Apple is betting big on its new 19-pin port connector, according to new reports released on Monday. So big, in fact, that it's expected to introduce the new port on its 4th generation iPad, too.
We already expect the iPhone 5 to ship with the new port, but a new report from iLounge suggests Apple will carry over the port into its new iPad products, too.
This would be the first change to Apple's docking connector since it was introduced in April 2003. Such a change has the potential to turn the mobile accessory market upside down, as over 600 million iOS devices use Apple's current standard. However, a smaller dock, could bring new enhancements to iOS devices, such as Apple's MagSafe magnetic connection system and improved power management while charging. While a change to Apple's dock will force some mobile accessory manufactures to change directions, it could prove very lucrative in the long run.
"Customers will want to purchase new accessories that take advantage of the new dock," industry analyst Ross Rubin of Reticle Researchtold Bloomberg. Rubin suspects that the new dock will feature faster data transfer speeds, which would be very beneficial to customers looking to transfer high volumes of data, such as a music or video collection.
However, not all mobile accessory manufacturers are pleased with the thought of a new iOS device dock. "I was talking with somebody in the car industry, and I mentioned the dock connector may change, and they got this panicked deer-in-headlights look," Kyle Wiens of iFixit told Bloomberg.
Apple has reaped the benefits of its relationships with third-part accessory makers, who reportedly pay the company around $4 per accessory in exchange for being a licensed product maker.
For those of you who are heavily embedded in Apple's ecosystem of products, all hope is not lost. Apple recently released an update to its MacBook Pro product line that was not compatible with older charging cables. To remedy this issue, the company released a $10 adapter that gives the new notebook support for older connector cables.
If in fact Apple does introduce a new connection dock with its latest iOS devices, it's highly expected that the company will provide legacy customers with an optional adapter that will convert 30 pin docks to 19 pins. It remains unknown if this new adapter will be sold separately or included with new devices featuring the new dock system.
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