Cables and Connectors

9to5Mac has posted several photos of Apple's next-generation iPhone. The photos show the iPhone's new metal back plates, the rumored smaller dock connector and that the earphone jack has been moved to the bottom corner of the device. 9to5Mac also notes that the "speaker grills have been redesigned, and there is a new opening between the camera lens and the LED flash."

"We’re not sure what this opening is, but it is possible that Apple is moving the second microphone (Apple started shipping two microphones with the iPhone 4) to the back for improved audio capture during video recording."

Lugging around a bunch of different power adapters for all of your electronic devices can be a real drag. Even though iPhone owners who happen to have an iPad can bring one USB power plug, only one device can be charged up at a time. All this could be set to change if a new Apple patent discovered by Patently Apple comes to fruition.

The system Apple proposes involves an intelligent power adapter, that would give the proper amount of voltage to multiple devices at once. One plug would go into an AC outlet, while several devices are connected by various means to the main unit, which automatically determines which units are compatible for charging.