Apple's Beats brand in April unveiled the Powerbeats Pro, a redesigned wire-free version of its popular fitness-oriented Powerbeats earbuds.
Apple Readying Miniaturized Dock Connector for Future iPhones?
iMore claims that Apple may be transitioning away from the standard 30-pin dock connector to something more compact in the very near future.
As iMore points out, the current dock connector isn't huge, but as devices continue to get smaller and thinner, every little bit counts.
Moving away from such a ubiquitous connector, however, would be walking away from an enormous ecosystem of existing 3rd party products. Still, Apple's constant desire to make smaller/thinner designs will naturally put pressure on the size of all their components. Apple's recent move to PC-free computing with iCloud syncing may have also diminished the importance of the dock connector.
We reached out to iMore's Editor-in-Chief Rene Ritchie who said that the report came from a "solid source". iMore also made headlines recently by predicting the date for the iPad 3 launch, which is believed to be accurate.
An updated “micro dock” could make room for bigger batteries, 4G radios, and other components far more important to the iPhone and iPad in a PC free world.As the site points out, Apple has worked hard to miniaturize other components in their iOS devices. Apple was one of the first to adopt the micro-SIM and has even proposed an even smaller SIM card design so they could make even thinner designs.
As iMore points out, the current dock connector isn't huge, but as devices continue to get smaller and thinner, every little bit counts.
Moving away from such a ubiquitous connector, however, would be walking away from an enormous ecosystem of existing 3rd party products. Still, Apple's constant desire to make smaller/thinner designs will naturally put pressure on the size of all their components. Apple's recent move to PC-free computing with iCloud syncing may have also diminished the importance of the dock connector.
We reached out to iMore's Editor-in-Chief Rene Ritchie who said that the report came from a "solid source". iMore also made headlines recently by predicting the date for the iPad 3 launch, which is believed to be accurate.
Tag: imore.com
[ 189 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
96 months ago
...
Moving away from such a ubiquitous connector, however, would be walking away from an enormous ecosystem of existing 3rd party products. Still, Apple's constant desire to make smaller/thinner designs will naturally put pressure on the size of all their components. Apple's recent move to PC-free computing with iCloud syncing may have also diminished the importance of the dock connector.
...
96 months ago
I thought the future is clear on this: wireless sync :confused:
The dock connector is used to charge the phone as well. You can't wirelessly sync a device that has no battery power. Additionally, wireless sync activates by default when it detects a power input.
It's not just a "dock" connector, it's power.
96 months ago
I thought the EU was requiring all devices to use micro USB without a dongle. Did i misunderstand that?
Yes, you did misunderstand. Apple is currently getting by with shipping a dock to micro USB adapter with iPhone in Europe. Changing what the dock looks like, as long as they continue to supply a sufficient adapter, will keep them within the confines of the law.
96 months ago
Question:
Is there a point of diminishing returns with "thinner and smaller"??
No sarcasm...serious question.:D
Is there a point of diminishing returns with "thinner and smaller"??
No sarcasm...serious question.:D
96 months ago
Hi,
first, EU-law does not require the micro usb port to be directly on the device. An adapter (which already exists for the iphone) is sufficient.
second, I fear, that a smaller and slimmer dock connector won't be able to support the weight of the device anymore.
bye
Darky
first, EU-law does not require the micro usb port to be directly on the device. An adapter (which already exists for the iphone) is sufficient.
second, I fear, that a smaller and slimmer dock connector won't be able to support the weight of the device anymore.
bye
Darky
96 months ago
Thunderbolt?
Smaller dock and Thunderbolt support? I hope so. It would greatly increase the need/want for a Thunderbolt port on your Mac and would probably get a lot of people to upgrade their Macs just for this boost in syncing speed (including me).
Smaller dock and Thunderbolt support? I hope so. It would greatly increase the need/want for a Thunderbolt port on your Mac and would probably get a lot of people to upgrade their Macs just for this boost in syncing speed (including me).
96 months ago
Smaller dock, fewer pins, peripheral compromise?
The 30-pin dock currently carries power, usb data, line-audio, video, and serial. These peripherals still matter if you want connectivity to other devices.
But then again, Apple already has alternative to having audio/video–via Airplay and BT audio–they could simplify the dock by having few pins. Or they can opt a protocol agnostic port like thunderbolt.
Let's move them to the MicroUSB standard that most phones are now using, even here in the U.S.
The 30-pin dock currently carries power, usb data, line-audio, video, and serial. These peripherals still matter if you want connectivity to other devices.
But then again, Apple already has alternative to having audio/video–via Airplay and BT audio–they could simplify the dock by having few pins. Or they can opt a protocol agnostic port like thunderbolt.
[ Read All Comments ]
Google today announced several new features coming to YouTube, all of which are designed to give users more control over the kind of content that appears on the Homepage and in Up Next video...
Apple wanted to make a wireless charger, the AirPower, that could charge the iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods all at once no matter where the devices were placed on the charger, but ultimately, the...
Google in May announced a new privacy-focused auto-delete option for automatically removing Location History and Web & App Activity after a set period of time, and the feature is now rolling out...
Apple today released a new update for Safari Technology Preview, the experimental browser Apple first introduced three years ago in March 2016. Apple designed the Safari Technology Preview to test...
Shopify today announced that Apple Business Chat is now available to all of its over 800,000 merchants around the world.
As noted by Engadget, some Shopify merchants are already using...
Anker is back this week with a new collection of sales and discount codes on many of its charging accessories, including the all-new Soundcore Wakey Alarm Clock. This device is a bedside alarm clock...
Apple released a public beta of iPadOS for compatible iPad models, enabling users who aren't signed up for the Apple Developer Program to test the software update ahead of its official release in...
Apple today updated its line of iWork apps for iOS and macOS, bringing new features to Pages, Keynote, and Numbers on both iOS devices and Macs.
All of the apps have a new feature designed to...
