14 DAY TRIAL // People privy to Apple’s plans with the next-generation iPhone have confirmed to AppleInsider that the new “mini” dock connector indeed boasts eight gold pins (on each side) and a ninth contact point in the metal frame surrounding the plug.
“They [the sources] say the 8 gold contacts seen on one side of the male plug in recently leaked photos of the connector are simply repeated on the flip side,” reads the report, confirming our speculation.
The pins are joined by the surrounding metal shell which also acts as functional contact, which adds up to 9 pins, or connectors.
According to one person who is familiar with the hardware, “The beauty of this connector is that it no longer matters which side is up when you insert it into the phone. It's like MagSafe on the [MacBook] - every orientation is the correct one.”
We had previously speculated that this was the reason why the port had 16 pins, eight on each side.