While its four-inch widescreen display may still be the source of much debating, according to one report, the new iPhone?s 19-pin ?mini? dock connector has now been confirmed by independent sources. The port will replace the existing 30-pin setup that was first introduced to the third-generation iPod many, many years ago in ?a move that will surely send shocks through the iPhone accessory ecosystem.?
TechCrunch reports:
Although the form factor and actual size are still unknown, TechCrunch has independently verified that Apple is working on adding a 19-pin port, replacing the current 30-pin port, to the new iPhone. It is a move that will surely send shocks through the iPhone accessory ecosystem.
The port is said to be similar in size to the Thunderbolt port seen on recent Macs, but according to three independent manufacturers, the pin-out will be different.
We already have a relatively good idea of what it will look like externally thanks to those leaked images of a purported sixth-generation iPhone back cover than have been circulating in recent weeks.
The existing 30-pin connector, although significantly larger than other smartphone connectors like the microUSB, is considered to be a more stable solution for certain accessories ? such as docks. But it does limit Apple?s design flexibility somewhat. The iPod nano, for example, could physically get any smaller with the existing 30-pin connector.
As it seeks to make the iPhone and the iPad even thinner, then, a smaller, sleeker dock connector seems inevitable. The downside to this, of course, is that all of your existing accessories won?t be compatible:
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.
Having said that, there?s certainly a possibly that Apple will release an adapter that allows new iOS devices to connect to older accessories ? just like it has done with the MagSafe 1 to MagSafe 2 adapter. Although this won?t be a perfect solution for certain accessories, it may mean that you don?t have to sell all of your existing gadgets after all.