Getting an iPhone 5 or a new iPod? We break down what Apple's first new dock connector in nine years means for speaker docks, charging docks, and other Apple accessories.
Here's a headline from a top national news site today: "New iPhone Cord Frustrates Millions." We're not thrilled about the connector change, but we also think that kind of sentiment is pushing it.
Still, there's some reason for the angst. It isn't so much that the connector changedâ€"eventually port standards come and go as the years progress and technology improves. It's that Apple is going from one proprietary 30-pin connector, which they charged hefty licensing fees to accessory makers for, to another proprietary connector, which will start the same thing all over again, instead of using an industry standard like microUSB.
Design and Lightning Adapters
Regardless, this is the hand Apple has dealt us, so let's talk about Lightning, the company's new 8-pin connector. It's much smaller and oval shaped, and looks to be about the same size as a microUSB jack. It's better suited to Apple's ever-shrinking iDevices, as it just fits better, and it should prove easier to line up and plug in, and therefore more reliable than the fiddly 30-pin connector ever was (or USB plugs are, for that matter).
As I'm writing this, there are conflicting reports as to whether Apple will bundle a Lightning adapter with each iPhone or iPod. Our best guess is no, given Apple's history of gradually removing every possible accessory out of the box over the years.
Assuming the answer is no, Apple is selling two separate Lightning adapters. The first one, the Lightning to 30-Pin Adapter ($29) is a hard plastic device that snaps onto your accessory and leaves an open connector for the latest iPhones and iPods. This one is good if you know that you've got plenty of room to work with, such as the top of some of those iHome clock radios or other stereos where the iPhone or iPod sits on top.
The second adapter, the Lightning to 30-Pin Adapter (0.2m) ($39), does the same thing, but it comes with a 7.8-inch wire. This way you can fit the adapter into an accessory with a tighter docking port. Having a wire hanging from your accessory won't be the most attractive thing in the world, but I could easily see this working well when hidden inside a car's glove compartment or center console, where the extra wire won't be seen.
Both Apple Lightning adapters are expected to ship in October. They're compatible with the iPhone 5, the fifth-generation iPod touch, and the sevnenth-generation iPod Nano.
The Plot Thickens
Unfortunately, there's also a second frustration with the adapters themselves, and it has to do with Apple's changeover to an all-digital 8-pin port. With both adapters, Apple says you'll get analog audio output, USB audio output, iPhone/iPod syncing, and iPhone/iPod charging. Butâ€"and this is importantâ€"neither adapter supports iPod Video Out or its iPod Out protocol.
Losing the video out functionality itself isn't necessarily a big deal to most people. But what is a big deal is that many manufacturers over the years employed iPod Out as a way to pass iPod audio controls to another device. So that means you won't be able to use the iPhone or iPod controls on many accessories anymore, which is something that's much more common and frustrating. Worse, no one yet knows which ones won't be compatible anymore.
What if you want to buy a Lightning-compatible accessory now, so that you don't need an adapter? Unfortunately, it's still early; we haven't seen a ton of accessories yet. It's also not particularly important in terms of audio docks, because more and more these days, people are streaming music wirelessly over AirPlay or Bluetooth, not to mention wirelessly syncing with desktop and laptop PCs. It's more of a problem in terms of compatibility with existing audio accessories and current car stereo docking connectors.
Still, one notable early entry is the Bang & Olufsen BeoPlay A8 (pictured above), a high-end $1,149 stereo system that B&O is already providing a Lightning-compatible connector module for, even though the system itself came out earlier this year. Existing owners can get the new module free of charge. Soon, though, we expect to see more Lightning-compatible accessories (and we hope ones that are less expensive!); stay tuned to PCMag.com for more details.
For more, see PCMag's hands on with the iPhone 5 and the slideshow below.
For more from Jamie, follow him on Twitter: @jlendino.
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