“Loyal Apple customers face being left with hundreds of pounds worth of obsolete accessories when the next version of the iPhone is produced,” James Tozer reports for The Daily Mail.
“The fifth generation model, expected to be launched in the US this autumn, will reportedly use a new connector for charging and for linking to audio equipment,” Tozer reports. “The rumoured proposal has sparked alarm among the company’s followers who fear they will have to buy new equipment to work with the phone. It is claimed that the iPhone 5 will use a smaller 19-pin version, which will be incompatible with existing accessories.”
Tozer reports, “On Mail Online, Allan from Dartmoor wrote: ‘Keep the same connector and I’ll probably get the next phone as it matched the various docks in the car and in the house. Change it and there is no reason for me to stick with Apple. This is why [the late Apple boss] Steve Jobs would have said ‘No’ to this idea. It is not an opportunity for dock makers. It is an opportunity for Samsung [a major Apple rival].’ … Others, however, were confident that an adapter would be available to enable the next generation iPhone to link to existing accessories.””
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Nothing like starting the weekend out with some pure idiocy. There will be adapters, obviously, but nobody’s allowed to give any to Allan from Dartmoor. Good one, Steve, not telling Allan the medium that there would be adapters.
oh such bullshit.
everything hard wired i got now will keep working with all the Apple stuff i got now.
everything that is wifi or bluetooth will keep working. which is most things.
Exactly!!
Is Apple going to send the goon squad to your house and remove the existing dock connector from your iPhone 4S, 4 3GS, 2G, or iPods??
If you do absolutely nothing, all your crap will still work.
If you buy a new iPhone or iPod with a new connector, well then, it’s a new product. Adapt or keep using the older iPhone.
Who says you need to upgrade your cell phone every fricken 14 days. Good god, people these days have no idea of how utterly spoiled they are with instant gratification and if (by god) it doesn’t work with all my other toys, I’ll throw a tantrum.
Get.
A.
Life.
You”ll get a new charger & cable with the new smaller connector. Keep your 3, 3S, 4, 4S connectors so you can show your grandkids how it was in “The Olden Days.”
Nothing wrong with nostalgia or a sense of history. I’ve kept my original Apple Extended Keyboard, (Lovingly referred to as” The USS Saratoga” ), cuz it was my all-time favorite keyboard. Yeh, don’t whine! Start a Museum!
Even nostalgia ain’t what it used to be
Hold on I think there’s someone at the door…………..oh shit! It’s the Goon Squad! Run for your lives!
Don’t worry, they are after your C64 or TRS80.
One would think that a third-party hardware developer would even come out with a 30 pin to 19 pin dongle which shouldn’t be too difficult to make. I’d think at some point in time that the connector would change since almost no hardware connector stays the same forever as new interfaces come along. I believe the amount of complainers would be relatively few, so I’d have to say this article is nonsense.
Not only is it nonsense, it’s probably fabricated. I have have the 1st, 2nd and 4th iPhone and the 1st and 3rd IPad complete with accessories from a Boze player on down. Total weight is less than 9 lbs.
Nothing here but a trolling for hits whore.
The article is from a British publication. When it says pounds, it means money, not weight.
Relax folks. This is the Daily Mail, near enough a red-top newspaper, somewhere between the Onion and the NYT. It caters for a small reactionary section of blue-rinse(hair dye) die hard conservatives who see anything modern as akin to the devil.
Apple has been an obsession for years. They are just as likely to have a free iPad competition next to an article slamming the device. Shameless journalism at its most obvious and provocation is the only way they get attention.
Truly, they are a joke.
I want a slimmer phone, I want a smaller cable
Preferably MagSafe, fsck the accessories.
I agree. If these whiners had their way, iPods would still have a FireWire port. That was the ORIGINAL “dock connector”!
The current dock connector is HUGE for the number of internal connection points it has… It takes up most of one side of an iPod nano! About time it got replaced, so that it doesn’t waste precious internal space on an iPhone.
The current Dock Connector still has FireWire pins.
Wow, Apple plans introduce a new connected for the next generation iPhone! What will they think of next USB 3.0, HDMI, Thunderbolt for desktop Macs? Maybe a speed bump with 8 gigs of DDR3L RAM for base models? 802.11n wireless, perhaps.
Oh, what the hell am I thinking? Such advances would tax the engineering and desIgn skills of Apple to the breaking point.
You sure like to whine a lot.
Isn’t it about time for you to switch to Linux, grow a neck beard and start picking your feet for sustenance?
Your point?
I believe his point is that we are tired of your whiny, pompous posts. You sound a lot like Donald Trump. If you can intelligently and reasonably discuss things, then fine. Otherwise, go bellyache about Apple on a PC forum where you will be welcomed as a fellow hater.
I think that MacFreek was being just a bit sarcastic… Read it from that point of view and you may read something completely different…
Why do I say that? Because all that he mentioned is on the new MacBook Pro Retina (MBPR)… just a thought…
Cheers
Perhaps… But he/she posted similar stuff for other recent articles, so I don’t believe that this was tongue-in-cheek sarcasm. I should have just let it slide, but I am so tired of analysts and haters desperately seeking ways to undermine Apple, especially when the company is stretching design and technology to push mobile electronics ahead. Even haters should be honest enough to acknowledge and appreciate Apple’s many contributions.
Apple makes a fair number of mistakes and/or decisions with which many disagree.- a fair number of them. For example, I did not agree with Apple’s
You are correct, here’s a cookie for you.
Whoops…accidentally hit send…
For example, Many people were upset with Apple’s move on canceling the Xserve. I believe that pro users feel justifiably shortchanged in many areas – nearly two years since the last major Mac Pro upgrade (the recent one was clearly an interim stopgap effort)…lack of action on Aperture, handling on FCP to FCP X transition, etc. and there are a list of similar legitimate gripes by regular Mac users, as well. We can discuss those things intelligently and, as a group, let Apple know how the user base stands. But there is far more whining about stupid stuff on this forum than I get from all four kids. I guess that I was just fed up when I came across Freek’s latest post.
As I said above, I should have let it slide and not let it bother me. I have more important things about which to concern myself,
His point, macfreak, is that you’re an insufferable asshole.
And you can quote me on that.
It gives me great pleasure to piss off the likes of you, so don’t imagine that anything you post will change me in the slightest.
troll
Very funny!
ALL the things you listed are in the newest MacBook Pro.
Remember to use emoticons in your posts, because the ignorant literalists around here simply won’t get the irony. 😉 🙂 😛
Waaaaahhhhh!!!!
My 10 MB SCSI disk isn’t compatible with Thunderbolt!
My 25 pin serial cables don’t work with USB 3.0!
yes indeed lets bring up a list of decades old technology to try and prove absolutely nothing and completely miss the mark on why people are concerned.
But…but…I need a VGA port for my monitor and projector!
Adaptor dude. Which I’m OK with. Hehe
Not to mention all the ADB and LocalTalk stuff I still have lying around.
They better not make my 1200 baud modem obsolete. Or my 2400 baud modem. Or my 14,400 baud modem. Or my SCSI drive. Or my floppy disk drive. I can’t imagine anyone making a better product than that. I hope I can still use my friendly-net adaptors with AppleTalk. If that ever goes obsolete, I don’t know how I could possibly adapt.
If the only thing keeping you loyal to Apple products is a 30 pin connector, good bye.
^ +1. I worked apple retail for 5 years. Idiots like this pissed me off because they would always bring there dirty, grungy-ass cables to the bar for replacement. There is no way in a 3-6 month timeframe can cables get to the state that we get at the bar. What do we do? Replace them. People need to learn that things move on its called progress. Adapter or not, I don’t think anyone will gripe about a sleeker phone, except this idiot and the ones asking why does the new RD MBP cost so much and doesn’t even have a disk drive.
Waaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!
Waaaa! Somebody call the Wambalance! A smaller connector is not going stop one person from buying the next iPhone. Anyone who says otherwise is full of shite!
Wow! Grow up! Such fury over a fantasy rumor.
the new iPhone better have a stylus and a kickstand, otherwise it’s missing two “features!”
I don’t know if those are actual features.
Name the last time a vendor-unique physical interface lasted so long. You’ve had plenty of time to benefit from your accessories. They’ll keep working on your current products. Get ready for the next ride! It’ll be even better.
Sarcasm follows: “Yes, if Apple changes the connector, there will be no need to buy a new iPhone. I’ll just go to some other company and buy all new accessories and cables and all new apps and a whole new music/video/games ecosystem to go with my new less-than-iPhone and hope their connectors and OS don’t change next year, rather than buy a $15 adapter or two – if I even need or want to.”
That’ll teach Apple who’s boss!
The issue to me isn’t that old cables won’t work- I’m used to scrapping them. My issue is if chipping the cables drives up the price on new cable purchases. I can get dirt-cheap sync cables from Monoprice now that work just as well as the Apple-branded cables (though the certainly lack a certain aesthetic “oomph”). If the low end of the cable market goes away, it’s just a financial pain in the ass to keep chargers by my bed, at the office, in my bag, etc.
The other question: could these chips also be used to restrict content? Just a thought.
Elsic, the chargers won’t change, it’s only radio docks, etc, that will need an adaptor.
What was it that Steve said? Death is life’s great change agent? I think that sums up some of Steve’s (and by extension, Apple’s) philosophy- change is good, particularly if it is for the better.
Well, there you have it change for change sake is worthless. That must be Apple’s reason for the delay in releasing new Mac Pros and iMacs. I’m sure of it. Hell, USB 2.0 was good enough for grandpa Tim and it’s good enough for me.
Switch to decaf, you’ll be a lot happier.
I’m as happy as need be.
“hundreds of pounds”…really? Dick.
That is British pounds. As in money.
Hit whore journalism.
Would Mac users really prefer that Apple hang onto legacy connectors like Wintel vendors have clung to VGA connectors and parallel ports. Even without changing the dock connector, Apple has changed things several times over the last decade that have rendered some accessories incompatible with newer devices. If I ever believe that Apple is doing that to bleed me for more money rather than for a legitimate technical reason, then I will be the first to raise an objection. But I have no reason to believe that is the case.
Some people will whine about anything and everything.
I agree. Any improvement is welcome. If Apple is moving towards the direction of replacing the charging connector for one which is magnetically attached to the iPhone that makes it easier to mate with the device in a smaller form factor, I’m all for it.
Thanks for the support, BLN. Rather than griping about a product feature that has not even been disclosed publicly, I believe in giving Apple a chance to make its case. Wait until the product comes out and then vote with your dollar. And don’t act like every Apple device that you own suddenly became worthless just because Apple released a new device with a different interface or some new function that your current device does not offer. Apple generally improves the functionality of legacy devices over time with at least a couple of iOS upgrades available before a device is severed from the upgrade path. What other vendor does that? Certainly no other vendor than Apple offers that kind of value.
Don’t forget, this new “sealed” dock connector design paired with Apple’s patent and implementation of their new watertight headphone jack could lead us to a water resistant iPhone 5 (but most likely 6). Those two ports are the only things that currently leave a phone open to elements.
You don’t have to throw your old phone or pod away just because there’s a new one out. Strip your old phones down to bare minimum music players and leave them sitting in their docks or cars or where ever and use your new phone (if your getting one) for phoney stuff.
this is a bad idea. Apple has done it every time without asking public opinion. that’s why people have a lot of complain. even though you can still buy compatible wires but nobody wants to pay extra money for that. Apple is just pain in the ass. by the way I think that Apple innovation seems to get very slowly recent years. soon or later Apple will be faced with the limitation. then we will see second MS situation just like 1990s. nobody can keep NO. 1. somebody will take its position. even MS tries nice works nowadays. Samsung will be taken soon.
If I asked the market what they wanted, they would have said ‘a faster horse.’
– Henry Ford
Thank you!!! Took the words out of my mouth
Yours was the only comment actually agreeing with the report.
Apple rarely considers legacy as a good reason not to change. And I applaud it. Sometimes it is inconvenient in the short term but we all forget about the old method soon enough.
I for one would think a mag connector would be cool I’d it where feasible in a phone.
Really? Please give exact details, edward, where Apple have done it ‘every time without asking public opinion’.
Every time what?
Removal of:
Phone jack
Floppy drives
Optical drives
Network jack
VGA ports
All other legacy ports that can still be found on many brand new recently designed windows powerhouse machines
Word.
hXXp://media.soundonsound.com/sos/nov03/images/xvjvzipdrive.l.jpg
I wish they would just use the mini usb standard though like everyone else and allow us to mount the storage as a flash drive to manually move music, photos, etc and use it as a flash drive. No reason this can’t be done!
I have all these floppy disk accessories and now they went and made them obsolete. Rip Off artists have they no shame. I might as well buy an IBM PC now.
MDN said, “Nothing like starting the weekend out with some pure idiocy. There will be adapters, obviously…”
Yeah. Sure. LIke the adapter Apple gave us when they switched from FireWire to USB charging? I’ll believe it when I see one. And not a moment before.
What, you didn’t see the power adapter that shipped with your iOS device? (I’ve got both types, FW and USB. The newer power adapter with a USB port on it works on all our iOS devices, new and old alike. The adapter with a FW port only charges the oldest iPod, but it stays in a drawer most of the time; everything works with the newer ones.)
Not enough? Get an iOS-to-USB cable and you’re there.
This isn’t, and wasn’t, rocket science.
And what makes you assume I was talking about an iOS device? Bad assumption on your part. But your right. Rocket science has nothing to do with it. Troll!
meant: you’re, not your
If there Is a good reason to change the connector lets hear it. It’s already like 3 mm thick. Accessory makers and apple loyalists have very good grounds to question any change. The accessories market is very key to iOS success. Don’t Scr&w them please. A shareholder.