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USB is insufficient for a dock connector. It doesn't do audio or play/volume/track buttons. You could use a USB audio device, but that would add cost to every i

by oofabz 14y ago

USB is insufficient for a dock connector. It doesn't do audio or play/volume/track buttons. You could use a USB audio device, but that would add cost to every iPhone accessory made everywhere, and there's no need because the iPhone has its own audio chip inches away. To save costs, gadget manufacturers would just use the headphone port instead, and then you'd have to plug TWO things into your iPhone to hook it up. And it wouldn't have pause or volume controls because they don't want to spend the $1 on the USB chip for that functionality.

jpxxx 14y ago
Yep. And then: what is the backwards compatibility story for 30-pin if Apple were to move to native Micro-USB? There is none. Micro-USB can't ever reassign pins or masquerade as something else, otherwise it's not USB. An active 30-pin adapter would be able to signal that it can handle 30-pin signals and thus perhaps something could be arranged in reverse, but then all the old Apple-specific capabilities will still always require an active dongle like they do now. Then there's all the added joy of making sure you NEVER EVER get this auto-detection wrong and send juice down the wrong pin.
baddox 14y ago
As they said in the Apple announcement, audio and video are generally transferred wirelessly now (via AirPlay or Bluetooth). However, if the Lightning to 30-pin adapter is fully functional, and Lightning is truly all digital, that little adapter must be doing the DAC, which might explain the high cost.
bryanlarsen 14y ago
USB is sufficient for a dock connector. Apple announced that Lightning was all-digital. Therefore it does audio basically the same way that USB does. And I'm willing to bet that, like the iPhone 4, Lightning requires an authentication chip before the play/volume/track buttons on accessories work. And that the authentication chip costs a lot more than a USB chip.

by oofabz 14y ago

jpxxx 14y ago

Yep. And then: what is the backwards compatibility story for 30-pin if Apple were to move to native Micro-USB? There is none. Micro-USB can't ever reassign pins or masquerade as something else, otherwise it's not USB. An active 30-pin adapter would be able to signal that it can handle 30-pin signals and thus perhaps something could be arranged in reverse, but then all the old Apple-specific capabilities will still always require an active dongle like they do now. Then there's all the added joy of making sure you NEVER EVER get this auto-detection wrong and send juice down the wrong pin.

baddox 14y ago

As they said in the Apple announcement, audio and video are generally transferred wirelessly now (via AirPlay or Bluetooth). However, if the Lightning to 30-pin adapter is fully functional, and Lightning is truly all digital, that little adapter must be doing the DAC, which might explain the high cost.

bryanlarsen 14y ago

USB is sufficient for a dock connector. Apple announced that Lightning was all-digital. Therefore it does audio basically the same way that USB does. And I'm willing to bet that, like the iPhone 4, Lightning requires an authentication chip before the play/volume/track buttons on accessories work. And that the authentication chip costs a lot more than a USB chip.