Rumours are now circulating that a smaller dock connector will be attached to the next iPhone. I could link to an article, but none of them are any different from each other. Basically, the long & short of it is that someone proposed that an image of the iPhone case shows a smaller dock connector, leaving room at the bottom for the headphone dock (a terrible idea in my mind).
A smaller dock connector won’t matter to most of us. We’re so engrained in the Apple ecosystem that all of our peripherals will be catered to with some sort of adapter. Plus, the likelihood of a new cable going to USB 3 or Thunderbolt is great for new Mac owners.
I would pose the notion that this dock connector story isn’t a magical rumour, but a leak from Apple itself. Apple play this close to their chest, obviously, but they’re quite adept at playing the media at its own game. Leaking that a smaller dock connector might be present in a new device does two things: 1) tests the water to see what public opinion would be & 2) makes sure no one is outraged (a symptom of surprise) when they do actually announce it.
The likelihood of this is very high given the wide range of “real” news sites posting this. However, the EU is keen to bring in legislation dictating a common port for all mobile devices. Namely, mini-USB. Yep. USB. 2.0. Already antiquated technology. This is what happens when legislators get into tech. Apple’s solution most certainly be an adapter with all devices, but again those of us in the Apple ecosystem (by that I mean, you own an iPhone and a Mac at the very least) won’t notice this at all.
