Snarky.

Apple is notoriously tight-lipped about products that haven't shipped yet. Unless your friends usually keep you informed of Apple's upcoming announcements, then the fact that they haven't spilled the beans to you is evidence of nothing.

I've been watching Apple and the Apple rumor mill for years now, and I feel like there's a tipping point when you cross over from a rumor that could be nothing more than idle speculation to a rumor that has enough traction to likely be true. While a redesigned dock connector is definitely still a rumor, it's gained a lot of traction in the past month or so, and it wouldn't surprise me at all if it ends up on the next iOS device to be released. That doesn't mean it's confirmed. But it also doesn't mean it's unlikely. Apple generally confirms nothing until they make their own announcement, but it would be far from the first time that unconfirmed, but still accurate, details had leaked in advance of a product release.

That said, I don't see it as being a huge issue in the context of the current discussion: choosing your touring electronics. When I carry my iPad with me for anything longer than a day trip, I usually carry a couple of items to make it more useful on the road: a keyboard, a charging cable, and my camera connection kit. The keyboard is bluetooth, so should connect to anything, regardless of dock connectors. The other items are small and relatively inexpensive. If I were dropping hundreds of dollars on new equipment, replacing my camera card reader and charging cable would be a minor issue. Even though we have several Apple devices in the house that use the current dock port, there are still many peripherals that only work with some or one of our Apple devices. It's the nature of changing technology. Even if the next iOS product or iPod includes the same, old dock connector, there may still be compatibility issues. When I buy new tech, I pretty much assume that it will be out of date in a couple of years, but if you buy knowing that a device meets your current needs, it should continue to do that for quite a while. If you can ignore the allure of the latest, shiny thing to come out, your gear should continue to serve you regardless of what next month's stuff will do.