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Possible Photo of 'iPad Mini' Dock Connector Flex Cable with Headphone Jack at Bottom

faroZ06 said:
What that image suggests is that the analog audio cannot be transferred through the new Dock Connector alone! It requires the headphone jack output in addition to the new Dock Connector to go to the old Dock Connector. Either:

1. No more audio through the new Dock Connector. That would be terrible.
2. Digital "optical" audio through the new Dock Connector. Wouldn't that be a big improvement?
3. Still analog through new Dock Connector, but they decided to make it take the headphone jack too for some reason. Maybe just for physical stability?
Click to expand...


The blogger showed how possibly the headphone jack could be integrated into the adapter design. We really don't know anything at this point on what Apple's choices are on that. This is my take.

Even if Apple integrated digital audio which I assume and hope - and I'm pretty sure it's not optical due to energy efficiency and the space the optical components would need - it would not be backwards compatible and an adapter would be easiest to use the headphone jack to loop the audio stream. The reason a conversion inside the adapter is senseless is because non-digital audio would already loose the quality enhancement and then you could as well grab it from the headphone jack. In other words: It's cheaper with the same result.
 
faroZ06 said:
What that image suggests is that the analog audio cannot be transferred through the new Dock Connector alone! It requires the headphone jack output in addition to the new Dock Connector to go to the old Dock Connector.
Click to expand...

New dock connector has only 9 pins, so they've certainly taken some functions away. No doubt HDMI is gone (Hello, AirPlay), but it wouldn't surprise me if audio is gone too.

If you want digital audio, well, that's what AirPlay and Bluetooth are for.
 
lifeinhd said:
Headphone jack on the bottom will suck for people who like to listen to music while using their iPad in portrait mode. Most people will prop the lower edge of the iPad on a table so it's vertical and they can interact with it better.

Fortunately for me, I use my iPad almost exclusively in landscape unless it's docked in the car. But I still feel for those that don't :eek:
Click to expand...

Do you mean iPad, or have you just completely been fooled into thinking the iPad came out in 2007?...
 
Reason077 said:
New dock connector has only 9 pins, so they've certainly taken some functions away. No doubt HDMI is gone (Hello, AirPlay), but it wouldn't surprise me if audio is gone too.

If you want digital audio, well, that's what AirPlay and Bluetooth are for.
Click to expand...

Why is it related to the number of pins? USB doesn't have 9 pins and you can have digital audio as well as power and other stuff too.
 
Pianoblack3 said:
Do you mean iPad, or have you just completely been fooled into thinking the iPad came out in 2007?...
Click to expand...

Erm, of course I mean iPad, why else would I specifically say iPad...?

EDIT: Perhaps you were referring to docking my iPad in my car? In which case I assure you I do dock my iPad in my car...

IMG_20120120_111848.jpg
 
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lifeinhd said:
Headphone jack on the bottom will suck for people who like to listen to music while using their iPad in portrait mode. Most people will prop the lower edge of the iPad on a table so it's vertical and they can interact with it better.

Fortunately for me, I use my iPad almost exclusively in landscape unless it's docked in the car. But I still feel for those that don't :eek:
Click to expand...

Yep, or those that prop an iPhone if the new iPhone has the headphone jack at the bottom. odd placement indeed.
 
looks fake. Apple would never let this type of information leak. I'm waiting for the real release which is going to be x10 thinner and bigger screen.
 
2bikes said:
Why is it related to the number of pins? USB doesn't have 9 pins and you can have digital audio as well as power and other stuff too.
Click to expand...

If I am correct, you are talking about bandwidth here. Yes, that is right, with the amount of pins, you can get a lot through, but - and that is a possible big "but" - the 3rd party producers for audio equipment used the dock connector to have easy play&charge stations. We've all seen them. They are pretty cheap at times because it was easy to access the audio and charge at the same time. If you rely on bluetooth and/or a signal conversion for audio, you put a high burden on these companies and the customer because the market will shrink: It is way more expensive to integrate into the hardware and the consumer has to pay for that. Ergo: You will sell less units which in return will increase the price another time. I'm not saying there wouldn't be a market left - it will always be - it's just not as lucrative and the consumers won't buy as enthusiatically as they did in the past.
 
The headphone jack placement is perfect since I always put my ipad in my pocket upside-down.
 
lifeinhd said:
Headphone jack on the bottom will suck for people who like to listen to music while using their iPad in portrait mode. Most people will prop the lower edge of the iPad on a table so it's vertical and they can interact with it better.

Fortunately for me, I use my iPad almost exclusively in landscape unless it's docked in the car. But I still feel for those that don't :eek:
Click to expand...

Just turn it upside down then :)
 
Steve Jobs would never have allowed this doubling down on security leaks, it's too fake.
 
Mad-B-One said:
Maybe they though of it and the button is retraced like the home button
Click to expand...

I hope not! The button is hard enough to press as it is. You can't even see it while looking at the iPad straight on! I hardly ever use mine just because it's so inconvenient. (I'm JB and have a gesture to turn it off, and I use the home button to turn it on.)
 
Mike Oxard said:
The ipad can be held in any rotation so it shouldn't be that much of a problem.
Click to expand...

Screen rotation is built into iOS, as far as going from Portrait to either CW Landscape or CCW Landscape. But last time I checked, you can't turn the device upside down (home button on top) and get the interface to snap-rotate to accomodate. So, if the app is only for portrait mode, or the user likes portrait mode over either landscape mode, wire pokes them in the belly.

----------
Radio said:
IMO its better on the bottom so the chord isn't in the way of the screen.

Also get a bt headphones
Click to expand...

The cord can go behind the device (from the top).

But, Bluetooth headphones ftw. Good point. :)
 
I still think that this 'mini iPad' will be a replacement for the Touch. After all, what's the difference between the Touch and the iPad? iPad: Screen size, wireless cell service, GPS. The Touch has Nike+ built-in. Not much of a difference, is there, on the hardware...

Will the Touch be discontinued? If this is right, I'd say eventually, yes.

I guess this shows why Apple isn't HP or Sony. Never in an entrenched corporate entity like those would one division be able to put the other effectively out of business. THAT is why they fail at that whole 'innovation' thing. Just sayin'...

Although hopefully there will still be the Nano and the Classic (although I'd expect the Classic, or something like it, to go to SSD technology very soon)
 
Mad-B-One said:
If I am correct, you are talking about bandwidth here. Yes, that is right, with the amount of pins, you can get a lot through, but - and that is a possible big "but" - the 3rd party producers for audio equipment used the dock connector to have easy play&charge stations. We've all seen them. They are pretty cheap at times because it was easy to access the audio and charge at the same time. If you rely on bluetooth and/or a signal conversion for audio, you put a high burden on these companies and the customer because the market will shrink: It is way more expensive to integrate into the hardware and the consumer has to pay for that. Ergo: You will sell less units which in return will increase the price another time. I'm not saying there wouldn't be a market left - it will always be - it's just not as lucrative and the consumers won't buy as enthusiatically as they did in the past.
Click to expand...

Well, my question was more related to the earlier comment, where there would be a loss of functionality with the loss in number of pins. I see your point of loss in bandwidth but that will not reduce the functionality. And what kind of a bandwidth loss are you talking about here? I doubt it will be anything huge compared to the current dock connector. USB end is the limiting factor anyway, correct?
 
iMacFarlane said:
Screen rotation is built into iOS, as far as going from Portrait to either CW Landscape or CCW Landscape. But last time I checked, you can't turn the device upside down (home button on top) and get the interface to snap-rotate to accomodate. So, if the app is only for portrait mode, or the user likes portrait mode over either landscape mode, wire pokes them in the belly.
Click to expand...
When was the last time you checked, on a Newton? ;)

Seriously though, I don't know about the original iPad (never used one) but the iPad2 has always been able to do this.
 
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