Would the iPhone 4 deliver much on hardware attachments?

[superspiffy]

The lack of hardware choice on the iPhone is part of its success but in the face of growing Android hardware diversity, it might eventually turn into a liability. People want simplicity yes, but the same phone is being used by gamers and business people. That makes the iPhone a jack of trades but a master of none because you can modify the software, but there has never been a way to enhance the hardware for that specific software function.

But the iPhone has the dock connector right? That means it has the potential to be a great device "chameleon." Plug a device in and it becomes something else entirely. (Check out the OS 3.0 keynote on the medical attachments.) One day you should be able to easily attach a wide plethora of devices to the iPhone, modifying or enhancing its functionality. The iPhone Hub!

Imagine the wide array of travel kits from third party companies you can buy for the iPhone today... from car chargers to battery booster cases. Why shouldn't there be a "business kit" and a "gamers kit" too? An attachable external keyboard? A gamepad anyone? Open up support for these on the SDK and you have a winner. Yes, they've already paved the way for external hardware support on OS 3.0 software but isn't it odd that this late in the game, we're not getting anything out of it yet?

I know a few people who would drop their BlackBerrys in a heartbeat if the iPhone only has a keyboard.

 

[hefeglass]

Even better than having to use the dock connector....the new os 4.0 allows Bluetooth keyboards!
Sooooo...I'm guessing we will start seeing mini iPhone keyboards soon after launch.

Even cooler, we'll start seeing bt game controllers as well, they can use the same interface and map the buttons to keyboard key presses....then new apps/games that come out just need to accept bt keyboard input and can easily be configured to work with a game controller!

Gonna be pretty neat..!

 

[superspiffy]

Even better than having to use the dock connector....the new os 4.0 allows Bluetooth keyboards!
Sooooo...I'm guessing we will start seeing mini iPhone keyboards soon after launch.

Even cooler, we'll start seeing bt game controllers as well, they can use the same interface and map the buttons to keyboard key presses....then new apps/games that come out just need to accept bt keyboard input and can easily be configured to work with a game controller!

Gonna be pretty neat..!

Maybe this BT support would allow manufactuers to bypass the dock connector for interface. I can see a gamepad iPhone case working through bluetooth. But BT devices like these are battery whores especially when the iPhone is running something as taxing as a game. You'd still need the case to provide the phone with external power via dock connector. So if you're already interfacing with the dock anyway, why use BT as the means to communicate?

 

[hefeglass]

The game controllers would obviously have their own batt.....the iPhone would last just as long as it normally does while gaming.

If using the dock connector...then it would be smart to incorporate a larger battery to allow additional juice for not only the controller but the iPhone itself.

 

[tineofpower]

i could see an HD camera/video attachment, or an extra RAM attachment via the dock connector. they could make the iphone a lot more powerful with attachments like that.