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Here’s tasty titbit on top of a rumoured even-smaller 8-pin connector for Apple’s next iPhone. It could have 8-pins on both sides of the cable, meaning it wouldn’t matter which way you plugged it in, finally removing the blasted fumbling needed to get the damn thing connected the right way up.
I don’t know about you, but in the dark of the night, when I go to plug my phone in by the bed, I always, without fail, end up trying to plug the connector in the wrong way up. Whether it’s microUSB or Apple’s dock connector, it’s always a tedious fumble of which way is up. It’s meant to be 50:50 whether you get it right each time, but it feels more like 90:10 to me — almost always the wrong way. Things were so much simpler when it was just a circular power plug and not some fancy all-in-one data/power connector.
Anyway, I’m all for this. A new small connector that doesn’t matter which way up it is — that’s better than microUSB. In fact, why doesn’t USB have that — it would make everyone’s life easier. [iLounge]
Apple Binning 30-Pin Connector For Future Models?
Reuters: Apple Shrinking iPhone Connector to 19-Pin Port
What's Changed in Apple's New 8-Pin Lightning Dock Connector
A little known fact is that part of the USB specification states that the indented USB logo on USB plugs should always be on the top, which *should* make it much easier to plug things in by touch alone (assuming you know which way “up” is on the socket you’re connecting to!)
That also relies on cables being compliant with the spec, but it seems to be the case for most USB leads I’ve seen.
Yeah, that’s all well and good, but in the dark I just can’t seem em. The dock connector has a logo that should be on the top too, but that doesn’t help.
That’s 2…
#TheGreatGizUKiPhone5ArticleSweepstake
There’s at least one article a day on the possible form of the iPhone’s connectors. Christ they’re dull.
I always find that I try it one way. Doesn’t go. Turn it around. Still doesn’t go. Turn it around again. Works!
thats exactly how you can prove there is a 4th dimension and USB is the first technology to use the 4th dimension
Usually I have that problem with the USB ports on the side of my monitor – can’t get a USB key to fit, try it and turn it round twice, and then finally works.
I think I’ve figured out that most of it is due to the fact that the USB ports are in no way squarely or solidly seated!
I can hardly wait for tomorrow’s article “iPhone Power Cable Rumored to be 8cm Longer!”
“New iPhone cables are now black!”
“New iPhone, rumoured to make actual phonecalls!”
“New iPhone, now hold it any way you want!”
Steady on there Alfred. No one actually uses a phone to make calls anymore, right?
really? the bane of your existence is having to flick your phone over to connect it properly? REALLY???
Yeah, everything else in my life is pretty smooth, eh?
Didn’t Apple commit to using micro-USB along with everyone else, per EU requirements to standardise and avoid waste – see eg http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/mobile-phone/3260104/eu-unveils-first-common-mobile-phone-charger/ ?
The cable will most likely be micro-USB. The adaptor was approved to protect EU consumers who held untold millions of docking devices, iPods and iPhones.
Now that Apple is changing the connector they will have no excuse to not adopt micro-USB. It seems all the bloggers are ignoring this.
I’ll bet anyone a £5er that it’s micro-USB…
I doubt it would be just a simple micro-usb connector. I’m assuming it’ll be micro-usb compatible but it’ll have an extra bit so that it’ll be able to have speaker dock functionality.
There is already a design for a “both ways round” USB cable.
http://www.yankodesign.com/2011/01/25/this-usb-plugs-in-both-ways/
Missed the point of the article I think, this doesn’t help which way around the cable goes into the iPhone.
Nope. I understood the article perfectly. At the end of the article Sam asked why USB cables can’t be used both ways round.
See, I knew it wasn’t impossible, but why it’s not part of the spec, I’ll never know.
Increases cost maybe?