A new iPhone 6 leak photo shows Apple’s USB cable will be reversible at both ends, matching an existing Apple patent and making life easier for users.
Less than a month out from Apple’s launch of its new iPhone 6 models comes yet another compelling leak, but this time, it’s all about the USB cable.
Apple already made the Lightning connector which plugs into the bottom of iPhones and iPads into a reversible plug, but now the other end which plugs into your computer is going to get the same treatment, while remaining fully compatible with existing USB ports.
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| Apple’s reversible connector patent image. |
The source of the leak is Australian iPhone news leaker, Sonny Dickson, famed for previous Apple leaks including iPhone 5S info last year and for bringing news of Apple’s Sapphire Glass screens this year.
Now Mr Dickson has posted a photo on Twitter showing a traditional USB connector next to one of the purported new ones, in a development that will leave many wondering why no-one ever did it before.
The Verge notes that the “thinned-out middle section of the USB plug is said to have contacts on both sides, making it possible to connect without having it ‘the right way’ up.”
The Verge also points out that some third-party accessory makers have already gone down this path, alongside the upcoming “Type-C USB standard” that will make future microUSB connectors as reversible as current Lightning port connectors.
However, it looks like Apple will be the company to popularise the concept, finally banishing the problem of not knowing which way is up when plugging in USB cables, only to turn it around to try again, and then again and again until you finally get the cable plugged in.
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| Sonny Dickson’s Twitter photo of the new reversible USB connector. |
Apple’s design also matches a patent it was previously awarded, all of which points to a blockbuster iPhone 6 launch with plenty of fanfare.
The only question is whether there are any surprises left, but given it’s Apple we’re speaking of, there’s sure to be at least ‘one more thing’, if not several, that escaped leakers sieves.
It probably won’t be long before USB cable makers copy the design and flood the market with ever more reversible connectors, too, so whether you buy a new iPhone 6 or not, a USB cable with at least one reversible connector, if not two, is coming to your life in the not-too-distant future.
