iPhone 5 could sport tiny 8-pin dock connector, says report
Following prior reports of a 19-pin port, the latest scuttlebut now claims the next iPhone will offer an even smaller 8-pin connector.
Time to place your bets. Just how small will the iPhone 5's dock connector be?
A new report claims the next generation of iOS devices will come with an 8-pin connector. Citing two separate sources, the folks at iLounge say that Apple's next iPhone, iPad, and iPod units will dramatically shrink the size of the connector to a single 8-pin row from its current 30-pin layout.
This follows recent reports saying that the new connector would be whittled down to 19 pins. iLounge's sources believe that a 19-pin connector wouldn't jibe with the port's small size and any actual need for pins beyond the number offered by USB and Micro-USB adapters.
However many pins the new connector carries, will current Apple owners be forced to buy all new cables? Not necessarily. I think it's a fair bet Apple will offer some type of adapter to marry the old larger connector with the new smaller one.
One of iLounge's sources also dropped hints that the new connector will offer at least one other advantage beyond the smaller size. Users would be able to plug in the new connector in either orientation, similar to Apple's MagSafe connector for the Mac. That would mean no more fiddling around trying to remember which way to plug it in.
So, which will it be - 19 pins or 8 pins? We may have our answer come September 12 when Apple will reportedly hold an event to unveil the new iPhone and perhaps a couple of other surprises.
