Dock, dock, goose! —

Apple reportedly wants to hog the market for iPhone dock adapters

The adapters are expected to sell for $10, with a three-pack going for $29.

Apple will reportedly be the exclusive source of adapters to connect the upcoming sixth-generation iPhone to existing dock accessories. According to sources speaking to iLounge, Apple isn't sharing the specs of an oft-rumored smaller connector set to debut next week, and may use "licensing agreements and threats of lawsuits" to prevent third-party adapters from hitting the market through at least 2012.

The first hints of a redesigned dock connector surfaced earlier this year, bolstered by a job listing at Apple for a "connector design engineer." Several manufacturers claimed the rumors were indeed true in June, and we argued that now—at the height of Apple's popularity—might be the best time to make a switch away from the decade-old 30-pin dock connector that first debuted on the third-generation iPod in 2003.

Earlier rumors suggested that the new connector would be smaller and feature only 19 pins. Later information claimed that Apple would produce an adapter to use newer iOS devices or iPods with older accessories built for the 30-pin system. More recent rumors have suggested that the new connector might in fact only have as few as 9 pins.

iLounge's sources say Apple hasn't shared any information about the physical or electrical characteristics of the new connector with accessory manufacturers, likely in the hope to stem the tide of leaks and rumors (which doesn't appear to have helped in this case). However, that means that manufacturers won't likely have any directly compatible accessories ready in time for the high-volume holiday shopping season.

Those same sources indicated that Apple would sell a dock adapter for about $10 (perhaps the same $9.99 it charges for a MagSafe2 adapter), as well as a three-pack for $29. The company will also reportedly offer a USB cable (no confirmation if it will be USB 3.0 compatible) for $19. According to the sources, Apple expects to sell approximately 10 million adapters through the end of 2012.

Channel Ars Technica