This flex cable picture is noteworthy for a few reasons. First, the cable appears to be showing the rumored smaller dock connector and, while it’s a little hard to tell, it looks like they’re moving toward the 8-pin or 9-pin variation that we’ve been seeing. That’s in line with the most recent rumors about the smaller dock connector, which leads us to believe that the number of pins won’t be in the “teen” range. This should be the same dock connector that we’ll be seeing on the next-generation iPhone too, which should also be revealed next month.

That said, there is at least one thing that is strange about this flex cable for the iPad mini. Yes, the home button connector looks like it’d be around the right place, but why is the headphone jack located just to the left of there? This would imply that Apple is moving the headphone jack to the bottom of the iPad mini, which is very different from the top-mounted placement for every other iDevice on the market right now, including the current iPad and iPhone. Other rumors have already told us that the headphone jack would stay at the top, so now we’ve got conflicting “evidence.”

At the same time, iFixit’s Kyle Weins is saying that this photo is “consistent with being an Apple component,” but there’s no way of knowing whether this is truly legitimate until the iFixit guys tear apart a real deal iPad mini. That’s okay. We’ve only a month to go, right?

[Source]

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With so many reports backing up the idea of a smaller iDevice Connector, it pretty much seems like a done deal- but how small is this port exactly? The original reports suggested it was likely around 19-pins (instead of the current 30-pin layout), but this is in contrast to new reports that claim Apple is going even smaller with a sleek, 8-pin design. The 8-pin design rumor is supported by two separate anonymous reports which indicate the new cord will have just a single row of eight pins.

Such a small size doesn’t seem unreasonable, though many users are still up in arms about the idea of having all their precious iAccessories made extinct by the change. Luckily, not all accessories will be left out in the dark, as unofficial confirmation suggests a new adapter will allow most accessories to continue working with the smaller connector. Like the Mac’s MagSafe connector, one of the benefits beyond being tiny will be the ability to plug the cord in on either side without an issue, so it will easy plug in without the fiddling.

Now the question remains, are we looking at a 19-pin or 8-pin mini-connector? Hopefully the question will be answered at the rumored iPhone 5 reveal event on September 12^th. What do you think about a new, smaller iDevice connector?

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The next-generation iPhone is still several months away, but the latest set of leaked photos give us a great look at the back of the new iPhone. And then there’s that small dock connector too.

This leak comes by way of a “reliable Chinese parts supplier” and it depicts an aluminum backplate for the iPhone 5. The outward shape is similar to the iPhone 4/4S, but it does appear to be a little more rounded like the original iPhone. Also revealed in the backplate is the smaller opening for the dock connector.

Apple has been using the same dock connector for a very long time now. After switching to innovations like the microSIM, it only makes sense that they’d shrink down the dock connector too. There are also larger speaker grilles, presumably to provide louder or better audio than the current generation.

While the picture at the top seems to show a grey backplate, this leaked photo shows a white version. This also appears to have a clearer indication that the new iPhone will have more of an elongated shape (for the different aspect ratio display) and that the 3.5mm headset jack has been moved to the bottom. I would have preferred if they kept it at the top, personally.

As always, these leaks are not at all confirmed or substantiated, and things can always change between now and when Tim Cook takes to the stage. So, chalk them up to rumor for now, but the iPhone 5 is really starting to take shape.

[Source]

The post Leaked Photos Reveal Smaller Dock Connector, Taller Screen for iPhone 5 appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The speculation worked with the iPad and iPad 2 nearly perfectly. So if we are not talking about a smaller iPad where the obvious analogy of two can go wrong, we are fine in suggesting that they will remain very similar. Look again at the iPad and iPad 2 side by side, do you see a pattern?

So, if we follow this quite rational and obvious line of thinking, then we can believe Jeremy in that:

“the new iPad’s body will be so slightly thicker than the iPad 2 that the change is unnoticeable on first inspection; a roughly 1 mm increase will be barely perceptible to users. We’ve heard that the only accessories that might have issues are cases, and then, only cases that were precisely contoured to fit the iPad 2’s back. On the rear, the camera in the upper left corner has become bigger—noticeably so when placed alongside the iPad 2, but not so huge that anyone would think they were different at a distance. The new camera hole is silver-ringed, and does in fact look the same size as the iPhone 4S’s much-improved rear camera system, minus the LED flash.

From the front, the next iPad and iPad 2 appear to look basically the same—apart, of course, from the screen. That’s going to be Apple’s big focus when the new device is announced, but I didn’t see it. One company claimed to have heard the screen would be just a little smaller than the iPad 2’s, but if that’s the case, the front glass bezel I saw didn’t seem to suggest that. Switch, button, speaker, and other elements located on the side edges are all the same, as are the headphone and Dock Connector ports. In other words, last year’s accessories should generally work properly with the new model, which is great.”

We have yet to see how it will be. Now,  this particular rumor doesn’t cover things like requirements of a new 2048×1536 ultra-high resolution screen that might have direct influence on how thick (or thin) the iPad 3 might be. There’s no word about changes in bezel width, even if these will come out pretty small (suggested by leaks of new front button last year).

Jeremy is also hedging his bets with the observation that Apple could easily call this device the “iPad 2S” or “iPad 2HD” if it wanted to start the lettering game with its tablets. Sure, just recall external shape differences between iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, how much were they?

Yet the logic behind this seems to be quite valid. Last year, on the first day of the 2011 CES, an iPad 2 shell was shown — one that looked virtually identical to what was announced later, apart from tweaks to the bottom speaker grille and side switch. The curves and proportions were the same, the various elements in the right places, and so on:

As much as small external changes may seem important to some, the differences in internals between the iPad 2 and iPad 3 still take precedence, and may end up being the biggest changes of all.

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