Actually, these days they probably could. Or at least they could sign the agreement then drag their feet over implementing it and I'm not sure there's anything anyone could directly do about it. Apple could happily tie any legal action up for years.

In any case, they're not about to abandon the dock connector. If they did, any new model would be incompatible with the literally tens of thousands of docks, hifi inputs, ICE inputs, clock radios, chargers, boom boxes, video players etc etc etc. Apple may go nuts occasionally (well, fairly often) but they're not actually stupid, in general.

An adapter with every phone seems to me to be the obvious thing they'll do. Either that or provide both on the phone but that doesn't to me seem a very 'Appley' solution.

I'd say an adaptor with this one then phase out the dock over a couple of years. Like they did with mini-dvi & displayport

But mini-DVI was always an adapterred-port anyhoo. I can't see them getting rid of the dock, and as has been said above, two ports seems unecessary, and un-Apple-y, so I reckon it'll be an adapter in the box.

if they are sticking with the Apple dock connector then I can still use all my USB cables with it. No need for me to get a charger.

Will Apple sue Gizmodo?

http://www.itproportal.com/portal/news/ ... e-4g-saga/

Technically in California even a lost phone can be regarded as theft so I would expect Gizmodo being given some grace before they are raided by the police for handling stolen goods, possibly fencing stolen goods. Though if Apple wanted to get nasty there is still the RICO act for use against criminal organisations. Though Gizmodo would not survive that.

Well, it look like the real thing now, Apple asked for it back:
http://gizmodo.com/5520479/a-letter-app ... phone-back

How Apple Lost the Next iPhone

I have read elsewhere and fully agree with the idea that this is merely Apple going up to the next level in free marketing via news websites. Nothing gets left in those circumstances unless Apple want it to.

If we find the engineer is missing and that his body is discovered in a shallow grave we know that this was not a marketing ploy.

Well maybe, though this is just some tech company we are talking about. There has not been a sudden shortage of world stupid that could not make an event like this totally accidental. Sure conspiracy does happen, but stupid happens more.

+1

There's a very famous maxim - 'Never attribute to malice that which can be explained by incompetence'.

+1

That is indeed a powerful argument. I still have my suspicions though, given how much of Apple's marketing is usually done through news websites these days.

[T-shirt]

+10