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The side-by-side comparison shots of what appear to be a Micro-A USB cable with the smaller 9-pin dock connector Apple is rumored to be deploying with the sixth-generation iPhone were released  by French blog nowhereelse.fr on Saturday. The purported 9-pin format is nearly identical in size to the Micro USB plug, though Apple's rumored part appears to be slightly longer and thinner.

As with most USB connectors, the Micro-A type features a housing in which contact pins are aligned in a linear manner, thus requiring an opening into which the tongue of a female receptacle can interface. Apple's current 30-pin connector is built on the same principle, however the company's new, smaller unit eschews that design for a more robust male/female system.

According to sources, the supposed new plug will feature a layout with eight pins exposed on either side of a metal shell which serves as a ninth contact, thus allowing for orientation-independent use. With the new design, users will no longer have to make sure that the connector is right side up when inserting it into an iDevice.

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