iPod Why are Dock adapters necessary?

[cleo]

I've often wondered this myself, but having enough pointless information filling my head already (much of it about Macs /grin), I never sought an answer. But now my mom wants to know, and I promised her I'd ask.

Why are Dock Adapters necessary?

This came up when my mom asked me to come over and help her 'set up' the iHome radio/docked speakers my dad got her for her new office. (Yes, I realize that a college-educated, by-all-other-measures-intelligent woman should not need her daughter to spend her Saturday night teaching her to use a device whose instruction manual only has pictures... but this is the same woman who took an hour to "get" the play/pause button in iTunes and still doesn't understand how she can pause a live TV show even if she's not recording it. But whatev.) So she plunked her 3rd gen. iPod nano right into the dock, I told her she needed to put the adapter that came with her iPod in first, she asked me why ("it fits just fine without it")... and now I turn to you. Why put the little piece of plastic between the dock and the iPod?

 

[iknowyourider]

The dock adapter will support the ipod by it's case. IOW; The DA will hold the ipod upright at that nice angle by the sturdy case. If you use the ipod without the proper dock adapter, chances are that you are supporting the weight (and the wiggle when you touch it) by the tiny little electronic plug. That could wear out the plug or break it.

 

[TheSpecialist]

It looks way better. You could add a stereo to the dock. Or video out. For support like the poster above. Use Apple Remote to control it from a distance. Ease of us. Just take your iPod and bam it in. Not to search for the wire and then having to plug it in.

Will now people please help me?

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/479505/

 

[OwlsAndApples]

They're not necessary...just nice to have. Kinda like a lot of Apple-things to be honest

 

[laxmax613]

They're not necessary...just they get lost, and you have to buy another one, Kinda like a lot of Apple-things to be honest

fixed

 

[iknowyourider]

It looks way better. You could add a stereo to the dock. Or video out. For support like the poster above. Use Apple Remote to control it from a distance. Ease of us. Just take your iPod and bam it in. Not to search for the wire and then having to plug it in.

Will now people please help me?

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/479505/

They're not necessary...just nice to have. Kinda like a lot of Apple-things to be honest

You realize we're talking about adapters, not docks, right?

 

[EricNau]

The dock adapter will support the ipod by it's case. IOW; The DA will hold the ipod upright at that nice angle by the sturdy case. If you use the ipod without the proper dock adapter, chances are that you are supporting the weight (and the wiggle when you touch it) by the tiny little electronic plug. That could wear out the plug or break it.

In addition, the dock adaptor guides the ipod right into the plug. Without the dock adaptor, you have a greater chance of inserting the ipod at the wrong angle and thus, damaging the plug (on both the dock and the iPod).

Although, I have noticed that the Apple Store often utilizes docks without an adaptor, but I think that's a poor decision. ...Besides it looks tacky.