Apple is reportedly developing a new connector. However, it is not for the iPhone, MacBook or other Apple devices as everyone would want. Instead, the connector is intended for its accessories.
The Ultra Accessory Connector (UAC) is part of a developer preview for Apple's Made for iPhone licensing program, better known as MFi. The male and female UAC connectors are specific to cables used on headphones and headsets. The tech giant will supposedly give the green light to third-party manufacturers to develop and produce accessories to be used for Apple products. Such accessories include those that connect Lightning, 3.5mm headset jack, or USB-A to the UAC. As Apple envisions, these accessories will then be used to connect headphones with a UAC port to Apple products.
As AppAdvice noted, the 8-pin Ultra Accessory Connector is thinner than the USB-C and Lighting as it measures only 2.05mm by 4.85mm. Because of this fact, manufacturers will have the advantage of having more space to work with.
According to 9to5 Mac, there are rumors that Apple will soon replace the Lightning port with the USB-Type C port. For now, Apple devices use two kinds of connectors. There's the Lighting port for iPhones and the USB-C for the current MacBook Pros.
Apple is blazing another trail when it ditched a number of standard features such as the headphone jack and SD card slot in favor of USB-Type C ports. Not everyone shares Apple's mindset that the company is making another bold move that would eventually be the standard in the near future. However, the removal of such ports paved the way for third-party companies to develop solutions to the port problems of the new MacBook Pro. With the Ultra Accessory Connector, Apple is possibly targeting that new market that it has created. But as of now, the Ultra Accessory Connector is mainly focused on headsets.
