Repair Shop Stocking iPhone 5 and iPad mini Parts “for Some Time Now”

Parts making up the next-generation iPhone and the rumored iPad mini have (again) surfaced in pictures, this time showing that there are no contact pins on the top side of the plug. The source also says it has had them for a while now.

Repair shop iResQ says they’ve been sticking iPhone 5 and iPad mini parts for some time now, “but we’ve decided that we’d like to share this with our faithful readers,” writes Keith on the company’s blog.

“In the first picture […] you’ll see two 8-pin dock connector and headphone jack assemblies for the Mini iPad on the left,” says Keith.

“On the right, you’ll see two 8-pin dock connector and headphone jack assemblies for the iPhone 5 (or ‘New iPhone’).”

The firm points out to the different colors these assemblies come in, “suggesting a change in design for the devices.”

Keith also notes that Apple’s rumored iPad mini might take more cues from the iPod touch and iPhone, rather than from the iPad. One particularly noteworthy aspect is the headphone jack on the iPad mini, which Apple has located next to the dock connector.

“Another thing of note is the fact that the iPad Mini’s headphone jack is pretty close to the dock,” writes Keith. “This further hits on rumors that the iPad Mini will be more similar to the iPhone or iPod Touch than the current size iPad.”

The second photo down shows a close up of the 8-pin dock connector of the white version of the iPhone 5.

“Rest assured, we’ll be ready to repair these models very shortly after their release from Apple,” says the blog's author.

Fans of the repair shop curious about the lack of pins on the top side of the dock connector are being told that “that there are no contact pins on the top side.”

Strangely, all leaks so far have told a different story - that Apple’s new dock connector is orientation-independent, meaning there have to be pins on both sides.