[NewsPoster]

A Chinese accessory vendor, Veister, is circulating a photo it says shows a next-generation iPhone sync cable. The accessory is similar to Apple's current cables, but with a notably smaller head where it connects to an iOS device. The head is at least roughly consistent with earlier leaks regarding Apple's new dock connector format, which is believed to be shrinking from 30 pins down to about 8 or 9.

Still unknown is whether the Veister image shows a replacement cable or a real Apple part, simply labeled with pre-production markings. Apple should now be in full production of a new iPhone and/or several other products using the connector, possibly including a rumored mini iPad.

[rexray]

If the photo is accurate, it looks like 8 or 9 pins just on the side showing. That means there could be 8 pins on the other side as well, meaning 16 or 18 total. Even if the cable has the feature of auto-sensing the cable's orientation upon insertion, as some rumors suggest, we could be looking at 16 or 18 distinct pins, and not just 8 or 9. If the pins are "corded" in various combinations for different functions, this could account for how they can cut back to just over half the original 30 pins on the iPod connector.

Regardless, even if there's an adapter for the new cable to connect to old peripherals, it seems likely that a number of peripherals will either need a re-design or else they will be 86'd altogether.