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New iPhone dock connector  (Source: techcrunch.com)
The new iPhone will now have a 19-pin port instead of the 30-pin port

It looks like the new iPhone's dock connector has received a makeover from past versions, cutting the number of pins from 30 to 19.

New photos and videos indicate that the new iPhone will now have a 19-pin port instead of the 30-pin port that Apple devices have traditionally offered since the third generation iPod.

According to Tech Crunch, the new 19-pin port looks similar to Apple's Thunderbolt port seen on MacBooks, but manufacturers have told the web publication that the new iPhone's pin-out will be different from Thunderbolt's.

Lots of new iPhone rumors have been circulating lately, such as videos showing the unibody casing and leaked photos presenting the longer screen and metal backplates. These leaks confirmed a few new iPhone specs, such as the relocated headphone jack and metal antenna molded into the backplates.

However, some other specs remain unclear, such as the size of the SIM card. A video showing new iPhone specs revealed a smaller SIM card holder piece, but no measurements have been released.

Source: Tech Crunch


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RE: Micro-usb
By nafhan on 6/21/2012 11:17:54 PM , Rating: 2
You're still not getting it. If Apple went with micro USB3, the cable/adapter would contain an ASIC that would output the same exact signals as the current 30 pin connector... with a 30 pin connector. You'd have USB3 on one end and 30 pin on the other. That's it.
quote:
The difference is that, if Apple uses USB, everyone would need to buy new cables, instead of a $30 dock adapter to make the new dock compatible with the old dock.
I'm not seeing where you're going with that. Everyone who upgrades to a new iDevice will need to buy new cables or a dock adapter (they'll probably get one cable for free). In my hypothetical situation those cables and connectors would be industry standard instead of proprietary. That's the only thing that would be different.


RE: Micro-usb
By michael2k on 6/21/2012 11:29:14 PM , Rating: 2
Oh, I see, instead of a $10 provided dock to USB cable, which all iPhones already ship with, you want a USB port and a straight USB cable, forcing people to buy a $60 USB to Dock adapter as opposed to a $30 Dock to Dock pass through.


RE: Micro-usb
By nafhan on 6/22/2012 8:55:38 AM , Rating: 2
I think you're missing something: you generally can't turn 19 pins into 30 with a pass through. There will already be some sort of active adapter.


RE: Micro-usb
By michael2k on 6/22/2012 3:17:51 PM , Rating: 2
You can if you're dropping unused pins.

http://pinouts.ru/PortableDevices/ipod_pinout.shtm...

You can see several redundant unnecessary pins:
19, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29, & 30 are for FireWire, which means 30 down to 22.

14 & 17 are reserved, but if unused can be dropped to bring you down to 20.

1, 2, 15, and 16 are all GND and probably can be reduced by one (and if 14 & 17 are used, maybe even three) to bring you down to 19 pins. 7 is unknown, and may also be expendable.

You might also be able to "EOL" old iPod lines such as 12 & 13.

So, actually, yes, you can turn 19 pins into 30 in this case.

Apple has stopped supporting Firewire since the 3G:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1476


RE: Micro-usb
By aliasfox on 6/22/2012 4:04:14 PM , Rating: 2
I wonder why Firewire's 8-pin when the plug was only 6 pin (4 for data, 2 for power).

But yes. Completely getting rid of the original Firewire pins would get Apple most of the way to 19 pins.


RE: Micro-usb
By michael2k on 6/22/2012 5:24:23 PM , Rating: 2
4 pins for power and ground, 4 pins for data.

Firewire, being a much more robust connector, probably only had 2 pins for power and ground.


RE: Micro-usb
By nafhan on 6/23/2012 12:25:04 AM , Rating: 2
Very nice research! And, exactly why I included the word "generally" :) Although, technically, you've described a 19 pin to 19 pin connector since you are obsoleting 11 of the 30 pins. If your sources are correct (not going to take the time to research myself), I believe there's a pretty good chance what you are describing may be exactly how the new 19 pin connector will work - and you'll be charged $30 to get an adapter for it (if you need one).

Still, doesn't change my mind, I feel fairly certain that if they had incentive to do so, they could sell a Micro USB3 to 30 pin connector for whatever price they wanted.


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