100 million for every 10 million Dock Connector Adapters it sells for $10. It remains unclear whether Apple will allow third-party developers to release competing alternatives after 2012."

Comments

Putting words in Apples mouth

[Anonymous Coward]

Apple hasn't said a damn thing. Just speculation.

Re:Putting words in Apples mouth

[gutnor]

The new connector itself is pure rumor. So they don't publish the specs on a rumored connector of a product they haven't even announced or given any clear indication it will exist at all ? Some days it really feel like all Apple Haters and Fanboys are like teenagers gossiping about their favorite star.

Re:Putting words in Apples mouth

[Pieroxy]

Care to put your money where you mouth is? I'm willing to bet $1000 that's what the next iphone will look like (little dock and all).

My best judgement prevents me from betting $1000 with AC, sorry.

Re:Apple is the new Microsoft

[preaction]

You mean instead "leveraging their position to unfairly stifle competition," correct?

Will they attempt this in the EU as well?

[Anonymous Coward]

It may be that they are walking straight into EU regulations with that kind of policy. Vertical monopolies in the supply chain is one of those few things the EU gets extremely aggro about, to the benefit of the market and consumers.

Re:Will they attempt this in the EU as well?

[Mr. Wok]

Aggro?! Do you mean EU is somekind of monster of which somebody is always tanking and getting the aggro while the others shoot?

Re:Will they attempt this in the EU as well?

[Anonymous Coward]

But nothing that you can't do with USB. Android phones have the ability to do audio and video through micro USB after all.

The only difference is they provide an analog pins for each audio channel, for svideo etc. Micro USB means you just send it as data and convert it in the adapter.

Re:Apple is the new Microsoft

[Mr. Wok]

They haven't said or done anything, this is all just speculation. Slow news day on Slashdot.

a price to pay

[azalin]

Apple has never been a fan of cheap. Their products carry the undercurrent message "I can afford this", much like sports cars, suvs, rolexes and the like. They don't want everybody to provide cheap accessories to their products, because it diminishes the brand value.

Re:universal connector

[data2]

http://www.maclife.com/article/news/microusb_set_european_commission_standard_smartphones
Brought to you by those commie, over-regulating Europeans.

Re:universal connector

[nospam007]

"all other manufacturers agreed to standardize on microusb some 5 years ago(and it's finally starting to be used on pretty much all, non-apple, devices now)."

Apple signed the agreement as well.
http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/magazine/articles/single-market/article_10942_en.htm

Re:universal connector

[GungaDan]

Hipsters can shop at Target if they do so ironically, or were doing it before it became mainstream.

Re:universal connector

[Charliemopps]

Give me a break. The iPhone connector is designed specifically to not be compatible with anything else on the market so apple can charge other companies that want to use it for the privilege. You can't even find the positive and negative pins on the phone, hook up alligator clips and charge it. The connector has a resistor and cap across several pins so the phone can detect if it's a real iPhone connector and it will literally reject the cable if it doesn't detect these components in the signal. There is no purpose in those components being there other than to enforce their patents.

Every point you make can be done with USB. You can transfer streaming audio and video via usb, you can certainly use it to control the volume of an iPod. In fact, the iPods connector is larger, analog and transfers far less data than a modern USB connector could. It is, without question, an inferior connector. If the connector were so superior, why isn't anyone designing their phones to work off the same connection? No one seems bothered about breaching any of apples other patents...

Re:Apple is the new Microsoft

[ArhcAngel]

That would be very...un-Apple-like. They currently make money on every device legitimately sold by 3rd party OEMs (iHome, JBL) by requiring an NDA and licensing agreement through their MFi program. I found and interesting read here about the reasoning behind the Square CC reader using the audio port. They cite several valid reasons but one that sticks out in a big way is basically it costs Square US $1 to manufacture the device but it would have cost them $4-$8 per device in licensing if they had gone with the 30 pin dock connector.