New iPhone Connector Port Revealed, Thus Wiping Out Several Generations Of Accessories In One Fell Swoop
from the planned-obsolesence dept
Clarification: As some people have pointed out, Apple themselves have not revealed this—the information comes from TechCrunch's conversations with accessory manufacturers. The headline was misleading and has been updated.
As iPhones and iPads have gotten more powerful, they've been adopted for a lot of professional applications, and this has spawned a huge industry of compatible devices—not just accessories, but significant expansions that can run into the same price range as the iPhone/iPad itself. In music, for example, there are DJ controllers, audio interfaces, studio microphones, stompbox pedals and more—all utilizing the ubiquitous iPod/iPhone/iPad connector port that has remained the same for years. But now TechCrunch has confirmed that the new iPhone will feature a new mini connector with a yet-to-be-announced standard—which means the rest of the Apple line is sure to follow, and all those products are officially on the road to obsolescence.
Apple’s 30-pin ports have been the standard since Apple released the third generation iPod. The connectors offered structural stability when connecting to most accessories but it’s clear – especially with the introduction of the MagSafe 2 port – Apple is more concerned with space savings inside each device.
Three independent manufacturers all agreed that the 19-pin dock port is in the works and many accessory manufacturers are facing an uneasy few months as they wait for official news of the standard to be announced.
This is going to frustrate a lot of users—but despite TechCrunch's suggestion, most manufacturers probably aren't "uneasy". For them, it's a great cash-grab, and an apparently pointless one. Sometimes things have to become obsolete—but this doesn't seem like one of those cases. There were no problems with the old connectors, and they weren't causing any kind of technological bottleneck, so apart from the space-saving aspect, there doesn't seem to be much to gain—certainly not for the user, and certainly not compared to what's lost by abandoning such a well-established standard. This has led some to suggest that the accessory manufacturers were in fact the driving force behind the change:
Have you guys ever heard of 'planned obsolescence?' It's a practice which encourages planning and designing a product so it's only useful for a limited time, before becoming obsolete. It's common practice, and used by many companies to create demand for the 'newer, better' model of the product. Yet this move is possibly prompted by the major accessory makers facing dwindling sales, as customers see no need to buy new accessories for a smartphone that had a universal dock system for 6 generations. What most tech blogs failed to address was the following question: Did the top accessory makers pad Apple's pockets, or hardball negotiate for an incentive to drop the standard cable as a means of forcing consumers to buy new accessories? We're inclined to think so.
Considering that three of the top accessory makers have been the first to confirm that they're working on 19 pin accessories already for the launch of the iPhone 5, the motive is simple : Greed. And why not? It's a fail safe business plan, designed to shake out the smaller accessory makers with tons of unsold '30 pin' stock and a good amount of people will probably conform to this odd decision without question.
Of course, Apple gets plenty of benefits too. The new connector will be yet another proprietary standard, following their typical walled-garden approach, which means most accessory developers will build Apple-first, everything-else-second-if-at-all, thus pushing more people towards Apple products. It's not surprising, but it's not a consumer-friendly decision either. Additionally, manufacturers/owners of some of the aforementioned professional accessories to do with music and photography get the worst deal—for them, iPhone/iPad compatibility is a great feature, but not central to their businesses/buying habits. Breaking the compatibility is a source of nothing but frustration, and will probably discourage a lot of such users from upgrading at all—while the manufacturers are slowly forced to leave them behind.
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Filed Under: accessories, connector, ipad, iphone, ipod, obsolescence
Companies: apple
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Oh and the claim that it means it will be more water resistant, so no more false water damaged stickers for consumers.
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Since it's Applecrap, the driver would be sure to appear quickly. Being a generic protection, on every device would also make it more "worth" the work around.
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http://www.techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20120621/19013019422/apple-reveals-new-iphone-conne ctor-port-thus-wiping-out-several-generations-accessories-one-fell-swoop.shtml#c120
someone beat me to it.
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I call bullshit.
My saying "Applecrap" completely blinds you to the point I made. How shallow !
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answer here -
http://www.techdirt.com/blog/wireless/articles/20120621/19013019422/apple-reveals-new-iphone-conne ctor-port-thus-wiping-out-several-generations-accessories-one-fell-swoop.shtml#c261
answer here -
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Something else for them to feel elitist about.
Not that it's only Apple customers that are like that, Win Vista was a fail of "obsolescence of xp software".
Difference is, Apple customers are happy to downgrade because they are told it's an upgrade.
1 button mouse V multiple button mouse.
Touch screen V buttons.
Stylus V finger.
Etc.... downgrades in control for the user. "UPGRADE" shouts Apple.
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Upgrades
1 button mouse V multiple button mouse.
Touch screen V buttons.
Stylus V finger."
I think you meant "Finger V Stylus"
Yeah, I know what you mean. I absolutely love my 18 button mouse; I get sooooooo much done that way... And the touch screen instead of physical buttons which can't adapt to new software, and break? What was Apple thinking?
And don't get me started on the senselessness of using a pointing device which is with me 24/7 instead of one that makes my device bigger and can be lost. I much prefer that kind of "upgrade".
Wanker.
Apple should bring back the floppy disc too. If they put it in the iPhone, so much the better!
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Apple does not support...
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http://www.iaxess.fr/accessoires-divers-ipad/1623-adaptateur-micro-usb-vers-connecteur-lightning.h tml
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The only thing that can stop this kind of crap...
However, I don't hold out much hope from Apple users. Their understanding of 'think different' is doing what Cupertino tells them to do.
Maybe that "Apple Approved" chip is really implanted in the fanbois, not the hardware.
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Re: The only thing that can stop this kind of crap...
It's great that we have Internet "reporters" spreading FUD to prevent this kind of thing from happening. Otherwise my IBM PCJr might start to become obsolete.
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Re: Re: The only thing that can stop this kind of crap...
Nobody, yet NOBODY, is knocking Apple for changing "things in any of their products", I'm sure the new iPhone will come with many changes. However many people will be understandably upset when basically all of their current iJunk will no longer work with this newest wunderphone. Most see it as a cynical cash grab by accessory companies in forcing everyone to buy new iJunk. A select few, such as yourself, will attempt to make the change sound justified without actually providing any sort of justification other than "neener neener neener". Sure, Apple can do what they want with their products, but they will also have to accept a lot of people are going to be pissed.
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Re: Re: Re: The only thing that can stop this kind of crap...
Which is a blind assumption based on a product that nobody has to upgrade to and has not had its features officially announced by the retailer.
If people are going hate Apple for upgrading their equipment, can we at least wait until they've announced that change?
"A select few, such as yourself, will attempt to make the change sound justified without actually providing any sort of justification other than "neener neener neener"."
The justification suggested so far is the small form factor of the connector inside the case. There's other justifications that can be assumed from the nature of the connector, but its usage has not been announced yet, there are only assumptions until it is.
Of course, this is stated elsewhere, I'm sorry that your reading comprehension is so poor that you can't filter this as anything other than a childish insult (something that's only being done by the anti-Apple obsessives so far).
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Re: Re: Re: Re: The only thing that can stop this kind of crap...
You keep saying this. "It's not official." "We don't know for sure."
Here's an idea: why don't we, for the sake of argument, assume that Apple is going to change the connector, making it completely incompatible with all previous accessories. Now, I say, based on the previous assumption that is going to change the connector, "This sounds like a cash grab. I'm a pretty technical guy and I do realize there could be some actual technological benefits to changing the connector, it seems much more likely than not that this will be more of a windfall for a bunch of iJunk manufacturers."
Your turn! Please remember, for the sake of this argument, the assumption is that Apple is going to change the connector, ok?
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: The only thing that can stop this kind of crap...
Erm, OK...
"Please remember, for the sake of this argument, the assumption is that Apple is going to change the connector, ok?"
That's one assumption. Unfortunately, your attack is based on a large number of other assumptions as well. Let's assume that the device as posted in the article is real. Well, we still don't know the specs of the port. You seem to be assuming that there's no other difference apart from the format of the connector, not even considering things like improved performance, direct compatibility with Thunderbolt and other devices, and so on.
You also assume that there's not going to be an adapter supplied in the box, or supplied for free/at cost. You assume that no other changes are going to be announced at the same time, including real tangible immediate benefits for the new connection. You assume that the new connection format wasn't necessary to include any other improvements that come with the phone. You assume that the change isn't absolutely necessary for future development of the device (most such changes aren't made for now, they're made for changes over several years in the future). You assume that whatever changes are made are going to be invisible to the consumer. You also seem to make the strange assumption that people are somehow forced to upgrade
Need I go on? Your reaction is an overreaction, based on worst-case scenarios for a device which you don't even know the tech specs of yet. That stikes me as being rather silly. Apple have faced wailing and gnashing of teeth before, from switching to Intel to opting not to include floppy drives in the iMac. Most of these have been non-issues or even smart forward looking moves in hindsight.
Long term, this will be a similar non-issue IMHO, but I'll wait to see the device before I pass final judgement. Short term, you're not forced to upgrade if you find the new connector unacceptable.
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The bottom line to me is that if you choose to invest heavily in a proprietary system you can expect to have this type of issue. The only real surprise for me is that Apple stayed with the 30 pin connector as long as they did.
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And cables / power supplies are almost trivial to find. If Apple truly wanted something smaller, why didn't it go for that?
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The micro-USB does have some problems, including a higher risk of water and mechanical damage. But I suspect the real appeal of the new adapter is that it is shiny and made by Apple. Some people will buy anything if it is shiny and made by apple. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BnLbv6QYcA
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Thanks for the laugh.
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What new hardware features require the additional space?
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For Apple, a smaller phone is itself a feature. Anything that lets them shave a fraction of a millimeter is something they just can't resist. The iPhone will certainly have some new features, but even if it doesn't the drive for a more compact device would be compelling to Apple.
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Even as the rest of... well, EVERYBODY, is looking for bigger screens and more real estate? Sorry man, that just doesn't jive.
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How long...
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Re: How long...
* Rolls Wheel of Litigation *
* The wheel stops on "Patent Infringement" *
Right...How long until they are sued for patent infringement?
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It doesn't matter that they'd have every legal right to make the adapter; Apple could just keep dragging them into court until they went bankrupt.
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Apple launches a new iPad and a new iPhone roughly every year. They can't maintain a high volume of sales if they don't somehow force people to switch over to the new shiny.
This is people's fault really. They will all still flock to buy the new shiny anyway, giving more money to Apple and further encouraging this behaviour. Mindless idiots...
Reminds me of this:
http://xkcd.com/743/
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Nobody's forced to upgrade, and there will almost certainly be adapters and dual-format connectors available in a short length of time. Who knows, Apple might even package a converter with the phone to mitigate complaints. It's too early to tell.
So, instead of having a discussion of the pros and cons of this decision and what it might make possible going forward, we have another anti-fanboy wankfest over who can launch attacks on Apple first. Boring... Don't like Apple? Don't buy their products and stop whining.
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I brought up that it was also supposed to make the water damage sensors less likely to trip.
The rest of my responses have been my typical level of snark I use for everything.
I am curious if they will be using the chip in the cord thing or not and what that could mean in the longer term. If it is meant to keep the "low end" manufacturers from putting out devices Apple doesn't approve of, or if Apple will use it to control like the app approval process.
I'm kinda entertained if they make the switch in more than just the next iPhone and across the whole iThingy line. Means more items on clearance that will work with my ancient iThingys.
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Which will be why you think there's no pros - you've already made up your mind and have it closed to new information. How typical.
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I can think of at least two off the top of my head with little effort (the smaller form factor will free some space internally - mentioned in the damn article! - while the pinouts are different there might be some compatibility with Thunderbolt devices). Real debate would expose more, and then would enable people to weigh them against the cons.
What a shame that so many people are opposed to real debate and prefer just to write off everything with assumptions and attacks.
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I agree w/ all the commenters that this is a consumer unfriendly move.
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Would it? Considering that the connector appears to be physically similar to Thunderbolt connectors, they don't appear to be moving in the direction you think they are. Is the way Apple are planning this to be used even possible with those connectors? I don't know, and neither do you.
"I agree w/ all the commenters that this is a consumer unfriendly move."
Based on your own assumptions. FFS, you don't even know if Apple are going to be supplying an adapter with the phone to maintain backward compatibility yet, let alone what the actual benefits going forward are. Stop pulling attacks out of your ass, and at least wait for them to formally announce what they're going to be doing with the damn device before your impotent rage starts.
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It's Techdirt, after all.
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As you said, if you don't like their products, don't buy them and stop whining!
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Really?
Didn't the DOJ already show us that Apple is not opposed to collusion in the market?
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Senseless
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Re: Senseless
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Apple didn't reveal anything here...
Apple is most probably going with the smaller connector, but this story is still only speculation at this point.
I also don't see it as a big deal - people will only be affected if they buy the device with the new connector - it's not going to magically retrofit your old iPods and iPhones to a smaller connector (that if the picture in the tech crunch article is correct looks much more friendly than the 30pin connector)
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Re: Apple didn't reveal anything here...
No, but it will force you to magically cough up the dough for new accessories if you want to use them with the new device, even though your old accessories still work perfectly fine.
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Re: Re: Apple didn't reveal anything here...
I still don't see the big deal - if you don't like it, don't buy it. Most of the people who are gleefully leaping to condemn Apple on this would never buy an Apple product anyways.
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Apple has been using the same connector since about 2001! Is it your view that it can't ever be improved?
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That's why no one uses that old USB connector that came out in 1994! Oh, wait...
Ethernet! That's even older, it was standardized in 1985! No one could possibly still uses that... oh, damn.
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Boohoo, my iPhone wont work in my car audio system, then you should had known better!
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connect with fans, and reason to buy !!!!..
what is really good, is that if you dont freaking like it, dont buy their fucking products !!!.. is that too hard for you ?? HAHA
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connect with fans, and reason to buy !!!!..
More like:
(dis)connect with fans (except those that have already been bitten... i.e. "Apple rabies"), and (force a) reason to buy!!!!..(by planned obsolescence... i.e. your "old" stuff will soon no longer work on "our" network). HAHA
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Connector
I think back to Apple eliminating other connectors, dropping the floppy drive, dropping the CD/DVD drive, dropping the hard drive, and changing other ports and connectors. The panic that ensued was overdone for sure, but in the end it was the right thing to do.
There are people still running Windows 95 and unaware of the new world around them. The same with the new connector. Eventually we will buy it and life will go on. There are bigger things in the world than what kind of connector comes on and Apple device. We still have the option to buy or not.
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Am I reading Digitimes?
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Coming back to the actual point. I think this is being made into a bigger deal than it actually is. If I were to listen to most of the crap your hearing, you would think that NOTHING is compatible any more with the new iPhone. Fact is it was only stuff that used the 30 pin connector. I've had an iPhone for 4 years now and the only thing that I have that uses the 30 pin connector is my power cable? And most consumers are in the position of what? having to buy a new clock radio? LoL... This single connector has been around for quite a long time, and a change from that for your average consumer isn't going to mean much of anything.
I also think it might be a message apple is sending to the proprietary hardware makers out there that there is better technology that they can use to do the same thing. Take airplay for example. Lets say your the creator of a 30 pin to Composite cable. The consumer has to plug his iPhone or iPad into the 30pin cable which runs to the TV. This is very cumbersome. SO, knowing that their switching, you want to protect yourself against future changes like this, so you decide Hey, Apple has this thing called Airplay Mirroring. Lets make a box designed to hook into your TV, that does the same thing as that stupid cord, but it does it wirelessly. The creator is protecting themselves, by using tech thats more future proof than a 30 pin connector, and the consumer wins because who wants to sit 6 feet from their TV, controlling their phone?
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I love reading all the people who project "fanboi" status onto others. I'm exactly like you, with a mix of devices both Apple and non. But I don't see much to like in this particular change.
Your decision to call me an Android/Microsoft fanboi based on that is pretty arbitrary. It's not about my inability to resist "throwing a jab in" - this is a commentary site, where we don't just report facts but also explain what we think about them.
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I'm not really a fan of Android either, it has its own set of issues, though not as annoying as MS and Apple.
I am a fanboy of open standards that don't rape my pocket book every few years though.
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This all makes sense
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So what?
To say that there is nothing to gain, when all that is even guessed at is the fact that it goes from 30 pins to 19 pins, seems to be more of a shot in the dark more than anything else. What if the new pin connection is required to allow it to implement new features that luddites have never dreamed of. To be honest, Leigh, this doesn't sound like a typical TechDirt article, but more of a "I saw the Microsoft Surface and it uses standards so I hate Apple" article.
"Don't innovate because that might leave people behind" is a quaint and antiquated idea, but if we followed your lead there would be little to no innovation in the world because at some point we would have had to leave people behind.
Now, if you'll excuse me, the horses need watering before I hitch them up to the buggy and drive them to work.
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Apple proved that they cared about nothing more then making money with overpriced products when they released the iPhone4, and then denied for a couple of weeks that there was even a problem with it dropping calls, all while telling their people running apple stores "no refunds".
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Really?
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Re: Really?
With the exception of my iPad/iPod and my Samsung Galaxy Tab; every other device uses a micro-USB Connector.
That includes the Kindle Fire, B&N Nook, Nexus One, Droid 2, Evo 4G, LG Optimus, Xoom
I'm wondering what devices you've been using.
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Re: Really?
All I'm saying is, from a consumer perspective, I don't see why I should be anything but annoyed by this news - and same goes for most people. You can come up with a bunch of reasons for them to make the change, but none of them really matter to the user, who isn't getting much a direct benefit - just being forced to adopt a whole new standard for no particular reason.
Every other phone/device manufacture puts a different connect on just about every device and that is cool
Seems like the vast majority of android phones use the micro-USB standard, as do many many other mobile devices...
well now they are the devil. only interested in stealing your money
Did I say either of those things? No. I said this particular change seems like a cash grab and is not really friendly to users. I don't think they're the "devil" nor do I think they are "only" interested in "stealing" anyone's money -- I love Apple devices, I just don't love their walled-garden approach to everything, and I am vaguely troubled by the anti-power-user direction a lot of their stuff seems to be headed (e.g. I'm cagey about upgrading my OS to Lion)
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Well, this is the assumption I have a particular problem with. I'm sure that Apple have very specific reasons for changing the connection. I honestly don't believe that Apple would have walked into this blind and expected not to have a backlash over the change - both from 3rd party manufacturers and from customers. It's the sort of change that would have been focus grouped and discussed to within an inch of its life before being implemented. Apple have reasons, we just don't know them yet.
Yet, here we are with the phone not having been officially announced, and the assumption everyone seems to be jumping to is that it's either a pure profit grab or a completely arbitrary change to piss off customers.
Until they announce the actual product (which could include adapters and other things that make the current conspiracy theories moot), we don't know the reasons. But, I can honestly say that "no particular reason" is a long, long way from their reasons for the change. Whether you personally like or accept the direction they're changing in is a different matter, but nobody's forcing you to upgrade if you prefer your old equipment or a competitor's approach.
"I am vaguely troubled by the anti-power-user direction a lot of their stuff seems to be headed (e.g. I'm cagey about upgrading my OS to Lion)"
I've personally had very few issues upgrading and the non-power user stuff I've seen so far like the iOS-style Launchpad are completely optional and I find they don't get used by myself TBH.
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Makes switching to android that much easier
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A little premature, no?
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No Surprise
Also in the news: Microsoft: It�s official, Microsoft is not offering Windows Phone 8 to existing handsets.
Like Apple, Microsoft is purposely "obsoleting" existing devices.
In looking up the Window Phone 8 article, also ran accross this one: Microsoft to sites hosting leaked �Xbox 720� document: Take it down
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Re: No Surprise
As much as I despise Apple, you have to give them credit for having an ecosystem that has been (sort of) consistent and stable for 10+ years.
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2. Obviously adapters will become available so its not like every dock and charger becomes useless.
3. Everyone who sells their iPhone 4 and 4s to upgrade to the 5 will simply include their chargers in the sale and buy new ones with the phone.
4. Not EVERY iPhone owner is a lunatic who must have the next device immediately. Yes, many of them are, but more people won't upgrade than will. That means the change won't actually impact the majority of iPhone owners.
Just for fun....
Here's a crazy theory: Maybe Apple is changing the dimensions of the new iPhone...perhaps its wider and taller and wouldn't fit in some of the older docks.... so if the old docks wouldn't fit the new phones anyway, now is the perfect time to switch connectors. hmmm....
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2. Woot, proprietary adapters, so another 40$ to apple to make shit work again.
Here is a crazy theory, use the industry standard instead of licensing a proprietary port and selling 30-80$ adapters to fit industry standard.
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USB Standard
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While it is a bummer that they are switching to a new adapter it will probably have some benefit. I don't stay on top of Apple products but my guess is that it will be able to make full use of USB 3.0 or maybe they will also have a thunderbolt adapter for even faster transfer speeds. I have always expected Apple was going to change adapter types this is why I have always recommended accessories that are generic.
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Could you repeat that?
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And people want iPod interfaces in cars?
I believe this connector is a key reason why a universal standard like Bluetooth Audio has never been core to Apple's strategy.They keep building walls. If they keep it up, at some point customers will stop climbing them and leave.
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And the MacBook Pro has new screws
Probably we'll need some Penta-LUBE with all the screwing that Apple is trying to give us....
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New Apple connector
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Irony...
When Microsoft announced the Surface recently, Apple cultists screamed "theft!" over what they claimed was an iPad rip-off (despite the tablet PC being introduced by Microsoft a decade ago; a Start Trek: The Next Generation concept pre-dated even that.) Now that Apple is the one doing the "stealing" of Microsoft's core software business practice idea (albeit applied to hardware,) it's ok? Talk about double standards.
(On a side-note here, since we're discussing Apple)
Word of the day:
Shinyware: noun. A generic piece of hardware, often behind current standards and non-upgradeable, polished and branded with the Apple logo. Nothing is really "extraordinary" about it, but is often proclaimed to be the next technological messiah.
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Re: Irony...
Quick question- are these actually the same people you're referring to in both cases, or did one group of Apple users go gaga over MS and another defend MS and call the accusation pointless, as they are also saying about the connector change?
If the former, I'd like to see some links to such blatant hypocrisy, otherwise you're just another asshole who pretends that anyone with a good word to say about Apple must be in some sort of cult.
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Not Obsolete: Adapters and Selloffs
Anyways, there will be cheap adapters on Amazon and eBay 2 months after the next iPhone port is launched, so many accessories will still be totally functional. Others will lose their "stand" function and may need have some fit issues, but will still work. So they're not really obsolete.
Meanwhile, I've already noticed that a lot of iPhone docks and speakers are popping up as clearance items around the web and at Woot.com. Obviously, sellers are reducing inventory of the 30-pin items. It's not a bad time to get a deal!!
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I believe this (proprietary connections) is a waste of money and natural resources and I do hope we all move towards standards despite Apple proprietary idiocy.
Now back to trying to find a place to buy spare cables to my tablet.
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MicroUSB
And if Apple decides to do something else, then they need to be pummeled with a heavy object (subjected to the application of a LART).
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its an imockery!
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