An 8-pin power connector developed by Apple, Inc. in 2012 as a replacement for the traditional 30-pin connector previously used on Apple devices like the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. The Lightning Connector is currently utilized by the iPhone 5, iPad Mini, fourth generation iPad (iPad 4), fifth generation iPod touch and seventh generation iPod Nano.
The Lightning connector is much more compact than the previous connector and can be inserted with either side face up. The downside for consumers is that the Lightning connector is incompatible with cables and devices designed for the older 30-pin connector, although an adapter is available that the Lightning connector can plug in to in order to work with these devices.
