Apple's Smaller iOS Device Dock Connector Said to Include 19 Pins

[cvaldes]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

This is a very short-sighted comment.

The opportunity here is for improvement.

If Apple can reduce the size of the dock connector, that frees up precious real estate for other things, particularly a larger speaker for better audio playback quality.

The venerable 30-pin dock connector design has really run its course. Over the years, it has seen a few changes in terms of supported functionality (FireWire charging and some analog video output support). Today, there are a bunch of leftover/wasted pins.

Another thing that's obsolete is the locking mechanism of the older, larger dock connector. I still have a few of these cables around and they do lock onto my iPad 2, but they don't latch onto my iPhone 4S. Apple has since moved to a low-profile connector without the locking mechanism.

A magnetic connector like the MagSafe would offer a solid connection that requires a little bit of effort to remove, but not a locked connection that might be dangerous to the device if someone tripped over the cable or the device fell.

So between a combination of changing technologies and an improved understanding of how consumers use their iOS devices today really does warrant for a change.

 

[spazzcat]

I hope they are going to have some kind of converter. I have so many things that use the 30 pin.

 

[amarcus]

I feel sorry for all those kickstarter iPhone dock backers - outdated before they even ship!

 

[cvaldes]

I still think that Thunderbolt should be put in, along with USB3. There would be 2 cables: One for iPhone to Thunderbolt, and one for iPhone to USB3.

Can't the iPhone's memory can't handle speeds that are in excess of that of USB3?

There are several issues here.

First of all, Apple would include a "new 19-pin dock" cable with USB3 support since the telecom industry has stipulated the use of a standardized charger based on USB.

An iPhone-to-Thunderbolt cable would likely be an optional item, particularly since a much smaller percentage of the users have Thunderbolt devices.

USB is pretty much ubiquitous: there are charging stations in airport terminals with USB.

Also, from a chip and power standpoint, it may not make a lot of sense including both Thunderbolt and USB3 support in a space- and power-challenged device like the iPhone. More chips = more power. But more chips = less space for batteries. Remember, that's one reason why Apple has yet to include 4G LTE support in the iPhone. The additional chips took up too much real estate and needed to much power. Tim Cook mentioned this about a year ago.

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I hope they are going to have some kind of converter. I have so many things that use the 30 pin.

I don't think you need to worry.

Either Apple or a third-party accessory maker will provide the converter cable. Many early adopters will probably gripe about the pricing, but in three years, you'll probably be able to pick up one of these cables off eBay for five bucks.

 

[michael31986]

Hopefully the make an adapter so I can use sole older accessories and hopefully the doc connector doesn't go into the iPods as well. Cause I know I'll be mad about that most.

 

[Rocketman]

There has to be a post somewhere of a hardware geek ruminating on what the 19 leads do.

 

[EnigMoiD]

I'm going to echo predictions that the new connector will be Thunderbolt. If Apple's making a new connector anyway, why not? It'll mean faster transfer rates, it will give the port that's useless for most users some use, and it will be a chance to sell more adapters. Seems like an Apple choice.

 

[MickeyDK]

Are you sure, it couldn't be..

Hey people.

Back in 2009, Apple joined a lot of other mobile phone manufactures effort to ensure the use of micro USb as charging port by no later than 2012.

Just look at the size - I think the port could be for that.

Source:
http://www.bit-tech.net/news/bits/2009/06/30/apple-joins-micro-usb-charger-agreement/1

I've not been able to find anywhere, that the agreement should be abandoned by Apple or others.

 

[Kabeyun]

"1. The phone is much bigger..."

Really??
iPhone 4:
58.6 mm wide
115.2 mm high
9.3 mm thick

iPhone 5?:
58.47 wide
123.83 mm high
7.6 mm thick

The 5 is narrower and thinner, and longer by all of 8 mm. Wow, I'd better get pants with bigger pockets!

 

[OllyW]

Hey people.

Back in 2009, Apple joined a lot of other mobile phone manufactures effort to ensure the use of micro USb as charging port by no later than 2012.

Just look at the size - I think the port could be for that.

Source:
http://www.bit-tech.net/news/bits/2009/06/30/apple-joins-micro-usb-charger-agreement/1

I've not been able to find anywhere, that the agreement should be abandoned by Apple or others.

The EU regulation covered the mains charger and not the phone. Apple's current chargers comply with the rules as interchangeable cables & adaptors are allowed.

 

[thebeans]

Because...

Why is the headset jack on the bottom?? That really sucks.

Because that is where it should be. Why can't people understand this?

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The MagSafe connector DOES have pins — five of them. The magnets just line them up for you, but they're there.

Yea, but they only just touch. They are not tiny and fragile and have no need to go very far back in the female connector. Since the magnet holds the two parts together, the pins only need to touch and are therefore much more durable and resistant to damage. Magsafe is a brilliant, forehead palm, why didn't someone think of this before design. When I first saw it on my macbook years ago, it was an epiphany. I realized it was the ultimate design for that application. Magsafe on a phone will not keep the phone from flying onto the floor if someone trips over the cord, but it will prevent damage to the pins / connectors.

 

[thebeans]

Yea...

What about the situations where your phone falls of a table for example and you catch it by the cord? MagSafe will fall off.

Yea...that happens ALL the time!!

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Does microUSB have audio out? Video out?

 

[wizard]

Take that approach and pulse dialing would still be all the rage!

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Besides it is broken in more than a couple of ways. So yeah time to fix it.

 

[whatever]

Uhm..., why not a Micro USB?

So I can charge my camera, another phone if I need to, or anything else that uses the ubiquitous Micro USB, all with ONE cable?

I thought the EU was going to beat it out of Apple, but instead they just offered a USB adapter.

The "EU was going to beat it out of Apple"? LOL, the world's economic experts are debating whether or not the EU will even be around in a few years.

Beyond charging, is it even necessary to have an iPod dock connector? With more and more devices having WiFi and BlueTooth, wouldn't that be the way to go and just use Micro USB for charging.

 

[FoxMcCloud]

I always did feel that 30 pins was 11 to many

 

[wizard]

Micro-USB is one of the most poorly engineered ports out there.

Apple could do something similar to this.

You could use a standard MicroUSB cable for charging and data... plus have the additional pins for other stuff when you use the Apple cable.

That would solve the EU problem... and still allows for further capability. The only question is if Apple could cram all 19 pins into a plug this size.

But MicroUSB should be incorporated somehow into the new design... if for nothing else besides charging and data.

If Apple changes the dock connector at all... we're gonna have to deal with the issues of older 30-pin accessories. So if they are gonna make any change... they better make it worth it. MicroUSB would be a nice addition.

Frankly I'm all for this rumored update, hopefully it supports both USB3 and Thunderbolt. What I'm hoping to see is a more reliable port, that is faster and more open.

The more open thing Apple will screw with of course but one can hope. Apples approach to MiFi has its points but it does eliminate DIY use of the iPhones ports. Apple would do well to support communications devices just like they do other hardware.

In regards to TB I'm especially hoping that they wise up and don't require authentication for devices connected to this port. IOS devices have so much potential for embedding into one off projects that it is just shameful that they are actively prevented from doing so.

 

[BumpMan]

I'll guess that Apple has always wanted the headphone jack at the bottom, they just couldn't fit it with the iPhones Speaker, Mic, and wide 30 pin connector. The iPod has it on the bottom right? possible only because there not 2 speaker grills, just speaker no mic if I believe?

I recently got a car charger to 30 pin, and an audio chord that goes right into the 3.5mm AUX port in the car. Its a total monstrosity to have a cable coming out of the top and the bottom. Its very unwieldy.

Furthermore, Im pretty sure most people put the phone in their pants pocket upside down. When you take it out its right side up and you're holding it, "the right way".

Im guessing an iPhone 5 dock would have a 3.5mm port on the front, or someone will build one. The dock it seems will now take care of everything, even in the dock it will be nice not to have a headphone chord coming out of the top of the phone but rather laying neatly flat on the table.

 

[CylonGlitch]

For those claiming they want microUSB. USB is good for something, but not everything on the dock connector is easily done via USB.

Four very important signals, Analog in (Left & Right), and Analog out (Left & Right). These signals allow for a lot of accessories to easily send analog data in and out of the phone without having to deal with the USB bus and it's issues with handling analog data.

Another two signals are RS232 in and out (actually UART, not RS232 levels). This is just serial data in and out. This interface is VERY simple and easily implemented by devices that need simple communication to their software.

Yes, it has a full USB interface, Data +/- power and ground. These four signals will still exist; they have always been there and always will be there. They can be broken out to a micro, mini, or full-sized USB connector (USB on-the-go adds one additional signal that I don't recall seeing the sense line on the connector).

And believe it or not, it also has a FIREWIRE interface. I don't know how used this is, but it's there.

Now; there are issues with powering the device across USB. When connected to a PC it will typically get only 500mA of power. That is what a typical USB hub will supply (and every USB port on your computer is connected to an internal hub). But this still persists with the dock connector when plugged into a PC.

When connected to a stand alone brick the USB spec calls out 1.5A max. Which, for the most part very acceptable. But using the dock connector extra lines, more than this can be pushed into the device for faster charging.

While USB is great, if everything was to go USB there would be a lot of accessories that would really be screwed because they rely on the analog lines and the iPhone to do the D2A and A2D conversions. Imagine how crappy of D2A a cheap dock speaker would supply? Ugh.

 

[wizard]

Are you guys so lacking in imagination you can't see both ports supported?

It needs to have USB unless you want to restrict sales to those who've bought a new Mac during the last 16 months.

Really guy, the current dock connector supports several channels of I/O, there is no reason the new port wouldn't. The question of course would be what do those 19 pins support. If one of the ports is Thunderbolt it wold be a huge advantage for Apple.

 

[cgk.emu]

I was using the term Vaporware loosely. But it actually does almost fit. It was Yahoo and Google's most searched term of 2011 I believe before the 4S came out, so it's a product that Apple didn't have to announce, everyone expected. I'm theorizing that it doesn't exist at all, and we'll have a new iPhone, but it won't be called the iPhone 5. Really, no matter what it shouldn't be anyway. If you go by iPhone naming trends, it should be the iPhone 6.

iPhone (1)
iPhone 3G (2)
iPhone 3GS (3)
iPhone 4 (4)
iPhone 4S (5 because they counted the 3GS as 3 with the same level of update)
iPhone 6

-JE

I honestly don't care what they call it, plus it doesn't matter. They could call it the Barfmaster 3000 and it would still sell. Still, it's not vaporware since it hasn't been announced. If the company had come out and confirmed it awhile back and it still hadn't been released, that is a very clear difference.

 

[wizard]

People on this forum are unbelievable!

Exactly this. And i would also add that there is no real profit in using Thunderbolt because flash in the iOS devices can barely saturate USB 2.0.

You guys being all negative about TB need to buy some imagination improvement pills! Seriously think a bit here about the possibilities.

For example, with TB Apple could support several video monitor interface standards via adapters. I could go on but really you need to work on your critical thinking skills here.

By the way I have no idea what ports will be in the new connector. What I do see though is a total lack of imagination here in the forums. There are lots of good reasons for why Apple might want to support TB along with other I/O standards on the new connector.

 

[brucebrendon]

whatever happened to that universal (micro-usb) port required by the EU?
not that i'm suggesting, just wondered

 

[wizard]

I just down voted you due to the silly nonsense you just posted!

So now I'm going to have to have iPad cables and iPhone cables? Ugh. I know everyone is like "Change is inevitable!" and voting down people who say "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." But I really really hope this is all crazy talk and that they'll just stick with the normal dock connector.

I'm not sure if this is just a liberal nut case rant about how nice things would be if we just went back to living in caves or what. I will tell you this though I'm +50 and still grasp the importance of change, good positive change that is, and realize that we are still technological dinosaurs. If we had taken your view 30 years ago we would still be using pulse dial phones with brick like cell phones.

It has been ten years it is about time for change. This is especially the case considering the continual march forward with respect to interface technology.

 

[wizard]

TB is a collaboration between Intel and Apple.

Isn't Thunderbolt (lightpeak)an Intel technology? Are there any Intel internals in the iPhone? I don't really see this happening myself.

As to TB parts, TI just introduced a bunch of parts to support TB. The drivers in the TB cables are made by a third party.

Apple would have been stupid to enter into the TB agreement with Intel and to not have gotten the right to embed the interface into its chips. However let's not kid ourselves, this would be a major engineering project so it is no surprise that we have yet to see any hardware.

As to Intel, I'm not convinced that they can keep TB to themselves for ever if they want it to be successful. TB needs to eventually migrate to micro controllers and other devices not made by Intel. If not the interface will remain forever expensive.

 

[spartig]

So now I'm going to have to have iPad cables and iPhone cables? Ugh. I know everyone is like "Change is inevitable!" and voting down people who say "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." But I really really hope this is all crazy talk and that they'll just stick with the normal dock connector.

Well, if the tech industry was not willing to accept change like you and others then you'd be attaching your iPhone/iPod to your computer with this! http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Centronics_50_SCSI_connector.JPG