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Apple Announces New Dock Connector Called 'Lightning'

So Apple invents a cable and calls it Thunderbolt, then a few year later invents another cable and calls it Lightning. That's going to cause so much customer confusion.
 
Jynto said:
So Apple invents a cable and calls it Thunderbolt, then a few year later invents another cable and calls it Lightning. That's going to cause so much customer confusion.
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Yea. The thunderbolt icon is a lightning

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zelman said:
Soooooo....by "Yea" you mean no.
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Huh? Yea means yes. I see playlist and other things on my cars head unit. And that's probably what they mean by "iPod out".

But as someone else mentioned, there is a photo shown during the keynote. In the photo, an iPhone was connected to an high end car using the adapter. Most high end cars displays playlist, songs etc on their own displays. So, I'm really confused myself.
 
I could care less about the adapters being $30 and $40 because I never thought and 3rd party item was worth buying to attach an iPod too. With the exception of a Griffin iTrip that I bought for my 4th gen iPod.
 
killing the golden gooose already?

It didnt take long for apple to begin its slide down into the obsolete. This time the obsolescence is UNPLANNED.
 
milo said:
So will there be a cable for video out? I assume the adapter won't work to go to current ipod video out cables?
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If you're using the new LIGHTNING connector, you're presumably using it with the new devices and the latest iOS, in which case you have AIRPLAY.

urbanslaughter said:
$29? Seriously? are they kidding? I was expecting this stupid little adapter to cost $10, mostly because they've forced it on us. I thought in an effort to make uptake easier they would only charge $10. Now I'll have to wait several months until the $5 third party adapter comes out. Tim, you've made some dumb mistakes lately. I'm as big a fanboy as you'll find, so when you do something to annoy me you know you've really screwed up.
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Yeah, it does seem like a lot, but most of their other cables/adapters etc. are also pretty pricey! :(
 
ctdonath said:
A lot less fragile than the old connector, what with its paper-thin shell and sand-jamming narrow slot and itty bitty wires therein. A LOT less fragile.

And a lot less "dang, stuck it in the wrong way again".
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Been a iPod dock user for the last 5 years and never had it stuck in the wrong way.

Unless you force it fiercefully, or the cable is damaged or cheap knockoff which does not follow Apple's standard, you just can't plug it wrong.

This so-called Lightning dock with omni directional connection is no more than space saving for Apple and comfort for end user.
 
I use Bluetooth to listen to music from my iPhone in my car. If your car doesn't have Bluetooth, you can add it for about what these stupid cables cost.
 
urbanslaughter said:
Because your old accessories will NOT work with the new iPhone (iPhone 5). Many of us have invested a lot in multiple accessories. :mad:
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But isn't there a USB connector end at the other side of the Lightning cable... ?What accessories have a 30 pin connector, other than "I" products?

Maybe I don't see a big problem with having one cable. I suppose that having one cable that came with my new device isn't enough.... It is for me.

I don't have 5 cables laying around at arms reach for every iproduct I have.

Maybe I'm still missing the point... since every other electronic product I buy has their own cable compatable with its own device, and I don't freak out that I have to carry the cable with me when I need it.
 
jcwage said:
Does anyone think this won't just plug into the car's usb and work as the current models?
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There are plently of cars that come with an iPod/iPhone cable from factory... These are wired into the head unit in ways that do not use a USB connection.

Therefore, the cable would not work for them... For example, my 2009 Nissan Maxima, The iPod/iPhone cable connects into my center console using a Nissan Proprietary adapter.

nep61 said:
But isn't there a USB connector end at the other side of the Lightning cable... ?What accessories have a 30 pin connector, other than "I" products?

Maybe I don't see a big problem with having one cable. I suppose that having one cable that came with my new device isn't enough.... It is for me.

I don't have 5 cables laying around at arms reach for every iproduct I have.

Maybe I'm still missing the point... since every other electronic product I buy has their own cable compatable with its own device, and I don't freak out that I have to carry the cable with me when I need it.
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Given that iPod and the 30 pin connect have been around for like 9 years or so. There are plenty of people who have iHomes, Bose Sound Docks, Logitech iPod Radios, etc... Maybe they use iPod FM transmitter or some other device I can't think of.

I have a car hook up (from factory) that I would need and adapter for and I have a Bowers and Wilkins Zeppelin Air sound dock. The Zeppelin allows me to use AirPlay, so I will be able to get by for the time being, but there are plenty of times that I prefer to actually dock the phone onto it. I have a bunch of extra chargers, but thats not a big deal (they were just convenient to have in strategic locations)
 
iSayuSay said:
Unless you force it fiercefully, or the cable is damaged or cheap knockoff which does not follow Apple's standard, you just can't plug it wrong.
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Sorry, thought it was obvious I meant had it reversed, tried to stick it in, couldn't, mumble an exclamatory expletive, pull it back, turn it 180*, stick it in again - sometimes doing this 2-3 times when (usually in the dark at 1AMis) don't quite get the fine tolerances positioned correctly even if it is oriented right. Unless you _look_ for the icon on the plug, there is no tactile indicator of orientation (for us auditory or kinesthetic thinkers), leaving you with a 50% chance of getting it wrong.

That vs. "plug it in" - either way works.

Yeah, it's not a big deal. But paying attention to "it's not a big deal" is what made Apple a half-trillion-dollar company.
 
milo said:
And it shows the iPod screen interface on the BMW screen? If that's the case, "ipod out" may still work using a new usb/lightning cable, just not with an adapter.
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avonord said:
It's thinner. I bet the old port wouldn't even fit on the new nano, otherwise. But I agree -- I much prefer a faster port too. Not that I have a Mac with USB3!

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Or speed in which their wallet inflate. :D

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My BMW 1 series uses a standard USB cable. USB is USB. At most, the new iPhone may have a newer protocol when talking to accessories. Even so, it can easily downgrade to the older protocol when the two devices negotiate for communication.
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jcwage said:
I noticed this on the Apple Store site for $19
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD818/lightning-to-usb-cable

I would guess this would work in the car and it's cheaper than the adaptor being sold for $29.

Does anyone think this won't just plug into the car's usb and work as the current models?
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jm010 said:
This is iPod out:

http://techcrunch.com/2010/07/13/ios-4s-hidden-ipod-out-feature-brings-iphone-support-to-your-car-without-the-messy-third-party-ui/

Audio Out should be simpler to convert within the adaptor.
Everyone can breathe again. ;)

Edit: Well, almost everyone...
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So...am I to understand that in my 2011 Honda Accord Coupe - that with the iPhone5 I will still be able to listen to my music - but I will no longer be able to access the controls on my steering wheel and dashboard? If so...this is a major drawback.

Apple needs to elaborate on this much more. I feel that there will be major backlash if folks like me (with relatively new cars) can't use their steering wheel controls for the next few years!

Come on Apple...time to give us some more detail about these new cables!
 
2005CTS said:
So...am I to understand that in my 2011 Honda Accord Coupe - that with the iPhone5 I will still be able to listen to my music - but I will no longer be able to access the controls on my steering wheel and dashboard? If so...this is a major drawback.
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No one knows for sure yet. Until 1) Apple clarifies this or 2) someone gets hands on time to verify....we won't know for sure. :mad:
 
2005CTS said:
So...am I to understand that in my 2011 Honda Accord Coupe - that with the iPhone5 I will still be able to listen to my music - but I will no longer be able to access the controls on my steering wheel and dashboard? If so...this is a major drawback.

Apple needs to elaborate on this much more. I feel that there will be major backlash if folks like me (with relatively new cars) can't use their steering wheel controls for the next few years!

Come on Apple...time to give us some more detail about these new cables!
Click to expand...

In the keynote they talked about how it's an adaptive interface. This gives me confidence we won't lose any functionality. If you have steering wheel controls now, you'll have steering wheel controls then. The only thing we're losing is the special "iPod out" thing seen in select BMWs where the exact iPod interface is replicated on the head unit's display.

I've been wrong before but I have a solid feeling about this. Apple gets $10 for the adapter, and we get all the functionality we had before.
 
spblat said:
In the keynote they talked about how it's an adaptive interface. This gives me confidence we won't lose any functionality. If you have steering wheel controls now, you'll have steering wheel controls then. The only thing we're losing is the special "iPod out" thing seen in select BMWs where the exact iPod interface is replicated on the head unit's display.

I've been wrong before but I have a solid feeling about this. Apple gets $10 for the adapter, and we get all the functionality we had before.
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:confused::confused::confused: Don't you mean $29?
 
macs4nw said:
If you're using the new LIGHTNING connector, you're presumably using it with the new devices and the latest iOS, in which case you have AIRPLAY.(
Click to expand...

So in order to do video out from my iPhone 5 to a TV or projector I need to have AppleTV, wifi, and make sure every thing set up to talk to each other. This is crazy. Apple is supposed to make things EASIER not harder. I'm sure the Enterprise/School crowd is going to love this. Wait to the iPad gets this connector....
 
spblat said:
In the keynote they talked about how it's an adaptive interface. This gives me confidence we won't lose any functionality. If you have steering wheel controls now, you'll have steering wheel controls then. The only thing we're losing is the special "iPod out" thing seen in select BMWs where the exact iPod interface is replicated on the head unit's display.

I've been wrong before but I have a solid feeling about this. Apple gets $10 for the adapter, and we get all the functionality we had before.
Click to expand...

I hope you are right. I love being able to call up playlists, shuffle songs, search for artists and albums using my dash controls while my iPhone4S is in the center console out of sight and plugged in being charged.

Apple needs to do a better job of communicating the functionality of this new feature...assuming it is a feature and not a drawback.
 
I'm tired of apply inventing new cables to do the same thing.
Why not keep to industry standards. How many useless cables do they want us to buy.

Really Apple. This is insane. And how you can sell it a a cool new feature is just mental.

I have the same issues with my pro retina. No Ethernet. Really!

Do they want us to start hating them. Apple are so out of touch with what people want.
 
I just bought the old (square) 16GB iPod Nano for my car (2011 Hyundai Elantra) since it hides nicely in the center console and it's large enough for the music and podcasts I listen to, so I'm safe either way.
 
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