dock connector

Supplier Change, Low Production Yields Blamed For iPhone 5 Lightning Connector Shortages

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It's gonna be a while. Thank goodness patience is a virtue.
It's gonna be a while. Thank goodness patience is a virtue.

In a research note from KGI, a financial analytics group out of China, oft-cited analyst Ming-Chi Kuo places the responsibility for the shortages in new iPhone 5 connectors squarely on the shoulders of a shift in the specific supplier of the connector from Foxconn (Hon Hai) to Foxlink (Cheng Uei), due to lower yield rates of the new unit type from Foxconn.

AppleInsider also reports sources saying that Apple has requested Foxlink pick up the slack and dedicate more workers and production lines to the Lightning cable production line.

The iPhone 5: Everything We Think We Know [Rumor Roundup]

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Cult of Mac breaks down what you can expect to see in the next iPhone.
Cult of Mac breaks down what you can expect to see in the next iPhone.

Apple will unveil the iPhone 5 on September 12th. Pre-orders are expected to begin the same day. Industry experts agree that this year’s model is the most anticipated iPhone release yet, and Apple is expected to enjoy record sales this holiday season. You’re probably itching to see what Apple has up its sleeve this time, especially if you’re coming off a two-year carrier contract with the iPhone 4.

The iPhone 4S was announced on October 4th, 2011. Despite all of its new features and improvements, the 4S didn’t really fulfill all of the “iPhone 5” rumors that predicted a totally new form factor, larger display, 4G, etc. For that reason, the 4S triggered some disappointment among Apple fans.

Now it’s 2012 and Apple is expected to finally unveil the redesigned iPhone 5 we’ve all been waiting for. In Cult of Mac’s rumor roundup, we examine everything we think we know about the iPhone 5.

iOS Dock Cable Glows With MagSafe-Like Charging LEDs

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Has it charged yet? With the glow, you will know.
 

 

 

Aleratec’s Charge-Glo dock cable has a very simple yet very neat gimmick: like the MagSafe charger you have for your MacBook, it sports an LED in the plug, and this LED changes color to show charging status. No more tapping at your iPhone’s home button to see if it has done charging.

What The Next iPhone’s 9-Pin Dock Adapter Could Look Like [Mock-Up]

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Here’s what we know. We know that the next iPhone and the forthcoming iPad mini will have smaller dock connectors. We also know that these smaller dock connectors will require Apple to sell adapters so that the next iPhone and iPad can interact with the existing ecosystem of 30-pin accessories out there.

The big question is, what will these adapters look like? Over at Metablog, they’ve got some interesting thoughts.

This Could Be The First Leaked Component From The iPad Mini

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iPad-Mini-Connecteur

If the iPad mini is really coming later this year, then why haven’t we seen a bunch of leaked parts for it? Daring Fireball’s John Gruber speculated that it was because the iPhone 5 was further along in production than the iPad mini, but now the guys at nowherelese.fr have come forward with a pretty convincing argument that this dock connector component is for the iPad mini: it’s way too big to be for the iPhone 5. Even Kyle Wiens of iFixIt says it appears to be a legitimate Apple part.

Curiously, though, it appears to have 10 pins, not the 9 pins seen on iPhone 5 dock connectors. However, we’re judging that from the inside of the dock connector cable, not from the actual plug. What does it mean?

Source: Nowherelese.fr

Count Again: The iPhone 5’s 8-Pin Dock Connector Really Has 9-Pins

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That 8-pin dock connector is really a 9-pin one upon closer inspection.
That 8-pin dock connector is really a 9-pin one upon closer inspection.

Will the next iPhone have an 8 pin or 9 pin dock connector? The iOS 6 beta says 9, but if you count the pins on the leaked dock components, there are only 8. Which is correct? Both: according to a new report, the new dock connector’s aluminum shell teams up with the 8 gold pins to make a ninth pin, resulting in 60% less real estate than the existing 30-pin connector, and better transfer rates with a fraction of the electrical contacts.

Adding New Dock Connectors To All iOS Devices This Fall Is A Manufacturing Impossibility

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In today's forecast: Lightning!
There's a good reason why this new dock connector won't be coming to all iOS devices this fall.

It seems like Apple’s sixth-generation iPhone will be the first iOS device to boast a brand new, mini dock connector when it launches this fall. But there have been rumors that claim Apple will refresh all its iOS devices to make the new connector a standard across its entire lineup.

Not only does this seem highly unlikely, but there’s one reason why it’s an impossibility: Apple’s supply chain just couldn’t handle a refresh that big.

Leaked Images Seemingly Confirm New iPhone Dock Connector Will Only Have 8 Pins

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Nowherelse.fr has scored another major parts scoop: they say this leaked image shows what the new, smaller Apple dock connector looks like. Counting the pins, it looks as if iMore’s scoop that the new dock connector would only be 8 pins, and not 19 pins as previously reported, may have panned out.

Very, very interesting if true: expect a number of third-party iPod and iPhone accessories to be made obsolete by this move, even with an adapter. It’s also interesting to note that the pins seen in this image resemble traditional USB pins more closely than the pins used in Apple’s 30-pin dock connector. You can see more images of the part in question at the link below.

This story is developing…

Source: Nowherelese.fr

Every iOS Device To Be Updated With A Smaller Dock Connector This Fall [Rumor]

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Rumors of a smaller iOS dock connector have been continuing to surface in the weeks leading up to Apple’s September fall event. Initially the consensus was that we’d see a smaller 19-pin connector in the new iPhone, but lately the word on the street is that Apple will use even less pins—possibly as few as 8. Leaked photos of the next iPhone’s exterior show a much smaller dock connector, and the change is likely to meant to accommodate the device’s slimmer design.

According to a new report today, Apple will update not one, not two, but all of its iOS devices with a smaller dock connector this fall.

Next iPhone Will Only Have An 8-Pin Dock Connector, iOS 6 Will Make A Proper iPod nano Watch Possible [Rumor]

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Korean carriers are in talks with Apple over the iPhone 5's LTE support.
Korean carriers are in talks with Apple over the iPhone 5's LTE support.

We have written before about why we believe that Apple will adopt a 19-pin dock connector for the next iPhone, but a curious report this morning suggests that, instead, Apple will get by with only eight. In addition, iOS 6 will feature a new Bluetooth 4 bridging feature that will finally make a proper iPod nano watch possible. Interesting!

Reuters: Apple’s New iPhone Will Get Smaller Dock Connector To Make Room For Headphone Jack

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In today's forecast: Lightning!
Your new iPhone's headphone jack will be located on the bottom of the device — just like the iPod touch.

Sources familiar with Apple’s plans have revealed to Reuters that the company’s “iPhone 5” will launch with a smaller, 19-pin dock connector that will make room for a headphone jack on the bottom of the device. The move will mean that existing iPhone accessories — which use Apple’s existing 30-pin connector — won’t be compatible with the new handset.

Apple’s Early iPad Prototype Had 12-Inch Screen, Was 3 Times Thicker Than iPad 2

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This early iPad prototype was a mammoth.
This early iPad prototype was a mammoth.

Remember that early iPad prototype we showed you yesterday, built between 2002 and 2004, which looked like an old white iBook with a touchscreen? Now some new shots have surfaced that show a comparison between this and the iPad 2, and there are some interesting differences.

First of all, Apple originally built the iPad with a 12-inch display, and it was huge.

Jony Ive Deposition Reveals Very Early iPad Prototype From Around 2002

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This early iPad prototype looks a lot like a MacBook with a touchscreen.
This early iPad prototype looks a lot like a MacBook with a touchscreen.

Apple’s iPad, with its sleek aluminum casing, large 9.7-inch display, is widely regarded as one of the most beautiful tablets currently available. But there was a time when it was as thick as a cheap Dell notebook and made from tacky white plastic — as these images of an early iPad prototype prove.

The Future Of Apple’s Dock Connector [Feature]

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If this was good enough for the iPod shuffle, why isn't it good enough for the iPhone 5?

In 2006, Apple released an iPod that, to this day, is unique amongst all of the iPods it sells in that it didn’t come with a standard Dock Connector: the iPod shuffle.

In order to save space in a design that was built from the ground up to be as tiny as possible, Apple jettisoned the traditional 30-Pin Dock Connector in the second-gen shuffle in favor of a clever implementation of USB that plugged in right through the 3.5mm audio jack.

For the last six years, Apple has favored this implementation of USB syncing and charging in its line of iPod shuffles, even as every other model of iPhone, iPod or iPad shipped with a much bulkier 30-Pin Apple Dock Connector.

As rumors have heated up that Apple will abandon the 30-Pin Dock Connector in the next iPhone for a slimmer 19-Pin Connector, a natural question to ask is, “why?” If Apple just wants to save space in the next iPhone, why not just adopt the time-tested iPod shuffle’s approach, which is about the most efficient and elegant implementation of USB ever designed?

The answer’s simple: while the iPod shuffle’s USB design is ingenious at syncing and charging, it’s really crappy at everything else that the 30-Pin Dock Connector is designed to do. But what does the 30-Pin Dock Connector do, why doesn’t Apple just use USB like most of its competitors, and why is 19-Pin — not 30 — the way to go?

One Manufacturer Is So Convinced By Leaked iPhone Images That He’s Already Making Cases For It

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One manufacturer is certain your next iPhone will look like this.
One manufacturer is convinced your next iPhone will look like this.

I’ve lost count of how many “iPhone 5” images we’ve seen in the last few weeks, but until Apple unveils the device itself, it’s hard to be sure any of them are genuine. But one manufacturer is taking a huge gamble on them. He’s so convinced by these images that he’s already producing and selling cases for the sixth-generation iPhone. And if he’s wrong, he’ll replace every single one for free.

Apple Needs Two Engineers To Redesign Your New iPhone’s Dock Connector

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Expect your next iPhone's dock to be at least half the size of this one.
Who wants a whole this big in the bottom of their iPhone?

A pair of new job listings on Apple’s website confirm that the company is seeking two engineers to overhaul the existing 30-pin dock connector currently employed by its iOS devices. The listings strengthen rumors Apple will introduce a new dock connector with its sixth-generation iPhone later this year, that will be significantly smaller than its predecessor.

The Wrap: An Unbelievably Beautiful And Elegant Way To Manage Your iPhone Charger

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Ingenious.
Ingenious.

Sometimes a good idea doesn’t have to be radical. It doesn’t have to have a $70,000 Kickstarter goal. Sometimes a good idea is just simplicity itself: easy to produce, affordable to own, beautifully designed and genuinely useful.

That’s what makes our eyes pop about The Wrap. Designed by Michiel Cornelissen, the Wrap is a simple plug that fits on the USB end of a European iPhone wall charger. Thread your 30-pin dock connector cable through The Wrap and you can easily wrap the whole cord around it. That’s it. Just EUR 9.95.

I love this. It’s just beautifully useful and wonderfully understated. And while The Wall is Europe-only for now, Cornelissen says that if 100 people email him saying they want a US version, he’ll make one. Get clamoring, people.

Source: Michiel Cornelissen

Aviiq’s Ready Clips Look Ready To Break [Review]

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These adapter cables look great, but might not last. Photo Charlie Sorrel (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0)

Take a look at your desk. Now, find a cable. Chances are that it is tangled up with another cable, and even if it isn’t, then it is probably tied to itself in knots. What if you had a set of commonly used cables that were impossible to tangle? Aviiq’s Ready Clips will provide you with this courtesy, and they throw in pen-like clips to sweeten the deal.

Kick It Old-School With Wired Keyboard for iPad

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Don't trust these new-fangled wireless keyboards? MacAlly has just the thing

Who says iPad keyboards have to run on Bluetooth? Not MacAlly, that’s for sure. The iKey30 is a good ol’ USB keyboard which sports a 30-pin dock connector on the end of its cable, and comes with an almost ridiculous number of special function keys.

Apple Could Eliminate The 30-Pin Dock Connector With MagSafe Data Cables

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MagSafe

Photo: Apple

We already know from previous reports that Apple is working on a magnetic charging system for iOS devices, similar to the MagSafe connectors on its MacBooks. But one hurdle that stood in the company’s way was the MagSafe’s inability to transfer data.

However, a newly published patent entitled “Programmable Magnetic Connectors” seems to confirm that Apple is making progress on a magnetic connector capable of transferring power and data, which could spell the end of its 30-pin dock connector and even the headphone jack.

This Mini Stylus Lives in Your iPhone or iPad’s Dock Connector

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javoedge-stylus

Apple’s devices were designed work wonderfully without the need for a stylus, but sometimes they come in handy for certain things. But where do you keep them? There’s no room for a stylus in the iPad itself like those old touchscreen devices you no longer see, and if you clip it to the from of your Smart Cover it’s going to keep falling off. The JAVOedge Mini Stylus, however, fits neatly into your iPad’s dock connector.