Apple's next iPhone is due for a radical redesign. Among the more controversial changes, the company will reportedly switch from a 30-pin dock connector to a smaller 19-pin design for its future iPhones and iPads, starting this year. According to Reuters, the move is certain to frustrate millions of Apple fans who will have to replace their existing accessories — such as iHomes or car chargers — to accomodate the new connector. The 30-pin system has been an Apple standard since the first iPod. Is changing the design now an unnecessary annoyance, or actually an innovative step forward?
A lot of people will be angry: The change "will obsolete a decade of accessories," says Ed Oswald at Extreme Tech. Apple may be doing this for good reasons, "but it's going to cause a world of hurt for upgrading users." Car chargers, docks, iPod/iPhone car integration, and other add-ons will all be rendered useless. For third-party accessory makers the change will "prove a gold mine," but consumers with a lot of accessories will need to tack a few hundred extra dollars to the price of a new device.
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