Apple eyes $$$ iDevice adapter bonanza
Quids in over new pin out
Does anyone feel umbrage that Apple will be the only supplier of adaptors to bridge its new, nine-pin and old, 30-pin dock connectors at the outset?
You do? For heaven's sake why? Even iLounge, the site that made the claim that this will be the case, says it's an "initial" deal. In other words, Apple will - naturally, since the dock connectors are its tech - be the first to offer adaptors and it'll be the only one to do so.
But there's nothing to suggest that third-parties, such a speaker dock suppliers, won't be bundling or selling converters of their own in due course, once Apple's new pin-out and electrical settings have been examined.
Or they'll simply switch to Bluetooth and/or Wi-Fi and offer wireless connectivity instead.
The story claims the adaptors will set punters back $10 (£6) a pop and allow owners of the iPhone 5, iPad Mini and a revised version of the iPad 3 to hook up their new iDevices to older docking hardware.
And if a fair share of the tens of millions of folk who avail themselves of all this shiny new kit buy these dongles, that means $$$ for Apple. Kerching! ®
COMMENTS
Amazing lack of cynicism from El Reg
Seriously guys. We're all over the Fryish fanboyism. Apple should be bundling an adapter with the new kit, and you should be saying this.
Re: Kerching Indeed
Will the iPhone still fit into these docks once the adapter is in place? Surely it's going to extrude a bit from the original connector?
I honestly don't see why Apple can't get with the MicroUSB program, even if they provide a separate iPort for iStuff that needs it (ala the old iPaq 214 etc.) Cost shouldn't be a problem as MacBook owners are happy to fund a glowing Apple advert on the back of their screens, they should be happy to pay for something that's actually useful to them.
Re: Amazing lack of cynicism from El Reg
No, they didn't, your right - we should go back to the bad old days of >5 years ago, when power adaptors were incompatible across brands, where connections were changed across brands annually etc etc.
The connection in the iPhone does nothing more than can be done with a standard USB port and the headphone jack does nothing more than a standard TRRS jack, but for some reason Apple have decided that everyone *must* buy a unique Apple device - like we used to have to do in those bad old days.
I'll stick with my phone, that I can charge at work with the same £2 micro-USB cable I bought 3 years ago and several phones ago and the same headphones that can control my music on all my phones because they do use the standard TRRS model.
@AshJ - Re: Kerching Indeed
Beg differ.
Apple customers will not need any adapter. They will buy new appliances with the new, licensed* connector.
As one guy further up said: Move on.
And think about it: as an Apple user, who is always living on the bleeding edge of technology, would you want to be seen with something that uses the outdated old connector? That would be almost as bad as not having the latest iPhone at all!
*probably at £20 a pop, but which manufacturer can afford not to have iPhone compatibility?
