The REAL reason for the new connector

[SteveJobs2.0]

I have a feeling that we are in for some bad news... I believe that the reason for the change is that apple wants the ability to prevent 3rd party discounted adapters and cables from being produced. Since the lightning connector is digital, apple is likely using an on-chip verification process to verify the validity of the accessory. As such, it might be a VERY long time before 3rd party makers produce cheaper accessories. And, when they do, they will not be much cheaper than Apple's first party ones.

Proof of this already exists in some of the third party video output cables for the previous dock connector which would not work properly without the correct chip in them.

 

[spblat]

Count on this.

Monoprice used to have this great cable. On one end was 30 pin Apple connector; on the other end was a headphone plug that you could connect to the AUX port of your car radio. It was advantageous over a 1/8" stereo cable because of the improved audio quality that comes from the 30 pin connector.

It was cheap and it was awesome. And they had to stop selling them. They didn't say it explicitly but I'm sure it was because of Apple threats about unlicensed use of the connector.

There will be customer benefits to the lightning connector. Someday it will support USB3 or even thunderbolt. Someday I bet you'll see a 4K video signal flowing through it. Great technology. But one of its many attributes will be Apple's firmer control over its hardware ecosystem. If you think Apple's main mission is to delight customers, you won't be upset by this. If you're prone to interpret this as an insane power grab, you will be upset by this.

 

[Want300]

Count on this.

Monoprice used to have this great cable. On one end was 30 pin Apple connector; on the other end was a headphone plug that you could connect to the AUX port of your car radio. It was advantageous over a 1/8" stereo cable because of the improved audio quality that comes from the 30 pin connector.

It was cheap and it was awesome. And they had to stop selling them. They didn't say it explicitly but I'm sure it was because of Apple threats about unlicensed use of the connector.

There will be customer benefits to the lightning connector. Someday it will support USB3 or even thunderbolt. Someday I bet you'll see a 4K video signal flowing through it. Great technology. But one of its many attributes will be Apple's firmer control over its hardware ecosystem. If you think Apple's main mission is to delight customers, you won't be upset by this. If you're prone to interpret this as an insane power grab, you will be upset by this.

This makes some sense for sure... The other reason for the proprietary dock connector is the need for 8 Pins (9 with Ground).

http://thetechblock.com/the-foolproof-dock-connector

 

[darngooddesign]

If this was already happening with the 30 pin then it is not the reason for the new one. They just wanted something smaller.

 

[axu539]

I have a feeling that we are in for some bad news... I believe that the reason for the change is that apple wants the ability to prevent 3rd party discounted adapters and cables from being produced. Since the lightning connector is digital, apple is likely using an on-chip verification process to verify the validity of the accessory. As such, it might be a VERY long time before 3rd party makers produce cheaper accessories. And, when they do, they will not be much cheaper than Apple's first party ones.

Proof of this already exists in some of the third party video output cables for the previous dock connector which would not work properly without the correct chip in them.

On one hand, this is probably at least a little true. On the other hand, I can see this theory as being overly paranoid. The new dock connector eliminates orientation issues, so plugging in the phone becomes a lot easier. Some people might call this stupid, but I'd say that is a pretty useful feature that will make a huge difference once you get used to it.

 

[Oppressed]

While Apple does value their bottom line there may be some truth to such comments, but these are more or less fringe benefits in Apple's eyes. Everyone knew at some point the connector had to be changed as a part of technology evolution.

 

[SteveJobs2.0]

I would need to see this connector in person, but it almosts seems that even though the new connector is less wide, it is also longer, so not sure what the total spaces savings are. In fact, one could argue that a wider and more shallow connector is easier to fit inside the iphone shell than a narrow but deeper one. :/

I am sure that in the long run the new connector is superior, no question, however it is not providing any real benefit to the customers at the moment. In fact, it creates more problems than it solves. In addition, the whole "it fits in both ways" argument is fine, but I never had issues inserting the connector the right way since they are marked and it takes a second to turn it around the other way.

The key point being that Apple should have made this transition period easier by including one adapter in the box and making the adapters cheaper.

 

[MacPod]

Nope. The "real" reason is that it's better than the 30-pin dock connector in just about every way. This is just one way of the many, but if it was the only way it was better, Apple wouldn't have done it.

Personally, smaller and orientation-independent is worth it for me (and most users). I truly don't give a **** if it means that the cheapest cables will now be $4.99 instead of $0.99.

 

[Geckotek]

While I don't doubt that Apple will try to stop the cheap cables from China with some sort of chip verification, I don't honestly think that is "the real reason" for the new connector.

If they play this game too hard (blocking 3rd party cables) that would be something that pushes me to check the competition for the next model.

 

[spblat]

The key point being that Apple should have made this transition period easier by including one adapter in the box and making the adapters cheaper.

This would have made customers happier. Indeed, Engadget claims some customers thought they were getting a free adapter with their iPhone purchase because of an error on the ordering screen that's since been corrected. If there's enough outcry Apple may give up some of its adapter margin by giving some away or reducing their price. I think this would be a reasonable thing to do. Not holding my breath.