The perfect wrist watch, a Star Trek communicator of sorts if you will, may be on the horizon if a new rumor by iLounge is anything to go by. Remember, the site reported on Monday that the mini iPad could hit the market in November, with thinner fourth-generation iPad being readied for early 2013 release along with two new iPhone cases for the iPhone 5 launch this fall.
Today, the publication reports on some interesting new tidbits regarding a possible Bluetooth 4.0 wireless networking for the next iPod nano plus a rumored eight-pin (like MagSafe) dock connector for the next iPhone…
Jeremy Horwitz, writing for iLounge:
According to two sources, Apple’s new Dock Connector features only 8 pins, seemingly contradicting claims of “16-pin” and “19-pin” connectors.
Although the original Dock Connector contained 30 pins, reports of 16- or 19-pin connectors seemed hard to square with the port’s small size and Apple’s actual need for additional pins beyond what USB/Micro-USB offer.
Reuters and other media outlets previously reported that future iOS devices will adopt a smaller dock connector with 19 pins. The author notes that Apple may chose to give the new connector a brand new name:
No images or parts for the connector have leaked out, either. Both of our sources concur that there are eight pins in a line within the new Dock Connector, which may well receive a different name going forward.
On the iPod nano with Bluetooth 4.0 rumor:
Our source also claimed that Apple is working on an as-yet-undisclosed iOS 6 feature that will act as a bridge between its Bluetooth 4-capable devices.
The feature would enable, say, a future iPod nano to display iMessages received by an iPhone, record voice memos that could be shared via the iPhone, and even initiate phone calls through its own headphones.
Another tantalizing possibility that Bluetooth 4.0 would enable on the next iPod nano: Apple could open up the device to a range of self-made and third-party accessories.
Since Bluetooth 4.0 consumes very little power and takes only six miliseconds to pair versus six seconds for the current Bluetooth implementations, it’s well-suited for really small portable devices that have small batteries and need to be extreme aggressive in power management.
Heck, it could even bring some of the wild iWatch concepts to life, such as this one with FaceTime.
Theoretically, Apple could use Bluetooth 4.0 to turn the next iPod nano into an input device for Siri, through your iPhone 4S/iPad 3. Or vice versa, your Mac or iOS device could send various updates and alerts to the music player.
It would seem that the possibilities are endless, but the question (as always) is what features Apple will focus on and what will get dropped for the sake of seamless user experience.
Another rumor from last week has it that the next iPod nano will mark a return to the taller, narrower form factor. The device will apparently have a home button and direct connection with the iTunes cloud with iTunes Match, presumably through built-in WiFi.
The rumor also indicates possibly more richer form of interaction via the home button and some even hope for a slimmed-down version of iOS plus (and this is really stretching it) third-party apps.
Thoughts?