http://www.fudzilla.com/news/41340-a...mart-connector




The flagship ?Pro? option also appears to use Apple?s Smart Connector ? a feature only currently available on the 9.7-inch and 10.9-inch iPad Pro. In short, the proprietary connector allows both power and data to be sent simultaneously via magnetic conduction. Whether the company will include this feature on the entire new iPhone lineup remains to be seen.

Apple isn?t finished with its Smart Connector design, however. In March, the company also filed a patent for a ?stackable Smart Connector? allowing multiple devices to be simultaneously connected to a single port (using stacked connectors). The design currently used with the iPad Pro and (at least) the upcoming flagship iPhone appears to be the company?s first iteration and may see multiple revisions similar to the MagSafe connector on MacBooks that was introduced ten years ago.
Since January, another contentious rumor about the tenth-generation iPhone was that Apple would be removing the 3.5mm headphone jack and opting for an analog passthrough over the Lightning USB port. This is sure to upset audio purists, as we mentioned in similar reports on Intel?s push for a USB-C audio standard. Of course, some suggest Apple could market its way around this by claiming that water could get absorbed into the 3.5mm port, therefore necessitating it to be removed for additional waterproofing, or to simply reduce the thickness of the device.

What remains to be seen is whether Apple will include a Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter in the box or if customers will be nickeled and dimed into purchasing adapters. Some claim that the company will simply include Lightning Earpods in the box, but this type of solution is not likely to go unnoticed without adequate feedback and concern by consumers.