Apple's New Dock Connector Even Smaller Than Originally Thought

In February, iMore reported that Apple would introduce a smaller dock connector for its iOS devices. Now these rumors are confirmed by various sources and the evidence revealed recently shows a much smaller opening in the casing of what is claimed to be the next-generation iPhone.

But other details on the new dock connector have remained unclear. Various sources reported various numbers of pins for the new connector compared to the current 30-pin design. TechCrunch was the first to report that the new design would contain 19 pins, a claim that gained credibility when Reuters cited the same number last month. iLounge last week reported about eight pins for the new connector. But yesterday 9to5Mac discovered a reference to "9Pin" in a section of iOS 6 code addressing core hardware features.

Regardless of the exact number of pins included in the new dock connector design, it appears that the connector itself will be even smaller than originally thought based on leaked photos of casings seen so far. French site Nowehereelse.fr today posted a new photo [Google translation] it has received showing that there is actually a metal ring inside the casing cutout for the new dock connector. The purpose of the ring is currently unknown, but some have been hoping that Apple's new dock connector will include an attachment mechanism similar to the MagSafe standard used on the company's notebook computers.