New patents acquired by tech giant Apple suggests smaller dock connector for upcoming iOS devices that are incompatible with most of previous iPhone accessories. Thus, consumers may need to buy new accessories if they wish to fully utilize Apple devices like the iPhone 5.

Numerous reports speculated that Apple is cooking up a new and smaller dock connector for the highly anticipated iPhone 5. However, new patents granted to Apple suggest that this is slowly becoming a reality.

Patents granted to Apple on July 17, 2012, describe potential changes to the data and power port for Apple hardware. Patent 8,223,483 describes an unreleased dock connector with a movable connector to allow a gadget some wiggle room, while patent 8,222,773 describes a new power adapter for peripheral devices.

The smaller dock connector will save more space inside the device that will pave the way for other features to be integrated in the device.

However, the patents described charging and data port which matches the design. Sadly, former Apple users who plan to upgrade their handset to the latest iPhone may need to upgrade all of their peripherals and accessories such as speakers and other enhancements with adapter.

Last month, rumors circulated that Apple plans to change the design and size of the connector for the iPhone 5. The old 30-pin connector, which has been the standard since the third generation iPod, is to be replaced by a 19-pin mini connector.

Rumors have been going on for months about upcoming products from Apple, including an iPhone 5 and an iPad Mini. The iPad mini will sport a 7-inch screen and will drastically slash the cost compared to Apple's standard tablet, according to several published reports. And a fresh set of leaked schematics indicate that indicate the iPad mini could be a remarkable 7.4 millimeters thin or 0.1 millimeters thicker than an iPod Touch.

The iPhone 5, on the other hand, is reportedly to include a much thinner screen. The rumor was sparked by a report published by the Wall Street Journal. The new screen incorporates touch screen tech directly, rather than in a separate layer, potentially shrinking the overall device.