New Docks and Cases Confirmed for iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus

[Smigit]

Oh Yeah? Guess just my perspective then. My first 30 pin device was an iPhone (the original Edge). Its dock didn't fit my later 3GS (due to the shape of the phone) so I bought another dock. And then I had a 4S, which was a block shape and again didn't fit;

It is annoying when that happens. That said, you can probably make a pretty good guess as to which docks will work between generations (at least until the connector changes) and those that won't. Anything form fitting, having some sort of recess or whatever will likely be problematic where designs such as the current Apple dock or the Twelve Sough Hi-Rise are pretty likely to stand the test of time since all they essentially expose is a dock connector (and an adjustable back rest in the case of the Hi-Rise). It'd probably take Apple recessing the connector for those to cease working, which seems unlikely.

My advice would be to deal with the fact that one day the dock will become redundant, but at the same time be mindful of the form factor if you want to last several phone releases. You probably will find a device that minimises issues for you during phone upgrades.

 

[Mac 128]

My first 30 pin device was an iPhone (the original Edge). Its dock didn't fit my later 3GS (due to the shape of the phone) so I bought another dock. And then I had a 4S, which was a block shape and again didn't fit; didn't ever get a new dock though.

I guess you got rid of your original iPhone Edge dock then, as it fit my 4 perfectly. I did not upgrade to the 3G, so perhaps that's why I lucked out.

 

[ipedro]

Has anybody seen these in the Apple Store yet? I went by yesterday and they weren't sold in the store. I was also told that the Product (RED) Apple Watch band would only be sold online.

 

[jashworth03]

Wonder if you can use these docks in conjunction with a case on your phone. Check out Spigen's design too. I really like that company. Cheaper on Amazon.

http://www.spigen.com/collections/other-1/products/mobile-stand-s310

 

[RDowson]

I bought the space grey one. It's beautiful!

 

[chrispyk]

I get what you're implying. How could that design ever conceivably become obsolete? It's just a flat brick with a lightning pin nub sticking out!

Well, they might abandon lightning in favor of Lightning 2 or even wireless charging. They might move its location on the phone to be off center or another side so it wouldn't balance. They might make the phone bigger and thus too stressful to rest on just the pin (says it doesn't support iPad, presumably just too big). They might change the contours of the phone edges or connector inset in such a way that it can no longer sit on that nub properly. They might change the phone colors to Galactic Gray, Perfect Platinum, Glamorous Gold, and Radiant Rose so that they're no longer matching (guess white at least is the option against that) - aren't we on our second or third "gray" right now? They could add some kind of cool new feature like rapid charging that for some reason can't pass through this dock, or a signal booster built into a new dock so that this one is lame.

I don't know how likely any of those are. But we're on our fourth generation of lightning devices. It feels like it's about time for them to change next year because I finally have a sufficient collection of cables again. And it was just when I had a lot of previous connector cables collected that they released lightning, making them all useless.

My guess is that if anything changes in this department, it will be in favor of wireless/proximity charging or the USB Type C connector. If you really want to start salivating at the prospect of starting a new cable collection, go read up on Thunderbolt 3, which combines Thunderbolt 3 and USB 3.1 into the same Type C connector. It's a little ways off, but worth keeping an eye on.

Personally, my favorite dock "solution" was to replace one of the GFI outlets in my kitchen with one that contains two USB ports, in addition to the two grounded plug receptacles. I just keep a lightning cable connected all the time to juice up my iPad or anyone's lightning connector enabled iPhone. (Me, I'm amongst those who hold onto devices forever and will be setting aside my 4S for the new 6S.)