Apple's alleged 9-pin dock connector may be same size as Micro USB

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
New images released on Saturday compare what appear to be a Micro-A USB cable with the smaller 9-pin dock connector Apple is rumored to be deploying with the sixth-generation iPhone, showing the two components share almost identical dimensions.

The side-by-side comparison shots from French blog nowhereelse.fr were furnished by the same tipster who reportedly sent in some of the first images of Apple's alleged smaller dock connector in August.

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Source: nowhereelse.fr


Oddly, Saturday's photos show advertising paraphernalia from Chinese electronics firm MEIZU, however the source said not to "pay attention to [that] detail," adding the alleged part in question is in fact a legitimate Apple product. While AppleInsider can't verify the validity of the source's claims, the connector looks to be identical to those pictured in previous reports.

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As seen in the images, the purported 9-pin format is nearly identical in size to the Micro USB plug, though Apple's rumored part appears to be slightly longer and thinner.

As with most USB connectors, the Micro-A type features a housing in which contact pins are aligned in a linear manner, thus requiring an opening into which the tongue of a male plug can interface. Apple's current 30-pin connector is built on the same principle, however the company's new, smaller unit eschews that design for a more robust male/female system.

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According to sources, the supposed new plug will feature a layout with eight pins exposed on either side of a metal shell which serves as a ninth contact, thus allowing for orientation-independent use. With the new design, users will no longer have to make sure that the connector is right side up when inserting it into an iDevice.

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Apple is widely expected to unveil the sixth-generation iPhone next week after the company sent out invitations for a Sept. 12 special event.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 119
    wingswings Posts: 261member
    "With the new design, users will no longer have to make sure that the connector is right side up when inserting it into an iDevice."

    Yeah! Finally I'll be able to conform to the laws of statistics, in that I'll have a BETTER than 50-50 chance of getting it right on the first try. With USB I'm constantly defying that law, getting it right only 1 out of 10 tries.
  • Reply 2 of 119
    I'm not a fan of exposed connectors. If some kid sticks that into their mouth while it's plugged in to a Mac, their memory will be synchronized with iTunes.
  • Reply 3 of 119
    solipsismxsolipsismx Posts: 19,566member
    I forget how the inside of the new connector will look on devices but I don't recall an extrusion that would allow it to connect to micro-USB. They do look to be roughly the same size but micro-USB has the pin ons the inside whilst the new connector from Apple are on the outside. It looks more like Apple's new cable could plug into a micro-USB cable but that wouldn't make any sense.

    1000

    I'm not a fan of exposed connectors. If some kid sticks that into their mouth while it's plugged in to a Mac, their memory will be synchronized with iTunes.
    Will he know King Fu?
  • Reply 4 of 119
    wings wrote: »
    "With the new design, users will no longer have to make sure that the connector is right side up when inserting it into an iDevice."
    Yeah! Finally I'll be able to conform to the laws of statistics, in that I'll have a BETTER than 50-50 chance of getting it right on the first try. With USB I'm constantly defying that law, getting it right only 1 out of 10 tries.

    lol USB makes zero sense...I swear there must be nano-USB trolls constantly rejiggering everything.

    edit: Odd that a Meizu MX is in the BG.
  • Reply 5 of 119

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post



    Will he know King Fu?


     


    Yes, there's an app for that!

  • Reply 6 of 119
    malaxmalax Posts: 1,598member

    Quote:


    As with most USB connectors, the Micro-A type features a housing in which contact pins are aligned in a linear manner, thus requiring an opening into which the tongue of a female receptacle can interface. Apple's current 30-pin connector is built on the same principle, however the company's new, smaller unit eschews that design for a more robust male/female system.



     


    Whuh?  First does that "aligned in a linear manner" add anything to the explanation?  When aren't contacts pins set up in a line?  Then we have that bit about the female receptacle having a tongue.  Um, gulp.  Is this just saying the new Apple connector is exactly what it looks like in the picture and not the "USB way" where the connectors are hidden inside a hollow metal flat rectangular frame?  Obviously his is one of those "pictures is worth a thousand words" situations, because I don't think the above section would help anyone who couldn't look at the photos.  Interestingly and unmentioned in the article (or if it was I couldn't understand it), is that the "traditional" iPhone connector did things the USB way, just with a thinner (hollow) tongue of the female receptacle.  (Of course I always assumed that the part that had something sticking out was "male" and therefore didn't need to be called a female tongue, since male parts by analogy "stick out" and go into things.)  But I'm glad Apple is going for a more "robust" (dare we say "normal"?) male/female system.

  • Reply 7 of 119
    What if, assuming it is even possible, the reason it looks the same size as a micro USB is because it is. Perhaps Apples permenant solution to the whole EU thing was to redo the dock connector so that one could plug in a micro USB and charge only. Kind of like how a thunderbolt port can talk to a mini display port plug also.

    I suspect if this is true we may find that more that just the old FireWire pins are missing. Like say the video out to connect to a TV, at least all but HDMI. It could push AirPlay and the Apple TV as the video connection. I can't imagine Apple would think an Apple TV in every home, classroom and conference room isa bad thing. This talk of ad hoc wifi connections a la air drop could be tied into it
  • Reply 8 of 119
    charlituna wrote: »
    What if, assuming it is even possible, the reason it looks the same size as a micro USB is because it is. Perhaps Apples permenant solution to the whole EU thing was to redo the dock connector so that one could plug in a micro USB and charge only. Kind of like how a thunderbolt port can talk to a mini display port plug also.
    I suspect if this is true we may find that more that just the old FireWire pins are missing. Like say the video out to connect to a TV, at least all but HDMI. It could push AirPlay and the Apple TV as the video connection. I can't imagine Apple would think an Apple TV in every home, classroom and conference room isa bad thing. This talk of ad hoc wifi connections a la air drop could be tied into it

    But how would that work? Look at the difference in the way the connectors look. One has the pins on the outside and the other on the inside of the male end.
  • Reply 9 of 119
    You know what would be AMAZING?

    If Apple released the "new dock connector" to fool us.

    What if the new iPhone actually does the right thing and eliminates the dock connector entirely? Apple is, after all, part of the European consortium that designated the micro USB connector as the standard for all cell phones.

    Apple could abandon proprietary connectors and just use USB!
  • Reply 10 of 119
    darkvader wrote: »
    You know what would be AMAZING?
    If Apple released the "new dock connector" to fool us.
    What if the new iPhone actually does the right thing and eliminates the dock connector entirely?

    Unless you think the leaks are fake there will be smaller dock connector on the device.
    Apple is, after all, part of the European consortium that designated the micro USB connector as the standard for all cell phones.

    How many times will people keeping stating this as fact before they realize it's not true? Is it just ignorance or a willful attempt to make false statements?
  • Reply 11 of 119


    So if USB has those tiny clips to hold a solid connection between cable and port, how is Apple's solution going to keep their connection from being too jiggly?

  • Reply 12 of 119

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismX View Post





    Unless you think the leaks are fake there will be smaller dock connector on the device.

    How many times will people keeping stating this as fact before they realize it's not true? Is it just ignorance or a willful attempt to make false statements?




    Well, people keep stating it as a fact BECAUSE IT IS A FACT.


     


    http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/rtte/files/chargers/chargers_annex_i__list_of_signatories_en.pdf


     


    Apple is an original signatory on the standard.

  • Reply 13 of 119
    sricesrice Posts: 120member

    Quote:


    So if USB has those tiny clips to hold a solid connection between cable and port, how is Apple's solution going to keep their connection from being too jiggly?



     


    Very tight tolerances with solid aluminium connector and frame.  It's not going to be cheap plastic.


     


    I'm actually stoked to see this new connector -- yeah, it'll cost a little to buy new cables/adapters, but it looks like a nicer experience for the next ten years -- kind of wish it would be a mag safe, but I guess the physical connection has saved my phone from dropping a couple of times.

  • Reply 14 of 119
    darkvader wrote: »

    Well, people keep stating it as a fact BECAUSE IT IS A FACT.

    http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/rtte/files/chargers/chargers_annex_i__list_of_signatories_en.pdf

    Apple is an original signatory on the standard.

    And in what way does that mean Apple can't use a proprietary connector on their devices? Again, are you just ignorant of the ruling or purposely making false claims?
  • Reply 15 of 119


    Originally Posted by DarkVader View Post

    What if the new iPhone actually does the right thing and eliminates the dock connector entirely? 


     


    Terrible idea. Can't meaningfully charge that way. 






    Apple could abandon proprietary connectors and just use USB!



     


    Even worse idea, which is a feat.





    Originally Posted by DarkVader View Post

    Well, people keep stating it as a fact BECAUSE IT IS A FACT.


     


    No. Apple does not have to supply USB ports directly on their devices. They must provide some sort of adapter for it.


     


    And for the record, when the EU creates three products that revolutionize the three separate industries in which they reside directly and hundreds of other industries by their very presence indirectly, then they can tell me or anyone else what ports we put on our devices, thank you very much. Why a government thinks it has the right, much less the proper knowledge to tell us what port we should put on our devices is beyond me.


     


    I don't want anything further in this regard to turn into POLITICS, politics, so if we could keep it on connectors, that'd be super. image

  • Reply 16 of 119
    What was the point of the change if the world moves to the wireless everything including charging? Another disappointment in the design besides longer case and fat bezels.
  • Reply 17 of 119
    mrrmrr Posts: 69member
    A Thunderbolt connector would be amazing.
  • Reply 18 of 119

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Wings View Post



    "With the new design, users will no longer have to make sure that the connector is right side up when inserting it into an iDevice."

    Yeah! Finally I'll be able to conform to the laws of statistics, in that I'll have a BETTER than 50-50 chance of getting it right on the first try. With USB I'm constantly defying that law, getting it right only 1 out of 10 tries.


     That's the big feature in the Iphone5

  • Reply 19 of 119
    jason98 wrote: »
    What was the point of the change if the world moves to the wireless everything including charging? Another disappointment in the design besides longer case and fat bezels.

    You can keep your slow wireless syncing and charging I'll stick with fast syncing and charging that works everywhere. Do you have a wireless charging station in your car? I certainly don't.
  • Reply 20 of 119

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by DarkVader View Post




    Well, people keep stating it as a fact BECAUSE IT IS A FACT.


     


    http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/rtte/files/chargers/chargers_annex_i__list_of_signatories_en.pdf


     


    Apple is an original signatory on the standard.



     


    Perhaps you should read your precious EU standard more closely. Section 4.2.1 states that 'adaptors' (i.e., cables) that connect the common power supply to non-USB connectors on phones are in compliance with the standard. Apple wouldn't sign away their right to be unique.

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