The next generation in Apple USB connector cables has appeared in a relatively clear photo presented to the world hoping for every detail they can get on the iPhone 5 – another piece of Apple hardware that’s not yet even been announced by the manufacturer. Rumors up to this point have converged on a new dock connector for the new iPhone, a newly improved iPad 3, and an iPad mini, each of them with the same port for a 16-pin cord. This cord appears to have two sides, each of them with 8 pins that are able to face upwards or downwards interchangeably.
The photo appears to show a scannable code for the USB connector end of the cord and a brand new (familiar) connector on its opposite end. This cord doesn’t appear to be a standard length, strangely enough, or it certainly doesn’t seem to match the length of the cords currently appearing in iPhone and iPad boxes in stores at this moment. Because of this, we’re going to go ahead and guess that this is a 3rd party component cord leaked from a manufacturer who has Apple’s plans well in advance of the final reveal.
Apple’s 30-pin connector is not restricted to construction by Apple alone at the moment, appearing in connection kits of all kinds across the Apple-loving accessory spectrum. You’re currently able to head out to your local department store and pick up a wide variety of 3rd party iPhone, iPad, and iPod connection cords, so a future cord made by a group other than Apple is certainly within the realm of possibility.
This cord’s abilities are as unconfirmed as the technology is in and of itself, but tips and rumors are abundant. What we’re assuming at the moment is that this cord will clip in to the device but with much less of a hard snap than the 30-pin connectors of the past. With this new technology presented by Apple, this cord will be much closer to the MagSave connectors currently working on the MacBook Pro – if you trip on the cord, it’ll pop out – that’s always been genius, and it’s high time Apple brought it in to their mobile device lineup.
Have a peek at our iPhone 5 portal for all the tips and rumors you could possibly want and head to the timeline below to see recent bits of news on the connector specifically – this one’s either one of the best hoaxes we’ve ever seen, or it’s verging on reality. Soon!
Another day closer to the iPhone 5 launch, another alleged leak part. This time is the USB cable with the rumored iPhone dock connector. It certainly looks designed by Apple, a bit like a Thunderbolt cable. More »
This week we’ve got our hands on the Archos 101 XS tablet (part of the G10 series) with included keyboard dock, featuring a dual-core OMAP 4470 processor and a 10.1-inch display as well as Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. This tablet brings on a nearly completely vanilla version of Android, here bringing on an un-skinned version of the software essentially the same as the Google Nexus lineup of tablets and smartphones. The unique build here is the star though, this tablet being rather unique with its keyboard dock that connects magnetically and protects the display when you’re not using the device.
Hardware
This device rolls out with a 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 pixel resolution 10.1-inch display surrounded by a rather unique looking bit of chassis. You’ll be working with this device in white with slightly darker gray nearer the display, and the device brings on Archos’ own “Coverboard.” This Coverboard is both a protector for the display and a keyboard dock.
The Coverboard’s keyboard is made up of a collection of chiclet-style keys that are easy to type with when compared to the touchscreen interface. It’ll be difficult for you to get used to this keyboard if you’re used to a MacBook or if you’re using a keyboard on a desktop computer with massive keys – they are indeed physical keys here, so you’ll be able to do real typing, but beware their connection to Android.
While Android does accept the connection to Bluetooth keyboards and has for some time, there’s always a bit of lag that you’ll be dealing with. It’s certainly not the fault of Archos hardware, as we’ve had this situation occur many times with devices using Android, it’s simply the place that Google’s mobile software build is at right this minute. That said, this device is the closest to a real everyday typing machine using Android that we’ve seen thus far.
The Coverboard connects to the tablet using a magnetic interface and a kickstand that rises up from the board itself. This kickstand works well, but you should be careful with it – make sure you’re not letting your kids work with this device as there is a chance that said stand will snap off – watch out!
Archos lets us know that this tablet is 21 ounces light and 0.31″ thin, quite small by any tablet’s standards. The Coverboard adds 0.2″ of thickness and holds tight with magnets to the tablet when you’re ready to put it in your backpack. The Coverboard also has a strange combination of power abilities: when the tablet is docked and the dock is plugged in to the wall, the dock will charge the tablet. When the dock is not plugged in, however, the tablet will charge the dock. Strange stuff!
This device will also be working with accessories in the future with the same docking technology including an ARCHOS Speaker Dock, an ARCHOS Docking Station, and ARCHOS Pouches. We’ll have a peek at those when they’re ready for the market. This device also comes with 16GB of internal storage and a microSD card slot that’s able to take up to SDXC 64GB cards. You’ve also got a miniHDMI port, charging and PC access via a micro USB port, and both Wi-fi and Bluetooth 4.0 for wireless connectivity.
Software
This tablet comes with a nearly vanilla version of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. It’s got all your Google favorites like Google Play for digital media purchases, Gmail, Google+, and access to Google Drive right out of the box. Of course all of these apps (minus the Google Play store) are available to download by any Android device just so long as you’ve got the Google Play store and support for said store on your hardware.
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is in full effect with multi-tasking via your recent apps button on the screen in the dock and we’ve been told that Archos will be updating this device to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean by the end of the year. Archos has also added a collection of Media Center apps so you can see codec and format information on your movies and photos. Seeing your codec and format information also allows you to search items like title, series, actor, subtitle, and other information at will – just so long as your media has that information in the first place.
This device also comes with OfficeSuite Pro 6 for your Microsoft Office documents. This app allows you to read and edit Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents as well as read PDF documents at will. Also have a peek at a benchmark or two below to see how this device performs with the OMAP 4470 CPU with PowerVR SGX544 GPU. Note that we’re working with an Engineering Sample here, so these might not be perfect final numbers:
Battery Life
This device works well to bring on an abundance of battery life, that’s for certain. We’ve not yet seen a tablet in the Android universe that didn’t last a full day even with heavy usage, and this Archos slate doesn’t disappoint. With the Coverboard you’ve also got an extension of your battery life- with both, you’ve got at least 10 hours of action even if you’re playing games.
Of course you’ve also got to note that we’re still using an Engineering Sample, so final results on the battery may differ in the end. Standby time, though, will likely remain largely the same. If you’re not using the device at all and leave it to sit on its own, with the display off, you’ll have days of battery time – we’re currently at more than four days without needing to charge – what a whopper!
Wrap-Up
This device presents a rather interesting – and certainly unique – offering to the Android tablet universe. Compared to the ASUS Transformer Prime with keyboard dock, this device doesn’t quite seem as high quality a final product – but it’s a lot less expensive at the same time at $399, dock included. We’re also thinking about how this device is currently set for a November release: this doesn’t bode well for a tablet that’s already slightly behind the times for specifications when compared to devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Note 10.1, for example.
If the Archos 101 XS is released in November sporting Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and essentially the same build we’re seeing here, it might be worth $399. It’s still a slightly surprising combination though now that the 7-inch wave is upon us.
If you’d like to know anything we’ve not covered above about this device, please feel free to let us know in the comments area below!
This afternoon the folks at iResQ have snapped a few photos of what appears to be the back shell of the next-generation iPhone ready for release next month by Apple. This device appears to be essentially the same thickness as the previous generation iPhone 4/4S, but a major change appears in the bottom end of the smartphone’s final build. Here it appears that a new generation of Apple mobile products may be born in a dock connector that is essentially 1/4 the size of the original 30-pin “iPod dock”.
This next-generation device has been tipped to have a 4-inch display, components that allow for a much bigger battery size than in previous models, and a new configuration at the top and bottom of the unit. The bottom of the device now appears to have two screws (as per the previous generation) but moves the headphone jack from the top of the device down to the bottom. The bottom of the device also utilizes individually drilled holes in the aluminum ring that surrounds the device rather than relying on separately attached grilles.
The photos shown here show what’s said to be the iPhone 5 (or whatever the next-generation iPhone’s final name will be) using the new “mini dock” which we’ve been hearing tips and rumors about for several months. Pictured here is an inside view as well as an outside view, showing that the connector’s size makes a major difference on the inside as far as size goes, with little space necessary for the far fewer pins this futuristic connector certainly requires. We’ve heard several different possibilities ranging from a 16-pin connector to a 9-pin to an 8-pin.
Those of you waiting for the new iPhone should prepare to purchase a converter accessory if you plan on using your previous generation accessories. Apple has been rumored to be making a low-cost converter device for its loyal consumers so that it might stay in the good graces of the massive amount of 3rd party accessory makers in the field today. This accessory may also be included in the box when users pick up a brand new iPhone 5 later this year.
Check out the timeline below to see what else has been rolling around the tip mill over the past few days and set your calendars for September 12th – that may well be the day!
With all the rumors about a new 9-pin connector on the iPhone, what could be better than a tube of bamboo that amplifies your iDevice or Android phone in a sustainable way? The iBam 2 is basically a tube of bamboo that channels sound out and away from the phone, thereby creating a superior, bamboo-infused experience.
The sad thing? It costs freaking $63.22 and they’re only sold in Singapore so you may have hop on a slow, sustainable solar boat to pick one up. However, as you see from the above video, a honking big bamboo tube can really spruce up an iPhone.
The creators, Pasargora, are a sustainable-living maker space and a portion of the proceeds go to supporting DIY activities in Singapore, so there’s that. Otherwise, get yourself to Pier 1 Imports and grab some bamboo and rock out.
It appears that the next-generation so-called iPad mini may have had a part leak out this afternoon with no less than a new mini dock connector attached to it. This part has been shared with NWE and “examined” by iFixit, both parties suggesting that it does indeed appear to be an official Apple device component for an unknown future tablet-sized device. What’s strange about this part, however, is that it’s got 10 pins in its dock rather than 8 or 16.
Rumors and tips thus far about the next generation of Apple mobile devices have been clear about a dock connector that will be smaller than the 30-pin component we’ve been using thus far. The reason for this is that several of the pins are no longer in service and new and more advanced technology has taken over since the 30-pin model was introduced. This new dock connector has been tipped as having 8, 9, or 16 pins instead of 30.
This supposed iPad mini component also has a headphone jack and home button connector both quite near the dock connector, this leading us to believe that this is, indeed, an iPad component – or at least an Apple mobile device. This also falls in line with the suggested configuration for the next-generation iPhone with the headphone jack at the bottom of the device.
Have a peek at the timeline below to see more iPad mini posts with tips and leaks galore included – fun stuff for all! Also you might be safe expecting this device to appear soon – September 12th is possible!
Could this be Apple’s new iPhone connector? Except for the fact that French site Nowhereelse has a terribly poor reputation, I don’t see why not. They seem real parts, not photoshopped, and the size seems to be the right one. More »
It appears that a group of intrepid undercover photo-takers in France have taken some snaps of the iPhone 5′s docking connector in all of its 8-pin glory. This little pin is set to replace the 30-pin connector we’re used to on the iPad, iPhone, and all manner of iPods as well. It’s over at Nowhere Else that these images originate, they adding another piece to the ever-clearer puzzle of parts that make up the next iPhone here just a possible set of weeks before its launch.
What we’re seeing here is that this lovely little connector may be two-sided, that meaning that it’s got pins not just on the one side as previous connectors have had. These bits (or the two on the right, at least) show the part that pushes in to the iPhone (aka the male end of the connection.) It’s also been tipped that there’s going to be at least one official converter plug so that legacy accessories may be used once the new iPhone is released.
It’s also been tipped that the new iPhone will be just one of the whole line of Apple mobile devices to be working with a new generation of ports. With this new port comes more room inside the device and, we must assume, more room for an LTE radio. Of course there’s also going to be more room for battery space as well – more time with no charging for us!
Have a peek at the iPhone 5 timeline below to see all the updates from the past week or so on tips, leaks, and all manner of rumors leading up to the final release. We’re currently expecting the next iPhone to be announced on the 12th of September – but that’s also only a rumor, so sit tight! Also feel free to hit up our iPhone 5 portal to see everything that’s run up on us over the last few months!
I’ll admit that this thing doesn’t cost twice what my iPad cost, because I have the 64GB 4G version, but it’s still very expensive. The question is, is it worth it? This system is from a company that specialized in luxurious automotive accessories, but decided to create something for the mobile computing sector as well.
The STRUT LaunchPort is basically a fancy docking stand for your iPad. There’s a matching case that will allow you to charge your iPad inductively, which means that there are no wires involved. It’s handcrafted from stainless steel, and triple-coated in chrome. The case comes in walnut burl, carbon fiber, leopard print or sparkle pink. While it does look pretty good, I’m not sure it’s worth the $1,250 (USD) sticker price. Does it make you feel any better to know the dock is $1,000 and the case is $250? Didn’t think so.
Nevertheless, it will go on sale later this month. I guess it’s something to consider if you’ve got money to burn. From the photos, the accompanying case looks quite heavy, especially if it’s made out of walnut. I wonder how heavy it will make your iPad.
In a move that will certainly be raising some eyebrows this autumn should it all come to fruition, Apple has been tipped to be updating their entire line of iOS devices with a new dock connector. Apple’s current dock connector is consistent across each of its mobile devices, that being the iPhone, iPod, iPod touch, and iPad. What we’re seeing here according to sources speaking with iMore have revealed that not only with the next iPhone be getting a new smaller dock port, a brand new iPad mini will be getting it as well.
This tip includes an updated version of the 3rd generation iPad with the same 9.7-inch Retina-quality display and an updated casing. This updated body for the iPad will be essentially the same as the iPad 3 but with a back-facing microphone to add noise-cancellation to the tablet. With the iPhone 5 (or whatever it’ll end up being called), the iPad mini, and a new iteration of the 9.7-inch iPad coming out this year, we can certainly expect 3rd party accessory makers to have a fit creating new cases, skins, and all manner of docks for the devices for the holidays.
Perhaps one of the largest changes here for Apple isn’t the dock connector itself, but the fact that Apple’s update schedule would have to be changed significantly to make it all so. With the Retina display-toting MacBook Pro and a new version of OS X Mountain Lion out now, and a couple new mobile devices being tipped for the next few months, Apple appears to be bringing on a whole new generation of devices at once.
So here’s what you’ve got to look forward to according to this most recent tip:
• iPad 4,1 or iPad 3,x with “heat issue” fix, back-facing mic • iPhone 5 • iPod touch • iPad mini
Each of these devices has been tipped to be coming soon with new dock connectors in-tact. It’s not been tipped in any way that the current iPod (non-touch) lineup will be changed – but we must assume they would be, given the circumstances. Stay tuned for more Apple presto-change-o soon!
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
