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iPod How much longer will the 30-pin connector be around?

N

nlivo

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Jun 18, 2007
914
3
Ballarat, Australia
I can see the 30-pin connector gone in the next 2-3 years. Maybe replaced with just a smooth surface on the bottom of iPod and just a magnetic latch just connects there that the connections go through that. No? It'd make the iPod's look very smooth and no dust.

What do you guys think?
 
In all of the dock based iHardware I've had, I havent had a single issue.. I really would like to see it stick around for much longer (and the fact that I don't want to have to buy adapters for everything Ive sunk money into!)
 
it'll be around for quite a while imo. why? they have it set up as a 'standard' as it is right now, and it doesn't inhibit the size of the device too much, so it'll stay. the only time they will get rid of it is when they shrink things down so much that its too big to fit, which is well... not foreseeable in terms of a usability standpoint because things on something like that nano can't get much smaller without it being difficult to use.
 
How long will Apple use the 30 pin connector?

I was just thinking about this today...

I think the 30 pin connector used by iPods/iPhone is great, but I was wondering how long you guys think Apple will use it for? I don't know if there are any viable alternatives, but it's been around for quite a while and we all know how Apple sometimes likes to change things simply for the sake of change.
 
BoingoBongo said:
I was just thinking about this today...

I think the 30 pin connector used by iPods/iPhone is great, but I was wondering how long you guys think Apple will use it for? I don't know if there are any viable alternatives, but it's been around for quite a while and we all know how Apple sometimes likes to change things simply for the sake of change.
Click to expand...

For as long as they own the thing. Licensing companies the right to make dock connector accessories is a very lucrative part of Apple's iPod business.
 
BoingoBongo said:
I was just thinking about this today...

I think the 30 pin connector used by iPods/iPhone is great, but I was wondering how long you guys think Apple will use it for? I don't know if there are any viable alternatives, but it's been around for quite a while and we all know how Apple sometimes likes to change things simply for the sake of change.
Click to expand...

It might be longer than you think. Why? Because look at all the 50 thousand 30-pin iPod accesories and speakers are available everywhere. THOSE companies do not want the 30-pin standard to become obsolete overnight. They'd be pissed at Apple. And Apple knows that they would have a hard time convincing these companies to switch to a different type of iPod/iPhone connector.
 
SactoGuy18 said:
Apple could have gone with the mini-USB connector with the new nano, but that would have p***ed off all the iPod accessory makers to no end.
Click to expand...

Unless there is some HUGE advantage to using a different connector, I don't see why Apple would bother switching.
 
I see nothing wrong with the 30 pin connector. I much prefer it over Mini USB. The only thing I can think of that Apple could do to enhance it would be to add a Mag-Safe component to it. That way it wouldn't require as much tugging, especially since they don't make them with the pinchy release buttons anymore.

I think WiFi syncing would be such a cool and revolutionary feature to add, but it wouldn't replace the connector, just provide another option for users.
 
30-pin connector

May I add a few things.

  1. The connector has been around for a while and has met the increased requirements of newer devices eg iPhone
  2. I think its versatility has shown no bounds and supports all sorts of video, power, sound and even BT synching with the earpiece
  3. How many interfaces have Sony created that are compatible with their whole line of phones, MD-Walkmans and MP3 players?

I am a big fan of the connector and don't want to see it replaced for a long while. Long live the standard - may it make Apple a huge sum of licensing money :)
 
Mr. Giver '94 said:
I see nothing wrong with the 30 pin connector. I much prefer it over Mini USB. The only thing I can think of that Apple could do to enhance it would be to add a Mag-Safe component to it. That way it wouldn't require as much tugging, especially since they don't make them with the pinchy release buttons anymore.

I think WiFi syncing would be such a cool and revolutionary feature to add, but it wouldn't replace the connector, just provide another option for users.
Click to expand...
Syncing over WiFi wouldn't really be viable unless and until they get 802.11n into their devices and even then it would be much slower than USB
 
FireArse said:
May I add a few things.

  1. The connector has been around for a while and has met the increased requirements of newer devices eg iPhone
  2. I think its versatility has shown no bounds and supports all sorts of video, power, sound and even BT synching with the earpiece
  3. How many interfaces have Sony created that are compatible with their whole line of phones, MD-Walkmans and MP3 players?

I am a big fan of the connector and don't want to see it replaced for a long while. Long live the standard - may it make Apple a huge sum of licensing money :)
Click to expand...

So the 30-pin is still exclusive to Apple products? They haven't allowed any other MP3 hardware manufacturer (other than a bunch of small accessory makers such as Logitech, Bose, MacAlly, etc) to use the 30-pin?
 
Nitrocide said:
Surely accessory companies would welcome a change as it would force the consumer to upgrade ;)
Click to expand...

Uhhh... not really. ;) If an acessory company like Bose still had a warehouse full of "made-for-iPod" 30-pin speakers, all unsold, and they cost like $399 each..... making that inventory instantly obsolete overnight would make them very very unhappy. Methinks.
 
Didn't Apple slightly change the dock connector in terms of compatibility when they released the ipod revisions last year? I seem to remember some older accessories not working with the new ipods.
 
Pope Jawn Pawl said:
Didn't Apple slightly change the dock connector in terms of compatibility when they released the ipod revisions last year? I seem to remember some older accessories not working with the new ipods.
Click to expand...

The biggest change: no more +12V voltage support for the new iPod models--essentially no more support for charging through the IEEE-1394 port. Some auto chargers still do work (such as the Griffin AutoPilot), since they charge through the +5V port for USB power.
 
I'm glad to hear the consensus is that it will be sticking around for a while.

I'm thinking of getting a new car soon, and I definitely want it to be iPod-integrated. I'd be pretty unhappy if Apple decided to mix things up right after I made such a big investment. :rolleyes:
 
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