30 pin connector vs other connectors such as mini usb

[maccrazed]

k so my thought process is a little crazy but here goes...

I was watching a video posted by iphone4wdw which they shot with their iphone and the quality was amazing. The only downside of the video is that it was a little shaky since it was shot without a tripod. This got me thinking of how awesome it would be if a tripod connection was on the iphone. I realized that since the iphone is so crammed already it would be hard to make this a reality. However, the 30 pin connector seems to take a lot of space. If the iphone used a miniUSB instead maybe they could include it. I know a tripod connection isn't what most iphone users are looking for but I am curious what benefits the 30 pin connector has over other standards like the miniUSB which seems to be used in every smartphone except the iphone. Any thoughts?

Thanks

 

[Small White Car]

I'm pretty sure there are cases made for the iPhone that do stuff like this. Here's one simple example:

http://joby.com/gorillamobile

I'm sure there are more complicated ones out there too.

That kind of thing is much better than putting a port on the phone that only a small minority of people would use.

 

[maccrazed]

ya but im more interested in why apple uses the 30 pin connector rather than say miniUSB

 

[kodek]

ya but im more interested in why apple uses the 30 pin connector rather than say miniUSB

USB can only transfer data and charge the phone. The 30 pin dock connector can do that, plus output line out-level audio, video, and also act as a USB host device for accessories that need it. The closest to it is the extUSB port some older HTC phones have, which also includes audio.

Edit: Also, a quick Google search for "30 pin dock connector" would have given you more information much quicker. Check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dock_Connector