Is A 19-Pin Mini Connector Going To Obsolete All Your iPhone Accessories?
Posted by CharlesMoore on Monday Jun 25, 2012 Under iPhone 5 Opinion, iPhone 5 RumorI have to say I’m unenchanted by the new but plausible rumor that Apple is planning to replace the venerable 30-pin connector port in the new iPhone with another proprietary connector format, possibly even with DRM enforcement chips in its plugs.
I had been hoping that previous rumors that Apple might add or substitute a standard Micro USB port in its iOS devices. I’m a fan and advocate of open connectivity and data storage standards. For example, I archive all my text data in plain text files that can be opened by any text editor or word processor, and which are the default save format of many iOS apps. Pardon the slight digression.
Anyway, as Michael reported here on the weekend, , a rumor that quickly went viral is almost as quickly gelling into consensus in the consumer tech industry that the next iPhone will get a new and even more locked-down 19-pin dock connector displacing the one that’s been a fixture on Apple’s idevices since the third generation iPod when it elbowed the original and early iPod’s FireWire connector out of primacy and soon to be consigned to idevice oblivion.
TechCrunch’s John Biggs reports that three independent manufacturers have confirmed that the 19-pin dock port is in the works, a development that he says will send shocks through the iPhone accessory ecosystem.
Of course, the Apple 30-pin connector is a proprietary, non-standard format, but at least has become something of a defacto standard by virtue of its use over many years now, and the massive popularity of Apple’s iproducts. As Biggs noted, a vast ecosystem has been built around creating and marketing accessories for iPhones, iPods and iPads based on 30-pin connectivity. As a result many of us users have a sizeable investment in peripherals (some of them, such as audio docks and such, representing hundreds of dollars in outlay).
Consequently, the news that Apple may be fixing to pull the proverbial rug out from under the 30-pin connector convention is not being gladly received in many quarters, reaction to which The Daily Mail’s James Tozer for example, refers to as “fury.” at what is being characterized as a “Rip-off’ Plan To Make ALL iPhone Accessories Obsolete,” while news.com.au suggests that all those expensive iPhone accessories you own — speakers, docks, chargers etc., are about to become obsolete.
ZNet blogger and longtime Apple enthusiast Jason D. O’Grady says he’d assumed the smaller charging port apparent at the bottom of recent iPhone 5 purported leaked images was Micro USB, but now is hearing that it may be something even worse than just a new, non-compatible connector format, with the new Apple cables to incorporate include chips for the purpose of verifying licensing of all accessories to be used with the devices.
As O’Grady remarks, “Dear Lord!”
If these rumors are accurate, says o’Grady, it means that instead of embracing a worldwide standard for syncing and charging smartphones (Micro USB) Apple will adopt an even more expensive and even more proprietary port and cable to protect its lucrative Made For iPhone (MFi) licensing program.
Ergo, an even tighter lockdown.
As I noted, I share the dismay if the rumored scenario plays out. Of course, much depends on whether adapters will be available to connect at least some existing accessories to newer iPhones iPods, and iPads, but that is a kludgy workaround at best, and unlikely to work at all with many legacy 30-pin format docks, charging stands, and such. Hopefully, it won’t be as bad as it sounds.
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June 25th, 2012 at 8:47 am
That would blow royally but hopefully the connector that comes with the phone will have a USB/Wall plug like the one i currently have. if so, it will not affect my car charging abilities since i have the car charger with the built in USB plug. i have a speaker dock that cost me about $70 so i wouldn’t be out that much as far as peripherals go. i feel bad for ppl who have a lot more invested if this turns out to be true.
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June 25th, 2012 at 8:53 am
It’s not a positive for Apple to be changing the connector to another proprietary format.
At a pivotal time for the iPhone and where it stands in the smartphone market place, this could be another body blow.
I really hope it doesn’t happen.
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June 25th, 2012 at 10:36 am
Apple knows that changing to another proprietary format will screw a lot of people over. They’re not going to do it for fun. If they do it, I’m sure they’ll have a good reason for doing so. It will be beneficial in the long run.
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June 25th, 2012 at 10:42 am
Well, they Apple already changed the 30 pin plug once before, rendering my in-car FM transmitter useless without purchasing an additional adapter. This was 5 or 6 years ago, and Scosche was first to market with the $25.00 adapters and profited handsomely I’m sure. I still use the adapter daily – a constant reminder how ‘Made for iPhone’ accessories can change!!!
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June 25th, 2012 at 11:15 am
I am seriously considering purchasing an android. Either the galaxy s3 or one x. Apple is not making this whole experience fun anymore. The company as a whole is going to lose steam now that Steve is gone. It’s really a shame they have made us wait for this phone for SO long. These new phones blow iPhone out of the water not with “looks” but with performance! Check each one out you won’t be disappointed
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June 25th, 2012 at 11:32 am
I just use cables, so will just need to buy a few extra cables for the cars and such.
Being my renewal is summer 2013, this should provide for plenty of time for 3rd party companies to make some cheap $2-$3 cables in Black, which I prefer for automotive use.
No one looks twice at a black cable. White cable in a car = Apple device may be inside.
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June 25th, 2012 at 12:25 pm
There will have to be an adapter of some kind.
Apple had signed up to the Micro USB treaty to bring their phones and pods into line with the rest of the universe but all they did was quietly sneak a 30 pin>Micro USB adapter into their stores about the same time as the IP4s was released. Another £8 ‘kerching’ into the Apple checkouts!
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June 25th, 2012 at 12:49 pm
@Thomas, they certainly would have a good reason for it, it’s called money. EVERYTHING that Apple does is for money. Anybody who thinks otherwise is only kidding themselves. Please don’t tell me that there are that many people that are complete drones to Apple and believe the facade that Apple puts on. There is no reason to make a proprietary cable that Apple will charge $30 for that a 3rd party would only charge a few dollars for. What are you paying for when you buy the $30 cable from Apple?…a $3 cable and $27 towards the hundreds of millions that Tim Cook has in stock options.
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June 25th, 2012 at 12:52 pm
@Core2, you must have missed this part of the article:
“with the new Apple cables to incorporate include chips for the purpose of verifying licensing of all accessories to be used with the devices.”
Under that scenario, you wouldn’t be able to buy a cheap cable because Apple would have made a way for it to not work, so that you are forced to pay the higher price for their cables. That’s pretty absurd if you ask me.
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June 25th, 2012 at 12:58 pm
If Apple do or don’t make an adapter there will be one forthcoming from China I expect.
I bought a male>female 30 pin adapter cable for my alarm clock radio thingy just so I could dock my phone without having to bother taking off its case!
Lazy eh?
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June 25th, 2012 at 1:06 pm
@Mike D,
Hopefully 3rd party accessories are cheaper. I just need 3 cables total per device really. Desk, bedroom and car.
I have a year or so to upgrade again, so will not be at the mercy of only Apple versions for the first few months.
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June 25th, 2012 at 1:49 pm
@Core2…what the article implies is that a 3rd party accessory would not work on an apple product anymore because Apple would put some kind of chip into their own peripherals that the device would read. If it was from a 3rd party then the device would know that its not an authentic Apple made cable and it wouldn’t work. So under that scenario you could buy all the 3rd party accessories in the world (which are definitely cheaper and are awesome) but none of them would work. Apple is apparently trying to stop people from buying inexpensive accessories and forcing everyone to pay a huge premium for actual Apple accessories.
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June 25th, 2012 at 1:59 pm
I’m thinking of the physical/hardware reasons to do it…
Micro-USB is a data only interface, and does not provide video/audio outputs, so that’s probably the reason they don’t do it. The 30 pin connector has FireWire and USB on them, and a bunch of grounds that could probably be tied together (as they are internally on some of them.)
One of several reasons I can think of doing this is to have Thunderbolt on it, but really, how long does it take to synch the iPhone, especially when you can do it wirelessly? Geez, I sound like an old fuddy-duddy, so maybe that’s not a good reason against it.
The chip thing is a bit interesting, increasing the price over just wires alone.
If it’s better than the 30 pin one, I’m for it. Otherwise, I guess I’ll keep my Apple stock for a little while longer while the cash comes in…
But then again, remember 10 years ago, when you got a new cell phone, you had to get a whole new set of chargers and accessories? At least now, it’s only every 5 phones.
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June 25th, 2012 at 2:44 pm
Apple will license out the chip. I have a Scosche adapter that that plugs into the 30 pin plug, and does video out to RCA plugs. It has a chip of some sort inside to decode or allow the video output.
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June 25th, 2012 at 2:46 pm
Unless Apple are going to manufacture all their own external devices such as speakers etc. then the way their new connector will operate is if you plug in a device that has their authorisation it will work, similar in a way to how it does right now.
When I connect my iPhone to certain devices I get a message on screen saying that the appliance is not compatible with my device (iPhone), but it still works. Maybe they will tighten this up a little for third party devices but they will still make their money through licensing. Cables and adapters may still be a little less expensive than Apple branded ones and there will be more choice, especially for those of us who need an adapter to convert 19 pin to 30 pin.
Here’s hoping!
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June 25th, 2012 at 2:48 pm
Printer manufacturers do the same with their chipped inks, usually after a certain period of time has elapsed so you can purchase less expensive (and usually lower grade) ink cartridges from third parties
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June 25th, 2012 at 2:49 pm
Even my Panasonic camera has a chipped battery…..
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June 25th, 2012 at 4:28 pm
IF Apple changes the connector, people (creators of the accessory products) are going to create cheap adaptors so that you can still connect to all of your docks and what not. Oh, and I don’t believe Apple even said anything about changing the connector yet, but if they do, it will be to save space internally, I’m sure. If they don’t change it, then a lot of people will look foolish, yet again.
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June 25th, 2012 at 9:39 pm
My Bose Sound Dock has a removable connector for the iPhone. I presume they’ll have a replacement one available (for a Bose price).
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July 6th, 2012 at 12:39 pm
@Joe #18 yeah just another way for them to take our money
make us pay for new adaptors or accessories to make the old ones compatible with the new iPhone
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April 12th, 2013 at 3:15 am
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