Next iPhone to have eight-pin Dock connector? →
Jeremy Horwitz at iLounge:
According to two sources, Apple’s new Dock Connector features only 8 pins, seemingly contradicting claims of “16-pin” and “19-pin” connectors. Although the original Dock Connector contained 30 pins, reports of 16- or 19-pin connectors seemed hard to square with the port’s small size and Apple’s actual need for additional pins beyond what USB/Micro-USB offer.
Sounds a lot like the next Dock interface may just be USB 3.0 with a custom connector, abandoning all of the 30-pin connector’s analog A/V outputs in favor of AirPlay, Bluetooth, and full USB implementations in peripherals.