Why I don’t want Apple to replace the 30-pin connector with a smaller one
Today might’ve been full of Windows Phone 8 news, but that doesn’t mean some other interesting technology happenings didn’t take place. One of those happenings is the “confirmation” of Apple’s new dock connector for its next-gen iPhone by TechCrunch. The site “independently verified” that the next iPhone will indeed sport a slimmed-down dock connector as seen in this video, which was published on June 7.
Obviously, Apple hasn’t come forward with a confirmation of the rumor or given any statement at all, but this new dock connector has been rumored for some time. And given Apple’s stance on getting rid of legacy I/O to make room for new and improved products, I think these rumors and leaks are going to end up being very good indications of what Apple will introduce this fall.
To be quite frank, that upsets me to no end. Apple is not a company that’s known for following industry-wide standards, but its devices are so popular that its previous connector – the insanely-ubiquitous 30-pin – is basically a standard itself. But this new connector will ruin that for Apple, its customers, and even the manufacturers that make accessories for iDevices, because now those manufacturers will have to make 30-pin connectors–compatible accessories and new connector-compatible accessories. In other words, Apple is back to making proprietary ports that make no sense.
This new connector seems to be very similar in size to small ports that already exist – namely micro- and miniUSB. Almost every device put out on the market today uses one of the two, with microUSB being the more popular variant. But regardless of which one is more popular, the point is that they already exist and people already use them and accessories for them can be found at any electronics store.
Are standards just too easy for Apple to use? Does the company feel the need to create its own, proprietary hardware to feel special, more profitable, or even more popular? If it’s any of those things, then I pity the leaders at Apple who have a difficult time understanding how the rest of the mobile phone industry works and prospers. Products can still be beautiful without special connectors, especially when the company I’m writing about has arguably some of the best product designers in the world.
I understand the lust Apple has towards thinness and being able to cram more tech into a small package, but it can be achieved without its own port designs that can make the devices incompatible with other companies’ products. I just wish Apple could see that, but we are talking about a company that loves to dictate everything about its products.
How do you feel about Apple adding a new dock connector?
[TechCrunch]
