iPhone Accessories

If you have you ever wished your iPhone was more like Batman's utility belt then you should check out the ReadyCase Indiegogo campaign. The surprisingly thin case (less than 3mm thick) not only protects your iPhone, but it also crams in a multi-tool, a USB memory stick, a kickstand, a headphone clip and three lenses for the iPhone camera.

The case ships with a knife / screwdriver / bottle opener multi-tool, your choice of 8GB or 16GB memory stick (which doubles as a kickstand) and an integrated lens ring for attaching a variety of lenses (a macro lens, a fish eye lens and a wide angle lens) specifically designed to work with the iPhone. The case keeps is slim pocket-friendly design by allowing you to snugly attach the multi-tool and memory stick to the back of the case, and the headphone clip eliminates knotted cord headaches by keeping your EarPods tangle free.

Once a new Apple product hits the market, it doesn't take long for someone to disassemble the unit to see what makes it tick. In classic fashion, iFixit did just that to the EarPods, even though they are not designed to be opened or repaired. Despite this drawback, there are several design improvements beyond just acoustics.

The EarPods are the first Apple earbud headphones to utilize paper cones in the speaker diaphragms as opposed to all plastic. Not only should this improve frequency response, but it results in a more durable speaker that will better resist tearing. Other durability improvements were also spotted in the teardown.

Apple announced new in-ear headphones called EarPods at its keynote on Wednesday. The EarPods will begin shipping with every iPod touch, iPod nano and iPhone after the iPhone 5 is released on September 21. Apple spent three years redesigning the old in-ear headphones that previously came with older Apple devices.

Apple uploaded a video to YouTube explaining why the new EarPods are better. Jonny Ive, Apple’s head of industrial design explains in the clip that making one headphone to fit everbody’s ear would be impossible, but that's exactly what Apple set out to do.

Numerous leaks and anonymous tips have all but proven the iPhone 5 and all future Apple devices will feature a 9-pin dock connector. If true, all existing iOS cables, chargers and accessories won't work without some kind of adaptor. According to iLounge's Jeremy Horwitz, Apple plans to eliminate all third-party developers by becoming the "exclusive initial vendor" of their own branded "9-pin Connector". Apple will sell the "Dock Connector Adapters" individually for $10, or three for $29.

Horwitz claims Apple has stopped entertaining "third-party proposals for connector-equipped accessories, making some developers worried that Apple plans to muscle them out of the market for iOS related adaptors and cables.

"Some developers fear that Apple will corner the market for both the adapters and cables, much as it did with MagSafe connectors for MacBook laptops, using licensing agreements and threats of lawsuits to prevent less expensive third-party solutions from coming to market. One source notes that Apple will reap a windfall by limiting competition in this manner, generating revenues of $100 million for every 10 million Dock Connector Adapters it sells for $10. According to the source, Apple estimates that it will sell the first 10 million Adapters by the end of 2012."

More evidence has appeared of what looks to be the next generation charging and sync cable from Apple. Moving to an 8-pin symmetrical design will allow the cable to be plugged in without concerns about the orientation of the dock connector.

iLounge explains that the photo could be of a replacement cable or an authentic Apple part with pre-production stamps on the full-sized USB end of the cable. The design of the cable certainly looks like existing 30-pin dock connector cables that have been in use on all of Apple's mobile devices since 2003.