The Apple iPhone 5 was shown to the world week, and already many Apple loyalists are mourning the loss of the 30-pin connector that has been replaced by a new, smaller alternative - the "Lightning" connector.
According to Apple VP Phil Schiller the future technology would be impossible without the updated Lightning port, and he assures us that its design won't be changed again in the near future. Schiller has said, "This is the new connector for many years to come."
Then there are the critics. While the ones we have heard from will admit that the Lightning connector brings along a lot of improvements, the new set up does require new hardware. Those who use everything Apple are going to have to spend some significant cash to replace their accessories for the iPhone 5. At the very least, the iPhone 5 requires an adapter ($29) for use with Apple's previous wire standard.
The bigger problem is that a whole collection of iPod 30-pin compatible devices will be obsolete. The Lightning-to-30-pin adapter bridge comes with a warning: "Video and iPod Out not supported," meaning a new dock connector is mandatory. That means millions of accessories headed for the recycling bin.
Now we'll just have to wait until we get iPhone 5s into our hands to see how the Lightning connector works with all our accessories and the effect of the dock design change. It looks like Apple has left the connector alone as long as possible - 9 years to be exact. It's time for all of us to move on.
