Apple's Lightning Connector Uses Adaptive Technology to Dynamically Assign Pin Functions

[harlequinn]

Apple was granted a patent on connectors with adaptive pin assignment about a year and a half ago. Lightning appears to be the first implementation of that technology. Nice.

Really? Because adaptive pin technology for connectors has been around for a very long time - which would make it another poorly assigned bogus patent.

There has even been an implementation of adaptive pins with a connector that can be plugged in in any orientation - being your humble rear panel 3.5mm audio connector (on PCs that is, Apple computers don't have it).

 

[viacavour]

Really? Because adaptive pin technology for connectors has been around for a very long time - which would make it another poorly assigned bogus patent.

... Hard to say. Got to look at the specific invention. There is no such thing as we can only have 1 and only 1 patent per category. Patent is not a race to #1 you know.

If you are referring to Samsung, I find it funny that they paid $10 to Microsoft for each Android sold, and yet refused to pay Apple any licensing for using the entire Smartphone concept from Apple. Apple reinvented modern smartphones; not Microsoft. They of course will have a stack of patents protecting themselves. When offered a cheap license, they should have grabbed it. Those few patents Apple used to sue Samsung are only tip of the iceberg.

They also didn't implement their so-called Chinese Firewall between the OEM division and the product division until Apple complained later. Way to screw your customers.

 

[repoman27]

There is absolutely nothing Lightning can do that USB/MHL can't.

Can USB/MHL output HDMI directly to a non MHL capable display without an externally powered adapter?

Can USB/MHL output VGA without an externally powered adapter?

Can USB/MHL support SuperSpeed USB over a connector that is not twice the size of the USB 2.0 Micro AB connector?

Can Micro USB charge a tablet battery in less than 8 hours?

Can the Lightning connector be inserted in the wrong orientation?

 

[chaosconan]

Can USB/MHL output HDMI directly to a non MHL capable display without an externally powered adapter?

Can USB/MHL output VGA without an externally powered adapter?

Can USB/MHL support SuperSpeed USB over a connector that is not twice the size of the USB 2.0 Micro AB connector?

Can Micro USB charge a tablet battery in less than 8 hours?

No + No + No + No = Absolutely Useless

 

[ppdix]

I'm not sure what kind of accessories people are talking about...

Speaker docks have been made obsolete since AirPlay has found its way into iOS the way it does now. Besides, never really understood why you want to dock your device solely to listen to music. You can't use your phone while it's docked, why on earth would you want to do that when AirPlay over wifi offers the exact same quality wireless?

I use my phone for a 1000 things and listen to music while doing so. Not being able to send a text message or e-mail when listening to music is just plain stupid (to me).

As for charging, the new iPhone wouldn't fit in your old iPhone dock anyway.

I didn't see it that way but u are absolutely right. I have an ihome speaker in each of the 3 rooms at my place. I charge the iPhone there and sometimes listen to music. U are right basically the ihome is just an expensive dock charger.
I also have another ihome Bluetooth speaker that i take with me to the beach, pool, etc.
I do think that a dock is necessary. Why would you want to unplug your phone
Every time u need to be on a call? Besides
Resting the iPhone on a table or desk will eventually scratch it. I want a dock and can't wait for the Chinese to make one!

 

[viacavour]

Can USB/MHL output HDMI directly to a non MHL capable display without an externally powered adapter?

Can USB/MHL output VGA without an externally powered adapter?

Can USB/MHL support SuperSpeed USB over a connector that is not twice the size of the USB 2.0 Micro AB connector?

Can Micro USB charge a tablet battery in less than 8 hours?

Can the Lightning connector be inserted in the wrong orientation?

Even if the vendor tries to tackle some of these issues themselves and come up with partial solution (hence, risk incompatibility with other devices). It won't be as clean and efficient as a properly designed solution.

Moreover, other vendors will try to piggyback/overlap their own techniques on top of the same basic specs to compete. It will just become a horrible mess if they continue to do so.

 

[Thunderhawks]

Wouldn't it technically be an 16-pin adaptor, 17 if you count the whole thing as one, since it's reversible and there's pin's on both sides?

Exactly, and let's not forget that horses, cows and many animals actually have

12 legs.

2 on the left, 2 on the right
1 on each corner
2 in the front and 2 in the back

 

[lilo777]

With your own proprietary tricks to connect to and power assorted protocols, perhaps (Samsung uses its own "techniques" for its MHL over USB implementation, and that's just one vendor). The devices will get confused over who they are plugging with when more companies and protocols join the party. It's not a case of you can do one technically. There are supportability issues in the entire ecosystem over the next 10 years with newer protocols.

The irony here is that Apple's connector is the most proprietary one. MHL is a standard. Samsung phone equipped with MHL connector can connect to any USB and HDMI port.

 

[viacavour]

The irony here is that Apple's connector is the most proprietary one. MHL is a standard. Samsung phone equipped with MHL connector can connect to any USB and HDMI port.

The problem is not proprietary vs standard. The problem is the (old) standard is insufficient, causing the vendors to improvise their own solutions to meet new requirements. And we are only talking about 1 standard and 1 vendor. Over the next 10 years, more vendors, devices and protocols will jump in. We already have some incompatibility due to Samsung's extension today.

A clean, proprietary implementation may actually outperform the standard based ones. If successful, it can also be licensed out. As long as Apple truly design Lightning to be "morhpable", then the consumers should be able to benefit from the invention. They should have the volume to make it cheaper anyway. iPad should be using the same thing. It should also be plug and use without worrying about battery life, looking for power source, compatibility issues, etc.

 

[chaosconan]

Apple's Lightning connector knows how to insert into a female connection because it has built-in intelligence You can even insert it upside down and it still works!

USB connector when inserting wouldn't know the difference between a male and a female connector

 

[StyxMaker]

Intelligent cable: the computer chip is there so you don't have to flip it! What a great innovation. Can I get AppleCare with it?

Sounds like a typical American solution. Reminds me a story when Americans spent $10 million to develop a pen for astronauts. Russians just used pencil.

So get your credit card ready to pay $30 for each cable instead of $0.99 for USB.

The 'space pen' was developed and named by the pen company (they then gave pens to the astronauts), NASA did not spend one penny on it.

 

[mdriftmeyer]

Think about how you combine USB OTG and HDMI output signals over a single 8-pin + shield Lightning or standard 10-pin + shield USB 3.0 Micro AB connector...

There's not enough pins to map them 1 to 1. Even if you dynamically switch signals, there's still not enough to fully support HDMI. The easiest way to do this is to multiplex the signals, dump them through a high-speed SerDes, and then sort them out on the other side.

The two competing technologies for doing exactly this for smartphones are MHL and MyDP. MyDP is based on DisplayPort which Apple is fond of, is royalty free, and does not specify a physical connector... Gee, I wonder what Lightning is?

Since Apple created miniDP it stands to reason they will make their serial i/o compatible.

 

[viacavour]

The 'space pen' was developed and named by the pen company (they then gave pens to the astronauts), NASA did not spend one penny on it.

Yes, and they didn't use pencil because the tip may chip off into small fragments and hurt the astronauts' eyes in space (There's no air friction or gravity to slow the bits).

 

[jrbdmb]

Circa 1903: In comparison to the [horse], the [automobile] is overly complicated, less reliable, very expensive and slow.

Give it some time. I predict Apple will make significant advances to this connector over the next 5-7 years. This is version 1.0 and it's designed from the start to be improved upon.

Now that sounds like the Samsung ad ... "just wait for all the neat features the iPhone will add next year!"

 

[lilo777]

Can USB/MHL output HDMI directly to a non MHL capable display without an externally powered adapter?

Yes. There are tons of MHL to HDMI cales like this one from Monoprice ($10):

Can USB/MHL output VGA without an externally powered adapter?

Yes. There are different types. The most versatile ones allow to output video, audio (stereo) and connect to USB at the same time:

Can USB/MHL support SuperSpeed USB over a connector that is not twice the size of the USB 2.0 Micro AB connector?

This would be a relevant question if Lightning could do it.

Can Micro USB charge a tablet battery in less than 8 hours?

No. And it's not clear why it even matters.

Can the Lightning connector be inserted in the wrong orientation?

No. And neither can Lightning

 

[viacavour]

Yes. There are tons of MHL to HDMI cales like this one from Monoprice ($10):

Image



Yes. There are different types. The most versatile ones allow to output video, audio (stereo) and connect to USB at the same time:

Image



This would be a relevant question if Lightning could do it.



No. And it's not clear why it even matters.



No. And neither can Lightning

You may want to read the specs in more details. You're playing into his hand. Those MHL over USB devices have the problem he mentioned. It's just not stated in their marketing. 8^)

It is not as "clean" or trouble free as you think.

 

[Undecided]

The problem I see is that, with as thin as the connector is, the internal wires would overlap.

No, I mean in that guys handwritten notes displayed in the article.

 

[MacSince1990]

I still don't get why people are whining about the new cable. What's the big deal?

It's not like they're switching back to ADC from DVI...

It's a better cable imo, less clutter, neater and nicer looking.

Apple changes connections all the time. SCSI--->ATA---->SATA..... PCI--->AGP--->PCIe 1.0 ---> PCIe 2.0.... SCSI/ADB-->USB... Proprietary VGA-15 ---> DVI-I ---> ADC ---> DVI- D ---> Thunderbolt...

What the hell gives?

 

[darbus69]

R u Cheap?

Still holding out for cheaper, longer 3rd party cables.

considering u own an iPhone5, a MacBookPro and an iPad3 why in the name of all that is jobsian would you want a cheap 3rd party cable??? r u a republican/tea party member?

 

[viacavour]

considering u own an iPhone5, a MacBookPro and an iPad3 why in the name of all that is jobsian would you want a cheap 3rd party cable??? r u a republican/tea party member?

If the need is simple, I would just buy 1 Lightning adaptor, and use an existing, as-long-as-possible cable to hook up.

 

[shinji]

And guess what, 5 million+ people bought the phone over the first weekend anyways. Why shouldn't they make money off it? Amazing how people act like corporations shouldn't be in business to make money. Its the handout mentality of this day and age. If you don't like it, don't buy the phone. Plain and simple.

And guess what? Far more people buy phones without lightning connectors. I'm not sure what point you're trying to get across here. The number of people who buy something is not a wholesale endorsement of every single aspect of that product- just look at the outcry over the maps app in spite of the sales. This has less to do with a "handout mentality" than it does an uncompromising "black and white" mentality.

I love the iPhone and if I buy the 5, it'll be my third. My problem isn't with Apple making money off the phone, it's with having to buy absurdly priced adapters and/or all new accessories. Some of us have car integrations, docks, multiple charging cables, etc. that were working just fine. I don't think a reversible connector that was supposedly necessary to make a slightly thinner phone is worth the hassle and expense this is causing people.

 

[repoman27]

Yes. There are tons of MHL to HDMI cales like this one from Monoprice ($10):

From Monoprice's description of that device:

Some devices (such as the HTC EVO 3D) can supply sufficient power from their internal batteries to drive the adapter. For others, or in the event you want to charge your device while using the AV output, you can plug your charger into the micro USB port on the side of the adapter.

Yes. There are different types. The most versatile ones allow to output video, audio (stereo) and connect to USB at the same time:

Look at the picture... the power adapter might even be included.

This would be a relevant question if Lightning could do it.

While none of the just released iDevices may be able to, do you really think Apple just introduced a new interface that lacks the ability to support SuperSpeed USB at some point down the road?

No. And it's not clear why it even matters.

Well, I guess it's really only an Apple problem, since nobody else seems to be able to sell a tablet, but they are quite popular those iPads. It is handy to be able to recharge them every now and again.

No. And neither can Lightning

Ahah! See?

 

[bobobenobi]

USB 2.0 had crap support for isochronous data transfers which caused problems for some, and the problem gets even worse when you hang a USB audio device off of a USB host controller that is connected to the PCIe root complex via Thunderbolt.

Worse in what way?

----------

Uh oh.. questioning an audiophile? Get ready for a lecture.

I wish I would've got into the audiophool business a long time ago. Perhaps it's not too late?

 

[webbuzz]

r u a republican/tea party member?

 

[hchung]

The irony here is that Apple's connector is the most proprietary one. MHL is a standard. Samsung phone equipped with MHL connector can connect to any USB and HDMI port.

... but only if the appropriate MHL/HDMI dongle is attached. Problem is, MHL's signaling is standard but the physical connector is not.

Samsung's been changing their MHL port to be incompatible amongst even their own devices.

Even the VGA adapter you posted a link to requires external power. Had there been a GS3 version of the VGA adapter posted, then we'd have to point out it doesn't work on any other MHL phone.

PDMI is a way better standard than MHL, except that PDMI looks too much like the Apple dock connector, which can confuse consumers much like how the MHL logo doesn't guarantee host/accessory compatibility. Which is why both PDMI and MHL are screwed in the long run.