But what does the 30 - Pin
Dock Connector do, why doesn't Apple just use USB like most of its competitors, and why is 19 - Pin — not 30 — the way to go?
Still, areas closest to
the dock connector did reach a toasty 98 degrees.
The curved edges also mean that the dock connector doesn't feel quite as secure on the iPad 2 as on the iPad, and that the volume rocker and lock (or mute) switch is hidden from view when holding the iPad 2 face - on.
The dock connector does mean that you'll be able to use it with a range of accessories, such as a keyboard or desk dock, which ultimately may progress the potential of the SamTab beyond that of just a big phone.
It's not important for us to understand what every pin on the Apple
Dock Connector does, although if you're interested, there's a complete list of pin - by - pin functionality here.
Not exact matches
What's less good is that for your old
docks and charging devices that don't have the new
connector, you'll need an adaptor and that costs # 25.
On the bottom of the CherryPad you'll find a card slot (Cherrypal calls them «TF» cards, but don't let that confuse you — the slot is for micro-SD cards), and a proprietary
dock connector for charging and syncing the CherryPad.
These can, of course, be added through adapters using the tablet's proprietary
docking connector, but since Samsung doesn't include them in the box, these need to be purchased separately.
Google designed the Nexus 7 with a bare minimum of ports, but
did right by its users by employing a standard microUSB charging port instead of the proprietary
docking connectors we've seen on so many other slates.
Most of the speakers designed for the iPod and iPhone can't hold an iPad and, even if they could, their
dock connector port doesn't provide enough power to charge the iPad when it's awake.
The standalone ElitePad 900
does not feature a single port other than the power /
docking connector on the bottom edge of the device.
The Prime's connectivity suite is rather limited compared to fatter tablets like the Toshiba AT100 so you have to make
do with just micro-HDMI, 3.5 mm audio, Asus» own 40 - pin
dock / charge / data
connector and a MicroSD slot.
Because the TouchPad doesn't have a
dock connector, there's no room for adapter accessories (unless they are wireless, but they'd be slow BT 2.1 connections), and this could be a major problem for people who want to be able to output videos and presentations at work, or share movies and pictures at home.
The iPad doesn't come loaded with ports like the Surface and other Windows 8.1 tablets, but there are certain workarounds that can leverage the iPad's Lightning
dock connector.
@Rav — No camera, but it
does have USB and a couple accessories like the SD card reader that use the USB through the
dock connector.
It's a nod to the days when we used to plug our phones into
docks with actual physical
connectors, although the real appeal is for tablet owners: Phones fit in your pocket, tablets don't.
It charges via magnetic
connectors and luckily doesn't require a cradle or charging
dock.
Don't get me wrong — making this sort of thing is hard, and Samsung surely has a good reason to use a
dock versus a standard USB
connector.
I
do hate that Sony keeps putting a
dock connector on the left - hand side of the device - this confuses in the hand, feeling a bit like the volume key, and I can't see that it's something many people would actually use given the smaller sales of such aftermarket accessories.
As it uses your home network, no Apple device needs to be plugged into the Air Speaker, although it
does have a retractable
dock connector for recharge purposes.
We're not sure what this tweak refers to, but we speculate that it has to
do with a either (or a combination of) a smaller
dock connector, new packaging / iOS 6 pre-installed, or a bump in the base storage capacity configuration.
You
do have to line up the
connectors on the watch and
dock, so it's not quite as seamless as charging the Moto 360 or LG Watch Style, for example, but it's not going to worry you day to day.
The top and bottom caps come with a «snap» design so you can easily access the 30 - pin
dock connector, although there's a pass - through USB cable included so you don't have to remove the phone from the case.
The answer's simple: while the iPod shuffle's USB design is ingenious at syncing and charging, it's really crappy at everything else that the 30 - Pin
Dock Connector is designed to
do.
And once Apple
does that with the iPhone 5, expect the new, slimmer, 19 - Pin Apple
Dock Connector to last another ten years... until we finally ditch tethering our iDevices to other gadgets once and for all.
It's telling that the one iDevice that doesn't ship with a 30 Pin
Dock Connector — the iPod shuffle — is the one that has a negligible number of third - party accessories made for it: the iPod shuffle is the only iPod that uses straight USB instead of 30 pins.
In 2006, Apple released an iPod that, to this day, is unique amongst all of the iPods it sells in that it didn't come with a standard
Dock Connector: the iPod shuffle.
When Apple first debuted the original iPod back in 2001, it didn't use the 30 - Pin Apple
Dock Connector we all know and hate / love today... it used Firewire, Apple's own answer to USB, to pump juice and data from a Mac into their portable music player.
But iFixit points out Apple didn't save any space by switching to the new
connector which is 80 % smaller than the 30 - pin
connector as the Lightning cable sits in a frame the same size as the 30 - pin
dock connector (upper).
iPhone
does support the USB 2.0 you need to get the Apple
Dock Connector to USB Cable which can be connected to your PC for charging or syncing.