Apple's new iPhone connector is micro USB-sized

New images leaked online suggest the new 9-pin dock connector for Apple Inc.’s upcoming iPhone 5 may be as small as a micro-USB, an Apple enthusiast site said last weekend.

 

In a blog post, AppleInsider said the images compare a Micro-A USB cable with the smaller 9-pin dock connector Apple is rumored to use in the new iPhone.

 

“As with most USB connectors, the Micro-A type features a housing in which contact pins are aligned in a linear manner, thus requiring an opening into which the tongue of a female receptacle can interface. Apple’s current 30-pin connector is built on the same principle, however the company’s new, smaller unit eschews that design for a more robust male/female system,” it said.

 

The site said the side-by-side comparison shots from French blog nowhereelse.fr came from the same tipster who reportedly sent in some of the first images of Apple’s alleged smaller dock connector in August.

 

On the otherhand, AppleInsider said the supposed 9-pin format is nearly identical in size to the Micro USB plug, though Apple’s rumored part appears to be slightly longer and thinner.

 

It cited sources who said the supposed new plug will feature a layout with eight pins exposed on either side of a metal shell which serves as a ninth contact, thus allowing for orientation-independent use.

 

“With the new design, users will no longer have to make sure that the connector is right side up when inserting it into an iDevice,” it said.

 

Apple is expected to unveil the new iPhone at a Sept. 12 event. — TJD, GMA News