iPhone 5 and dock structure strength?

[mlts22]

One of the nice things about the 30 pin connector was its intrinisic strength. Unlike mini/microUSB, it not just provided a connection, but strength to hold the iDevice upright and even provide resistance against bending/shearing.

What I'm wondering is how good/bad the Lightning connector will be in this department for holding a device up in a dock. It is smaller, so it has to be stronger because of less area. I also wonder how many insertion/removal cycles it will be able to take. The 30 pin has performed admirably in this respect, easily handling thousands of connections and disconnections, while some other connectors (some USB variants) end up snapping after a while.

For the iPod and iPhone, it isn't as big an issue as the iPad, which needs as much strength as possible.

 

[Rizzm]

We may actually have to use the sized adapters with our products now. But not all docks even have those things available.

Overall, I do see this as being a problem. They'll just have to make new mechanisms to hold them in place.

 

[zorinlynx]

I'm worried I'm going to end up with a precarious-looking, big tower of iPhone + dock adapter sticking out of my iHome. Apple should provide an old-style dock adapter shaped shroud you can put the new adapter in, which has a properly sized spot for the iPhone 5 to sit in and be supported.

It'd be trivial to design; the new dock adapter would snap into it, then you'd snap it into your device.

Maybe someone third party will do it?

 

[takeshi74]

Unlike mini/microUSB, it not just provided a connection, but strength to hold the iDevice upright and even provide resistance against bending/shearing.

I've never used a dock or mount that relied solely on the 30 pin connector and would not expect it to hold up. As for the Lightning connector -- we'll have to see. We can speculate endlessly but that really won't mean anything.

 

[Gjwilly]

To me the lightning looks even stronger.
The metal bit is solid rather than just stamped out and in the iPhone 5 video on Apple's site it looks like a bit of the oval plastic housing gets inserted meaning it isn't going to be stressing the metal/plastic bond.
Any stresses will be on the oval plastic connector which is hopefully solid enough to support it.

 

[mateo124]

What worries me about the new dock connector is that the clasps that hold the phone and cable together are now inside the phone rather then on the cable. It probably won't be a problem but in the past those wore out on the cable for me and the cable would not stay in the phone after 1 1/2 years.