[jzwinck]

You could say that the previous iPod dock connector was over-designed. But it wasn't, because it survived many years and many devices, with only a handful in between (like some iPod nanos) not being amenable to it years after its creation. We do not yet know what fate awaits Lightning. The odds are certainly tilted against it. Not only is Android popular and universally using Micro-USB (unlike when the first iPhone came out and phones had all kinds of plugs), but "smart wires" are increasingly antiquated: if you want to pipe music from your phone to your car, wouldn't you rather use WiFi than a cord? Sure, you need to plug in to charge much of the time, but now you can hand the thing to someone in the backseat and let them change songs. And any dumb USB port will charge any phone these days, which is good enough.

[ars]

> You could say that the previous iPod dock connector was over-designed. But it wasn't, because it survived many years and many devices

That's not the test of overdesigned. It's overdesigned if the cost doesn't provide sufficient benefit - and it clearly didn't.

[snom380]

It clearly didn't? I'd say the iPod dock ecosystem and all the optional cables (like VGA, HDMI, digital out etc) more than justified the cost of the 30 pin connector.

[anologwintermut]

And I assume you believe the previous success of Internet Explorer demonstrated the superiority of Internet Explorer and not Windows.

The connector succeeded because the IPod was extremely popular and then Apple got to leverage network effects.

[rsynnott]

> It's overdesigned if the cost doesn't provide sufficient benefit - and it clearly didn't.

Really? The cost for a lightning to HDMI cable tends to fall in between that of an MHL to HDMI and a Slimport to HDMI adaptor.

[r00fus]

> if you want to pipe music from your phone to your car, wouldn't you rather use WiFi than a cord?

No for several reasons (and since I haven't seen a single car with wifi music built-in, I'm going to assume you're abstracting wifi/bluetooth here into wireless):

1) Wireless drains batteries and I may not have a charger

2) Wired = charge-capable, likely charging.

3) Wireless setup requires authentication and configuration, often from the car itself. My 2012 Sienna is a great vehicle that is comfy on a road trip for 7 ppl, but it's BT implementation is a godawful nightmare. Setup is required to be initiated from the car, and can only be done through voice, and when you're not driving (even by passengers). Also, it tends to "lose" configs every once in a while. Meanwhile, the USB port just plays whatever's connected to it (we use mainly iDevices, so not sure about droids) and the in-wheel controls work fine.

[superuser2]

No, because my car is going to LONG outlast the proprietary and most likely terrible app that my car's manufacturer would write for the current generation of one particular phone.

Cars should never under any circumstances ever have specific apps like Spotify, Pandora, and Bing. In 15 years, people are going to feel pretty stupid about owning those. The 3.5mm TRS connector, however, is a long term open standard that will still be working long after Pandora folds.

[dragonwriter]

> Cars should never under any circumstances ever have specific apps like Spotify, Pandora, and Bing. In 15 years, people are going to feel pretty stupid about owning those.

Isn't that the point? Its shiny at the time you buy it, but it quickly feeds planned obscelescence, increasing your desire to replace it later. Win-win for the manufacturer.

[rsynnott]

> Not only is Android popular and universally using Micro-USB

And in a year or so, the transition to USB3, requiring a new port, will start; Lightning will handle USB3 with a different cable.

Also, of course, most modern Android devices don't have a microUSB port; they have microUSB+MHL or +SlimPort.

[nwh]

The iPod dock connector is actually an industry standard that Apple happened to use. They didn't create it.

[gmisra]

Really? Could you provide a source for this? I was under the impression that the 30-pin connector was (yet another) proprietary Apple hardware standard.

[nwh]

I'm struggling to find any source that directly confirms it, but it's most certainly the same plug used in this standard, and the Dell Streak which conforms to it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PDMI

[czhiddy]

You're saying that Apple's 30 pin connector, introduced in 2003, was a copy of a "industry standard" that was designed in 2010?

Maybe that's why you're struggling to find a source that "directly confirms it".

[nwh]

The standard is for the specification of the pin layout not the plug. As all the links on the wikipedia page are broken and I can't remember the name of the plug itself, we're at a loss here.

[rsynnott]

PDMI certainly seems to be a copy of the Apple 30 pin connector, but it was introduced long after it. It wasn't electrically compatible, of course. To add confusion, certain Samsung tablets used a physical PDMI interface which was not electrically compatible with either PDMI or the Apple thing.

[jeremycole]

That article actually says "PDMI aims to replace the ubiquitous iPod cradle connector".

[sigstoat]

even if that is physically the same 30 pin connector, that isn't even remotely close to being electrically the same.

PDMI has USB 3.0, displayport and high current power.

the ipod dock connector has firewire and composite video.