Today it’s time to get busy packing for the next big Apple event, set for October 23rd and quite likely to reveal no larger an iPad than a mini. With the iPad mini on peoples’ lips and in their dreams now for several months (or years, for some), it comes as no surprise that the device will be revealed just in time for the holiday season. Now we’ve just got to hypothesize on how many other devices – or device refreshes – will be appearing as well.
Apple’s much-rumored iPad mini will make its official debut at an event on October 23, new rumors suggest, preceding Microsoft’s Windows 8 launch by just a few days. The exact location of the event has not been confirmed, but AllThingsD‘s insiders hint that it will be more of an intimate affair than the iPhone 5 reveal, and it’s suggested that it could well be at Apple’s own Town Hall Auditorium.
Apple's new Lightning interface has caused a bit of a ruckus ever since it debuted on the iPhone 5. It's essentially been forcing previous-generation iPhone users to go out and buy all-new accessories. However, Apple released a Lightning adapter that allows 30-pin cables to be lugged into Lightning ports. One man was brave enough to open it up to see what was inside.
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The iPad mini is likely to be WiFi-only, sources claim, and accompanied by a refreshed iPad 3 with Lightning connector and broader LTE support, though last-minute design changes could shake up Apple's launch. Tipped to be a 7.85-inch slate hoping to bring Apple's tablet success to a mid-point between the existing new iPad and the iPod touch, the iPad mini will lack 3G/4G, according to the Guardian's insiders, so as to help keep prices down and maintain the larger model's halo.
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A couple of weeks ago, we told you about how Apple planted authentication chips inside their new Lightning cables to prevent third-party manufacturers from making Lightning cables of their own. However, it was only a matter of time before we would see the chip get cloned, and it looks like today is the day.
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Apple's Lightning Adapter for the iPhone 5 has begun to ship, with the dongle - that allows older Dock Connector accessories and chargers to be hooked up to the new smartphone - finally headed out to buyers. Shoppers in Australia have received shipping notifications that the Lighting to 30-pin Adapter is on its way, MacRumors reports, though Apple's online store still only lists a vague "October" for a shipping estimate.
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After hearing that Apple's Lightning cables have authentication chips on the inside, we're now told that Apple will require that all factories wanting to manufacturer Lightning accessories must be approved by Apple first. The company is said to have made changes to its policies that now tighten the control over Lightning cables and accessories even more.
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A bit of investigation done on Apple's iPhone 5 and the Lightning cord and docking port this week has turned up an oddity: the pins on both sides are not the same as one another. It would appear, according to Double Helix Cables' own pro Peter that the 8-pin lineup is not in the same order on both sides of the cord's head. Because of his discovery that one pin does the same as the pin that's directly behind it, Peter has proven that Apple must be using some sort of process to dynamically identify which pin order the cord is currently using - depending on which side is up and which is down, that is.
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If you've always relied on places like Monoprice to deliver your super-cheap Apple accessories like cables and adapters, it might be a little trickier to use those accessories if you upgraded to an iPhone 5. It's said that Apple's new Lightning connector has some sort of authentication chip inside that prevents third-party Lightning cables from working.
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Up until this point with Apple mobile products, only the iPad has been able to work as a USB host – in a limited way – with the 30-pin dock and an adapter that only works to push photos from your 3rd party camera to your tablet. An iPhone 5 report today comes from Macotakara in Japan where they’ve got some insight – but not quite final confirmation – that the new Lightning connector Apple has revealed this week has added to the iPhone the ability to work as USB host. With this ability it is possible that users would be able to use essentially any accessory with the device that you can connect with a USB cord – keyboards, cameras, and MIDI controllers, oh my!
Ever wondered whether it's worth shelling out the extra cash for a Bang & Olufsen system rather than cheaper rivals? B&O's free Lightning upgrade deal for the BeoPlay A8 might convince you; the company has confirmed that all existing and new owners of the eye-catching iPhone and iPod speaker-dock will get a free Lighting adapter that seamlessly switches over with the legacy 30-pin Dock Connector.
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iPhone 5 demand may be high, but confusion over what accessories will work with the phone and which adapters are included or even available is even higher. Some pre-order customers have been left scratching their heads over using the Lightning connector with existing accessories, after an initial promise on Apple's webstore that a Lighting to 30-pin Dock Connector dongle was included with the iPhone 5 was subsequently removed.
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