Electronics Apple overhauling its 30 pin connector - Page 7

Deberg_1990 · 08-14-2012, 11:18 AM

Only Apple.....

http://techcrunch.com/2012/08/14/app...8TechCrunch%29

What happens when you change one port? Quite a lot, actually. Apple introduced the 30-pin iPod port on April 28, 2003. That makes the technology – a fairly streamlined solution for 2003 – nine years old and, thanks to the iPhone’s popularity, essentially ubiquitous. Now, however, as news leaks about either a 19- or 9-pin overhaul of the technology, there’s something important to consider: the install base of 30-pin devices is wild and deep and a simple change could create an e-waste problem if not properly handled.

To be clear: this new pin layout is coming and it’s coming soon. Whether it arrives in this generation or the next still remains to be seen, the sources I reached out to agreed that the switch was imminent.

Apple has sold over approximately 610 million devices with a 30-pin dock connector. There are no hard numbers on iPod dock sales available, but analysts estimate $2 to $3 billion in sales on iPod accessories per year. These are back of the envelope calculations, but assume a fourth of those are $100 docks – some are less, some are much more. That gives us about 5 million docks a year over nine years. That’s 45 million devices in essentially perfect working order that will be partially obsoleted by this move.

“Just imagine how many hotel rooms are fitted with alarm clocks that have a 30-pin dock connector,” said Arman Sadeghi, CEO of AllGreenRecycling, an e-waste handler. “Doing away with the 30-pin dock connector without developing any kind of backwards compatibility option would cause millions of pieces of accessories to become obsolete prematurely. Currently, there are tens of thousands of different devices such as chargers, alarm clocks, docking stations and other devices that work with the 30-pin connector. If this connector was replaced, it would cause a slow but very steady flow of those items coming out of use and into the ewaste stream.”

In short, Apple would relegate a great number of iPod docks to the scrap heap. Arguably, the vast majority of users, especially users using more expensive docks that connect to home entertainment systems and speakers, would invest in a small adapter that will convert a 30-pin jack to the smaller model, but a fraction of those will relegate those old docks to the junk pile. Once the 30-pin is phased out, however, there’s the secondary problem of obsolete iPods.

“The obvious problem will be with people throwing out old accessories but there is another issue as well,” said Sadeghi. “The value of Apple devices with the old connector will drop as well which will cause a large wave of those items entering the eWaste steam as well. iPods and other small devices that people have had for many years will start becoming less desirable in favor of newer versions that will have the same connector as their new iPhone. This effect may, in fact, prove to be a bigger generator of eWaste than the obsolete accessories.”

This sort of move isn’t new, but I suspect that this might be the first major mass exodus from one port architecture to another since serial connections gave way to USB and even that move took years to complete. Apple is notorious for railroading users into technologies although they usually pick the tech that eventually proves to be the winner (there’s a reason there weren’t Compact Flash card readers on earlier MacBooks before the addition of the SD card slot.) Where Apple is at fault is in the speed with which they’re going to push this through. They will sell millions of iPhones and millions of adapters, and the new port will also revitalize the stagnant accessories market. But it will also encourage long-time users to “upgrade” their docks to support the new standard (or at least spend $10 on a compatible adapter).

It’s also not Apple’s fault that accessory makers hitched their wagon to the Apple star. There was and is a lot of money to be made. But this change will change things considerably and the trash and recycling it will generate is has the potential to be more than impressive.

The real impact can be seen as negligible. Docks are made of plastic and a few magnets. In a perfect world those docks would end up at an ewaste location where they will be recycled into new products or they will end up in the garage sale and secondary market, used by millions who just don’t want to or can’t upgrade.

But in a world of increasingly scarce resources, it’s an interesting thought exercise to see what a minor change in on port on a popular phone can do to an entire ecosystem of accessories. Apple is lucky that an industry made hardware solely for their devices. Now we’re about to see what happens when that industry – and the consumers who bought into that constellation of accessories – suddenly has to shift direction.

Fish · 08-14-2012, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AustinChief

You ready for a tech beat down?

I'll give you a chance to back off this line of thinking before I put the hammer down....

Hammer deflected. +15

**007** · 08-15-2012, 05:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KC Fish

You don't get reception through Sprint at home, but that's your carrier? When phones can't establish a consistent connection with their network, they tend to freak the **** out and overwork themselves searching for a network non stop. Have you tested it somewhere where you have good provider coverage? Is that the only carrier available?

If you have an Exchange account set up, it will try Push notification. If you don't have a consistent connection to your provider, that would probably be bad. You could test some things with turning off Data, or Push notification for e-mail, etc. But I'd bet it's the fact that your provider is spotty where you spend the most time out of the day.

Also, do you overcharge the battery? Leaving it plugged in overnight, past the point that the battery is 100%? That can be really bad for the battery as well to leave it plugged in past full charge.

I was under the impression that todays batteries were designed in a way that you couldn't overcharge them.

**Bob Dole** · 08-15-2012, 05:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KC Fish

Are you seriously trying to criticize them for updating 10 year old technology? LOL... yeah. That's never happened before. Only Apple....

Bob Dole is still pissed that there is no way to connect his iPod Nano to the parallel port on his Compaq 486DX.

Silock · 08-15-2012, 09:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AustinChief

The big deal is that it is proprietary bullshit. Which DOES make it a money grab and a blatant attempt to lock people into a format that only works with their licensed products. YAY! Let's all by bullshit Sony products so we can use their shitty memory sticks instead of what everyone else uses.

micro USB 3 (as a connector) can do everything you need to get done...

Even if it is proprietary, why does it matter? My PC doesn't have a floppy drive any longer... Should I be pissed about that? Point is that things change. Even standards die out. How is this really any different, except that it's made by Apple?

Silock · 08-15-2012, 09:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaneMcCloud

I allowed the phone to completely die for the first month before charging. Now, I don't charge until it reaches 20% battery life. It's used mainly for email through the Exchange server, some Safari and Facebook and of course, the phone itself.

I don't get reception through Sprint in my home, so it's rarely on here because it's worthless. I always connect to a wireless connection when available, although Wireless Detection is turned off.

My wife has the same exact issue with her phone, as do most people I know that have the iPhone 4s. Any insight or advice would be welcome.

You don't have to wait so long to charge it. Mine charges nearly all the time when I'm at home or in the car. You can't overcharge the battery, so I wouldn't worry about that. It trickle charges once the levels hit 100%.

Also, the more you use any battery, the less life it will have, so any time you can charge it will prolong the life of it.

**AustinChief** · 08-15-2012, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KC Fish

The number of Apple appliances exceeds the number of components that are adopting STANDARDS. They don't really need compliance. It doesn't serve them any profitable advantage. That's an emotionless asshole corporate Apple response, but it's the truth. And they have the user base saturation to be able to demand a connector change and get away with it. And of course, there will be an adapter available to use existing 30 pin connectors with the new 19 pin connectors.

Are you ****ing insane? The number of components adopting standards outweighs Apple by a ****ing immense margin. How many phones use micro USB versus apple's shitty connector? If you're talking about gadgets that connect to an iPod, then you're right... but who the **** cares. iPods are dying off as people use their phones as mp3 players.

I've shown conclusively that there is no legitimate reason other then typical Apple bullshit involved yet you continue to defend them... you are a true believer!

Keep living in the past while Apple settles into its comfortable sub 20% share.

Btw iPads are now well under 50% (if you include all tablets...ie white box)

**AustinChief** · 08-15-2012, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silock

Even if it is proprietary, why does it matter? My PC doesn't have a floppy drive any longer... Should I be pissed about that? Point is that things change. Even standards die out. How is this really any different, except that it's made by Apple?

I included Sony in my rant. proprietary crap is bad for the consumer. period. floppy drives became obsolete... micro usb is far from being analogous to any outdated tech. If Apple gave a shit about the consumer it would work with the industry instead of against it. Look at IBM, Intel and even Microsoft in recent years.

**the Talking Can** · 08-15-2012, 12:30 PM

throw some gas on this fire

flash done with android devices, or vice versa...

Quote:

Adobe is pulling its Flash Player plug-in from Android's Google Play store.

It follows a decision to halt development of the software for mobile devices.

Although Adobe is no longer actively developing the player for Android, Blackberry or Symbian devices - and never released it for Apple iOS or Windows Phone handsets - it has said it would continue to offer security updates and bug fixes for existing versions until September 2013.

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19267140

Fish · 08-15-2012, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the Talking Can

throw some gas on this fire

flash done with android devices, or vice versa...

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19267140

Ohh Emm Gee y'all! How awful! Evil Android taking away half the internet. The nerve of those guys...

Pitt Gorilla · 08-15-2012, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the Talking Can

throw some gas on this fire

flash done with android devices, or vice versa...

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-19267140

Didn't we have an entire thread dedicated to Mac products not carrying flash?

Fish · 08-15-2012, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AustinChief

Are you ****ing insane? The number of components adopting standards outweighs Apple by a ****ing immense margin. How many phones use micro USB versus apple's shitty connector? If you're talking about gadgets that connect to an iPod, then you're right... but who the **** cares. iPods are dying off as people use their phones as mp3 players.

I've shown conclusively that there is no legitimate reason other then typical Apple bullshit involved yet you continue to defend them... you are a true believer!

Keep living in the past while Apple settles into its comfortable sub 20% share.

Btw iPads are now well under 50% (if you include all tablets...ie white box)

The bolded is not true bud. You're just trying to be difficult.

And regarding the iPad market share, it's still a very long way from 15%. It will be more than a little ironic that the Android tablet you buy me when I win our bet won't have a new version of Flash available.

Silock · 08-15-2012, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AustinChief

Look at IBM, Intel and even Microsoft in recent years.

None of them became the biggest company in the world /shrug

I'm just saying that I own PCs for my computing needs, and some Apple mobile devices. None of the proprietary connectors have ever negatively affected my life or the way I use my Apple products with my PC.

I guess I just don't get it.

WoodDraw · 08-15-2012, 12:50 PM

I'm all for standards, but Apple doesn't want to standardize. It benefits by keeping it's iPod/iPhone/iPad products distinct. It won't do anything to hurt it's brand.

If the argument is that Apple should have kept it's old connector vs. the new one, that's nonsense. It's not unreasonable to expect companies to update their technology once a decade.

If the argument is that Apple should have adopted USB, I can buy that. But won't happen.

Also, yes - **** Sony. 100x.

**the Talking Can** · 08-15-2012, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla

Didn't we have an entire thread dedicated to Mac products not carrying flash?

yeah, too lazy to find it....but seem to like to argue about it

**BigMeatballDave** · 08-15-2012, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KC Fish

Also, do you overcharge the battery? Leaving it plugged in overnight, past the point that the battery is 100%? That can be really bad for the battery as well to leave it plugged in past full charge.

This is not true for any Android phone I've had.

08-14-2012, 11:18 AM
Deberg_1990 In Search of a Life Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: San Antonio Tx. Casino cash: $3914454	Apple overhauling its 30 pin connector Only Apple..... http://techcrunch.com/2012/08/14/app...8TechCrunch%29 What happens when you change one port? Quite a lot, actually. Apple introduced the 30-pin iPod port on April 28, 2003. That makes the technology – a fairly streamlined solution for 2003 – nine years old and, thanks to the iPhone’s popularity, essentially ubiquitous. Now, however, as news leaks about either a 19- or 9-pin overhaul of the technology, there’s something important to consider: the install base of 30-pin devices is wild and deep and a simple change could create an e-waste problem if not properly handled. To be clear: this new pin layout is coming and it’s coming soon. Whether it arrives in this generation or the next still remains to be seen, the sources I reached out to agreed that the switch was imminent. Apple has sold over approximately 610 million devices with a 30-pin dock connector. There are no hard numbers on iPod dock sales available, but analysts estimate $2 to $3 billion in sales on iPod accessories per year. These are back of the envelope calculations, but assume a fourth of those are $100 docks – some are less, some are much more. That gives us about 5 million docks a year over nine years. That’s 45 million devices in essentially perfect working order that will be partially obsoleted by this move. “Just imagine how many hotel rooms are fitted with alarm clocks that have a 30-pin dock connector,” said Arman Sadeghi, CEO of AllGreenRecycling, an e-waste handler. “Doing away with the 30-pin dock connector without developing any kind of backwards compatibility option would cause millions of pieces of accessories to become obsolete prematurely. Currently, there are tens of thousands of different devices such as chargers, alarm clocks, docking stations and other devices that work with the 30-pin connector. If this connector was replaced, it would cause a slow but very steady flow of those items coming out of use and into the ewaste stream.” In short, Apple would relegate a great number of iPod docks to the scrap heap. Arguably, the vast majority of users, especially users using more expensive docks that connect to home entertainment systems and speakers, would invest in a small adapter that will convert a 30-pin jack to the smaller model, but a fraction of those will relegate those old docks to the junk pile. Once the 30-pin is phased out, however, there’s the secondary problem of obsolete iPods. “The obvious problem will be with people throwing out old accessories but there is another issue as well,” said Sadeghi. “The value of Apple devices with the old connector will drop as well which will cause a large wave of those items entering the eWaste steam as well. iPods and other small devices that people have had for many years will start becoming less desirable in favor of newer versions that will have the same connector as their new iPhone. This effect may, in fact, prove to be a bigger generator of eWaste than the obsolete accessories.” This sort of move isn’t new, but I suspect that this might be the first major mass exodus from one port architecture to another since serial connections gave way to USB and even that move took years to complete. Apple is notorious for railroading users into technologies although they usually pick the tech that eventually proves to be the winner (there’s a reason there weren’t Compact Flash card readers on earlier MacBooks before the addition of the SD card slot.) Where Apple is at fault is in the speed with which they’re going to push this through. They will sell millions of iPhones and millions of adapters, and the new port will also revitalize the stagnant accessories market. But it will also encourage long-time users to “upgrade” their docks to support the new standard (or at least spend $10 on a compatible adapter). It’s also not Apple’s fault that accessory makers hitched their wagon to the Apple star. There was and is a lot of money to be made. But this change will change things considerably and the trash and recycling it will generate is has the potential to be more than impressive. The real impact can be seen as negligible. Docks are made of plastic and a few magnets. In a perfect world those docks would end up at an ewaste location where they will be recycled into new products or they will end up in the garage sale and secondary market, used by millions who just don’t want to or can’t upgrade. But in a world of increasingly scarce resources, it’s an interesting thought exercise to see what a minor change in on port on a popular phone can do to an entire ecosystem of accessories. Apple is lucky that an industry made hardware solely for their devices. Now we’re about to see what happens when that industry – and the consumers who bought into that constellation of accessories – suddenly has to shift direction.
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08-15-2012, 12:50 PM	#103
WoodDraw Veteran Join Date: Mar 2004 Casino cash: $10005059	I'm all for standards, but Apple doesn't want to standardize. It benefits by keeping it's iPod/iPhone/iPad products distinct. It won't do anything to hurt it's brand. If the argument is that Apple should have kept it's old connector vs. the new one, that's nonsense. It's not unreasonable to expect companies to update their technology once a decade. If the argument is that Apple should have adopted USB, I can buy that. But won't happen. Also, yes - **** Sony. 100x.
Posts: 3,785