It's made of tubes. Photo: Left Field Design
If Apple changes either the physical design or connector interface of the iPhone in its next smartphone refresh, your current docking accessory will become all but obsolete. A Kickstarter project called ODOC anticipates this possibility with docking hardware that’s ready for nearly anything Apple may have in development.
The ODOC is heavy. Currently weighing in at a pound and a half with the potential to hit 2.7 pounds when it goes into production, the dock is a hefty chunk of metal. But the minimilist tube design is heavy for a reason — the dock’s engineers want to cut down on the “pick up the iPhone, but the dock fails to disconnect, and instead gets lifted off the desk” problem.
Just don’t mistake heavy for unwieldy. The cylinder-inspired design can be set to four different angles to optimize an iPhone’s viewing and even navigation position. The weight of the dock, rectangle base and O-Ring keep the iPhone stationary while swiping and even finger typing.
Case removal is optional. Photo: Left Field Design
The dock cavity itself is large enough to accept a current iPhone in almost any protective case. Likewise, if the iPhone 5 employs a larger chassis, it should fit too.
But ODOC’s most intriguing design element is its swappable USB/audio interface — if Apple ditches the current 30-pin dock connection, a replacement element can be purchased for $20. Removing the element itself involves the relatively painless the removal of four screws.
The ODOC is currently securing funding on Kickstarter.
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