[QUOTE]TAIPEI/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Apple Inc's (NSQ:[URL="http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=aapl"]AAPL[/URL] - [URL="http://finance.yahoo.com/q/h?s=aapl"]News[/URL]) new iPhone will drop the wide dock connector used in the company's gadgets for the best part of a decade in favour of a smaller one, a change likely to annoy the Apple faithful but which could be a boon for accessory makers.
The iPhone 5, Apple's next generation iPhone expected to go on sale around October, will come with a 19-pin connector port at the bottom instead of the proprietary 30-pin port "to make room for the earphone moving to the bottom", two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
That would mean the new phone would not connect with the myriad of accessories such as speakers and power chargers that form part of the ecosystem around iPods, iPads and iPhones, without an adaptor.
That means new business, analysts say.
"It represents an opportunity for accessory vendors," said Pete Cunningham, London-based analyst at technology research firm Canalys. "The iPhone connector has been a standard for a long time now and I would expect the same to be true for a new connector, should Apple change it as expected."
Apple did not immediately reply to an emailed request for comment.
Tech blogs have long speculated on the demise of the 30-pin connector, which at 21 mm wide takes up a chunk of space, especially as the latest technologies such as microUSB offer more power in less space. They say that a smaller connector would give Apple more scope for new product designs or a bigger battery, or simply to make ever smaller products.
Switzerland's Logitech (VTX:[URL="http://finance.yahoo.com/q?s=logn.vx"]LOGN.VX[/URL] - [URL="http://finance.yahoo.com/q/h?s=logn.vx"]News[/URL]), one of the biggest makers of Apple speakers, declined to comment.
But some enterprising vendors in China have already begun offering cases for the new phone, complete with earphone socket on the bottom and a "guarantee" the dimensions are correct.
For some in the peripherals industry, the change could open doors to new business.
"iPod docking speaker sales have been declining for one or two years," said an employee of a Hong Kong-based company that designs speakers especially for Apple products.
"My previous factory is a lucky one. They shifted the focus to Bluetooth speakers, which proved a wise decision now," the employee said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"It looks like while iPod speaker sales are going down, Bluetooth speaker sales are going up."
HAPPY TO UPGRADE?
Apple has already said that some users of older models of its Macbook computers won't be able to use the latest operating system to be announced soon, but analysts think it will be kinder to mobile gadget users.
"Apple needs to find a solution not to disappoint their current clients who want to upgrade to the new iPhone but are tied to an expensive accessory that have bought," said Franciso Jeronimo, London-based analyst at technology research firm IDC.
"I believe Apple will come up with some sort of adaptor so the new iPhone can be used with previous connectors."
It could be a difficult change for Apple to manage, even with an adaptor.
"With a smaller connector, what am I going to do with my loudspeaker at home and the fitness pack that I use when I go to the gym? That's the question," said 24-year old Travis Tam, who owns an iPhone 4 and works as an account executive at a social networking company in Hong Kong.
"I feel that the premium gap between the next iPhone 5 and newest Android models is getting much smaller these days. That will mean that details such as having a smaller connector will mean more in whether I will continue to use an iPhone and switch to other Android phones."
A salesman surnamed Chan at an Apple reseller in Hong Kong thought a smaller connector would be a "pain", and would spoil the clean lines and seamless connectivity that is Apple's trademark.
"There are ways around it as some of the speakers have an audio input point that can be connected directly to any iPhone with a earphone jack. It's not a very elegant way of doing things, but it's an alternative," he said.
In the end though, Apple fans are Apple fans.
"I don't think it will stop Apple consumers from buying the new gadgets," said C.K. Lu, Taipei-based analyst at research firm Gartner. "Many companies are interested in developing accessories for Apple because Apple users are more open and willing to buy accessories." (Additional reporting by Tarmo Virki in HELSINKI and Caroline Copley in ZURICH; Writing by Jonathan Standing; Editing by Alex Richardson)
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[URL="http://finance.yahoo.com/news/whats-dock-apple-shrink-connector-083917831.html"]Source[/URL]
This screws over the people who are getting an iPhone 5;
but i bet people will buy it anyway.
I can see it as a necessary change.
It will be shaped like a dollar sign.
unless it's micro usb this just makes things more complicated
So if I buy an iPhone 5, I'll have to buy all new music players, because the docks won't fit it.
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[QUOTE=NightmareXx;36910480]unless it's micro usb this just makes things more complicated[/QUOTE]
Knowing how Apple just loves their proprietary cables, it probably won't be
And suddenly your hundreds of dollars of Apple fringe equipment is worth bricks.
With the advent of Airplay enabled or Bluetooth enabled speakers, the ports or docks on these devices will start to matter less and less.
It will still be pretty annoying for new iPhone buyers with older speaker systems.
The correct term for this is "Planned obsolescence." They're only doing this so that everyone is forced to buy new peripherals.
so heres my situation, i have an iphone 4 and want to upgrade to the 5, i just get the 5 and it comes with a cable anyway so im good.
no big deal
I don't see why anyone would buy peripherals for them anyways TBH
But they should move to USB3.0
[QUOTE=person11;36910507]It will still be pretty annoying for new iPhone buyers with older speaker systems.[/QUOTE]
They can always buy the mini dock connector to dock connector adapter though.
Why should Apple halt progress in the name of supporting legacy users?
[QUOTE=Reds;36910511]The correct term for this is "Planned obsolescence." They're only doing this so that everyone is forced to buy new peripherals.[/QUOTE]
Sometimes people want to make things better for the sake of making things better.
I bet the old dock is a bit outdated, since it has been the same one since the first iPod! A new and smaller port would be faster and would save more space on the phone itself, allowing for a better potential design.
Plus, we are all spoiled at this point. The idea of a standard staying the same for so long is practically unheard of, actually. In the same amount of time since the first iPod was introduced, other devices have gone from their own ports, to mini usb, to micro usb.
This is worse than Xbox 360's bullshit coaxial cable design (the one that merges them all into a plug that takes up an area larger than normal cables for no fucking reason.)
[QUOTE=Reds;36910511]The correct term for this is "Planned obsolescence." They're only doing this so that everyone is forced to buy new peripherals.[/QUOTE]
Is USB 3.0 'planned obsolescence? What about HDMI?
The dock connector is nearly a decade old, it's time to move on.
It's incredibly likely that there will be a little 30 pin to 19 pin adapter to keep compatibility with most accessories, I don't see what the issue is.
I'm less concerned with the new dock connector than I am with the headphone jack moving to the bottom. That was my least favorite part of having an iPod touch. Damn...
[QUOTE=person11;36910617]Sometimes people want to make things better for the sake of making things better.
I bet the old dock is a bit outdated, since it has been the same one since the first iPod! A new and smaller port would be faster and would save more space on the phone itself, allowing for a better potential design.
Plus, we are all spoiled at this point. The idea of a standard staying the same for so long is practically unheard of, actually. In the same amount of time since the first iPod was introduced, other devices have gone from their own ports, to mini usb, to micro usb.[/QUOTE]
Bullshit. They're doing it for one reason, and one reason only. Money. I don't believe for a second that they cant fit the standard port and the headphone jack down the bottom together.
Also, I can't think of any examples where other devices that have so many external peripherals changing their ports. This would be like new Macbooks coming with a non-standard USB slot, it's ridiculous.
Apple have a great image, they're cool and friendly yadda yadda yadda... but the bottom line is, every single decision they make is driven by money. It's what companies do. I'm not saying they're wrong to do so, but your silly to think they do shit like this for the good of the customer. They really, really don't care about us unless we're willing to pay.
[QUOTE=Scotchair;36910696]Bullshit. They're doing it for one reason, and one reason only. Money. I don't believe for a second that they cant fit the standard port and the headphone jack down the bottom together.
Also, I can't think of any examples where other devices that have so many external peripherals changing their ports. This would be like new Macbooks coming with a non-standard USB slot, it's ridiculous.
Apple have a great image, they're cool and friendly yadda yadda yadda... but the bottom line is, every single decision they make is driven by money. It's what companies do. I'm not saying they're wrong to do so, but your silly to think they do shit like this for the good of the customer. They really, really don't care about us unless we're willing to pay.[/QUOTE]
You obviously haven't seen how crammed everything is in the iPhone. Smaller dock connector means that tiny bit more of internal space to fit whatever they need or to arrange internals in such a way to make the phone thinner.
[url]http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone-4S-Teardown/6610/1[/url]
Look at how much space that connector takes up at the bottom. It's huge, even compared to mini USB, let alone micro USB.
[QUOTE=DamagePoint;36910641]Is USB 3.0 'planned obsolescence? What about HDMI?
The dock connector is nearly a decade old, it's time to move on.[/QUOTE]
USB3 and HDMI are both in a kinda strange place, they both have replacements that are still catching on (Thunderbolt and DisplayPort)
And yeah, the dock connector is really old, and has a bunch of different lines on it for different uses dating back to the original iPod models, there's even still Firewire lines in the iPhone (Probably because they didn't change the connector when dropping Firewire, so they can't be sure somebody won't plug their iPhone into a firewire based charger)
I could make a dick joke about this and apple fanboys.....
[QUOTE=Scotchair;36910696]I don't believe for a second that they cant fit the standard port and the headphone jack down the bottom together. [/QUOTE]
iPod touches are smaller and thinner, but they can still fit both ports and a speaker
[QUOTE=Most wanteD;36910655]I'm less concerned with the new dock connector than I am with the headphone jack moving to the bottom. That was my least favorite part of having an iPod touch. Damn...[/QUOTE]
Agreed. This is also a downside of the Google Nexus.
My iPod dock won't work with an iPhone 5 then
I've already ordered a Lumia 800, doesn't matter but still a bit annoying if you've got tons of these apple cords lying about (like me) becoming obsolete to this change
[QUOTE=Scotchair;36910696]This would be like new Macbooks coming with a non-standard USB slot, it's ridiculous.[/QUOTE]
No, that's a horrible analogy. USB is actually a standard; the dock connector is proprietary. In fact, Apple should probably replace the dock connector with a USB-type connector (e.g. MicroUSB).
And iPod Touch users still have to wait even longer for an overdue refresh. If it'll contain the connector is anyone's guess.
[QUOTE=ShaunOfTheLive;36910797]No, that's a horrible analogy. USB is actually a standard; the dock connector is proprietary. In fact, Apple should probably replace the dock connector with a USB-type connector (e.g. MicroUSB).[/QUOTE]
If they use microusb that'll be awesome.
[QUOTE=fruxodaily;36910854]If they use microusb that'll be awesome.[/QUOTE]
It would be, but can you dock a microusb device?
[QUOTE=Elecbullet;36910883]It would be, but can you dock a microusb device?[/QUOTE]
I'm not fully sure what you mean, but MicroUSB can charge and access files, and the plug could be attached to a dock-style device instead of having to use a cable.
[QUOTE=Scotchair;36910696]Bullshit. They're doing it for one reason, and one reason only. Money.[/QUOTE]
uh which company sells products for a reason other than money?
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