The
iPhone 5, the next generation of Apple's iPhone is expected to go on sale
around October, come with a 19-pin connector port at the bottom instead of its
own 30-pin port "to make room for the earphones move to the bottom ",
news from some trusted sources. That would mean that the new phone would not
connect to the numerous accessories such as speakers and chargers that part of
the ecosystem to form around iPods, iPhones and iPads without adapter.
This
means that new business, analysts say.
"It
is an opportunity for accessory suppliers," said Pete Cunningham,
London-based analyst at technology research firm Canalys. "The iPhone port
is a standard for a long time and I expect the same would apply for a new
connector, Apple should change as expected."
Apple
did not immediately respond to a request by e-mail for comment.
Tech
blogs have long speculated about the demise of the 30-pin connector, on 21 mm
takes a lot of space, especially since the latest technologies such as
micro-offer more power in less space.
They
say a smaller connector, Apple would have more space for new product designs or
a bigger battery, or just smaller and smaller products.
Swiss
Logitech, one of the largest makers of Apple speakers, declined to comment.
But
some enterprising vendors in China have already started offering cases for the
new phone, complete with earphone jack on the bottom and a
"guarantee" the dimensions are correct.
For
some in the peripherals industry, the change to open doors to new business.
"IPod
docking speaker sales fell for a year or two," said an employee of a Hong
Kong based company that designs speakers specifically for Apple products.
"My
previous works is a happy one. They shifted the focus to Bluetooth speakers,
which proved a wise decision now," said the employee, speaking on
condition of anonymity.
"It
seems while the iPod speaker sales go down, Bluetooth speaker sales go
up."
Apple
has already said that some users of older models of the MacBook computers will
not be able to have the latest operating system will soon be announced to use,
but analysts think that the friendly gadget for mobile users.
"Apple
has not finding a solution for their existing customers who want to upgrade to
the new iPhone, but are bound by an expensive accessory that bought
disappoint," said Francisco Jeronimo, London-based analyst at technology
research firm IDC.
"I
think Apple will come with some sort of adapter so the new iPhone can be used
with prior connectors."
It
would be a difficult change for Apple to manage, even with an adapter.
"With
a smaller connector, what do I do with my speakers at home and the fitness
package that I use when I go to the gym? That is the question," says
24-year old Travis Tam, who owns an iPhone 4 and works as account executive at
a social networking company in Hong Kong.
"I
feel that the premium gap between the next iPhone 5 and latest Android models
is becoming much smaller these days. This will mean that details such as having
a smaller connector will be more in whether I will continue to iPhone to use
mean and switch to other Android phones. "
A
vendor nicknamed Chan in an Apple reseller in Hong Kong thought that a smaller
connector would be a "pain" to be, and would spoil the clean lines
and seamless connectivity that is Apple's trademark.
"There
are ways to make it as a part of the speakers have an audio input section that
can be directly connected to any iPhone with a headphone jack. It is not a very
elegant way of doing things, but it is an alternative," he said .
In
the end, however, Apple fans are Apple fans.
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