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This connector, sometimes called an "Ultra Mini Connector" or "UC-E6," isn't new and it's not an Apple creation.
Mitsumi
A 9to5Mac report making the rounds today
claims that Apple would be adding support for a new connector to its
"Made For iPhone" accessory licensing program. Dubbed the "Ultra
Accessory Connector" or "UAC" in Apple's documentation, the report
claims this is a new port, smaller than Lightning or USB-C, that could
be used to charge devices or transfer data.
In reality, the UAC is just Apple's name for a
port that is already used in some digital cameras and other
accessories—Apple has just given it a new moniker. Currently, it goes by
a few different titles: Mitsumi calls it an "Ultra Mini Connector" and Nikon calls it a "UC-E6"
cable. In any case, it appears to be just another connector for the
regular-old USB spec. When contacted for comment, Apple told us that it
was adding the port to the MFi program at the request of licensees, not
because it's trying to push licensees to support a new kind of
connector.
It's understandable that Apple's users would
get worked up over the idea of a new port—the company's iDevices just
made the jump from 30-pin connector to the small reversible Lightning
connector in 2012. The Mac is still in the process of moving from a mix
of USB, power, Ethernet, and Thunderbolt ports to USB-C and Thunderbolt
3. And Apple's iPhone 7 grabbed a lot of headlines for removing its
standard 3.5mm headphone jack in favor of Lightning and wireless
headphones.
The "UAC" port could add yet another connector
to your life if you buy an accessory with it built in, but at this
point, it looks like it's not something that Apple developed itself or
something that Apple is pushing as a replacement for either Lightning or
USB-C. Apple is simply allowing makers of MFi products to use the port
and to develop Apple-blessed cables and adapters for UAC to USB-A, UAC
to USB-C, and UAC to 3.5mm headphone jack connections.
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