That extra "mystery port" on the side look suspiciously like the diagnostic port on the Apple Watch.
It might be a leadup to Apple eliminating wired connections completely (like the watch).
That would blow. USB-C would be much better and more flexible.
Bluetooth headphones (like my AirPods Pro) sound terrible compared to my wired headphones (Etymotic ER4S and Grado SR-325).
Mainly, I use my iPhone for portable music storage. I don’t keep music or media files on my MacBook Pro to keep the SSD clear for work files.
At home, my iTunes folder is on an external RAID. So, on the road, usually at different clients’ offices, the iPhone acts like an external media drive.
It would definitely be a big step back to lose a wired connection.
That extra "mystery port" on the side look suspiciously like the diagnostic port on the Apple Watch.
It might be a leadup to Apple eliminating wired connections completely (like the watch).
That would blow. USB-C would be much better and more flexible.
Bluetooth headphones (like my AirPods Pro) sound terrible compared to my wired headphones (Etymotic ER4S and Grado SR-325).
Mainly, I use my iPhone for portable music storage. I don’t keep music or media files on my MacBook Pro to keep the SSD clear for work files.
At home, my iTunes folder is on an external RAID. So, on the road, usually at different clients’ offices, the iPhone acts like an external media drive.
It would definitely be a big step back to lose a wired connection.
Yeh, there's always a trade-off as things move on.
But an iPhone is not and was never meant to be a desktop replacement. It's a mobile device -- and eliminating ports would make it a better mobile device by freeing up internal space (for a thinner phone, bigger battery, separate GPU, etc.) as well as making it more durable by making it more water and dust resistant.
And beside: if, as I speculated, this is another form of the diagnostic port on the Apple Watch, then that means that it is not just a bump on the phone -- it can pass data.
Alternatively, they could simply add the 3 dots and make it a smart connector like on the iPad Pro -- and potentially replace the lightening port with it
Could that new side section be a new form of touch id?
No. I don't think so. I believe it's a smart connecter. I think Touch ID will come back as "under the screen" Touch ID. Although, there are rumors that the Apple Watch eventually will get Touch ID in the tip of the crown. If they can get the technology that small, AND the "under the screen" tech remains far from fruition, they may place a Touch ID under one of the buttons, probably the power button.
That extra "mystery port" on the side look suspiciously like the diagnostic port on the Apple Watch.
It might be a leadup to Apple eliminating wired connections completely (like the watch). That would not only save valuable internal space (like eliminating the headphone jack did) but one of the leading causes of failure as the lightening port often fills with pocket lint and the connectors wear or get chipped in the cleaning process. It would also make the phone more water and dust resistant.
I don’t want to exchange convenience for additional level of water resistance (removing of the port).
I want more convenience: Apple give us USB-C on iPhone and AirPods Pro!
Comments
Mainly, I use my iPhone for portable music storage. I don’t keep music or media files on my MacBook Pro to keep the SSD clear for work files.
MacBook Air
iPad Pro
Headphones 1
Headphones 2
I don’t want to exchange convenience for additional level of water resistance (removing of the port).