Apple patents dock connector with Thunderbolt, USB 3.0 connectivity

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Apple, Corporate News, Handhelds

The United States Patent and Trademark Office on Tuesday awarded Apple a patent that suggests Apple is working on an iPhone and iPod that supports Intel Thunderbolt and USB 3.0.

The invention, which in 2009 Apple called a "Reduced Size Multi-Pin Male Plug Connector" describes a 30-pin dock connector for "high-speed communication standards," citing USB 3.0 and a "dual channel" DisplayPort.

The name "Thunderbolt" wasn't mentioned (unsurprisingly, given that it only launched in February 2011 on the new MacBook Pro) but the patent's multiple mentions of a "dual channel" DisplayPort suggests the same technology.

Thunderbolt combines Intel's PCI Express and DisplayPort into a single connector for theoretical transfer speeds of 10 Gbps (fast enough to download a full-length Blu-ray movie in under 30 seconds).

Click to continue reading Apple patents dock connector with Thunderbolt, USB 3.0 connectivity

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iLuv iMM9400 Audio System with iPhone, iPod support

Posted by Mark Rollins Categories: Accessories, Home Entertainment, Music

Nothing that I love more than seeing new products from iLuv, and it has been a while since we covered anything from them.  This time, it is a CD/MP3 Hi-Fi audio system known as the iMM9400. 

It comes with a universal dock for iPhone and iPod, and also features a 4-CD/MP3 audio player, two channel speakers, an SD card slot, as well as an AM/FM radio with PLL digital tuning technology.  It should be available next month, and will retail for about $250. 

Read More | iLuv

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