Apple might retire iOS's 30-pin dock

Want a thinner iPhone, iPod and iPad? On an engineering level, Apple's popular gadgets are about as thin as they can get. The only way for them to become even thinner is if Apple dumps the decade-old 30-pin dock connector in favor of a slimmer cable connector. Apple loves to shrink things. Every time you think one of its products can't possibly get any thinner, they do. The iPhone, iPod, iPad, MacBook Pro, iMac and MacBook Air only become more elegant with time. Apple blog iMore reports that scrapping the 30-pin connector would free up more space for 4G LTE radios for iPhones and iPads. With iCloud taking the place of physical backups and syncs, iMore believes that the 30 pin cable could be on the way out. It's not the first time we've heard of Apple ditching or replacing the old interface. Last summer, an Apple patent surfaced suggesting MagSafe cables could be the new replacements on iOS devices. Retiring the 30-pin connector could also see some major backlash from consumers and iOS accessory makers. New dock ports would mean future iOS devices won't be compatible with old speaker docks, charging stations, etc. At the same time, new dock ports could also mean faster transfer speeds and more room for bigger batteries. Is it time for Apple to let the old cable die? I for one am ready for something faster. I wouldn't mind a Thunderbolt port in my next iPhone. From: Device