Yes, standard would be very nice. I think it goes beyond the dock connector, though. Consider that many devices have different dimensions, and even a subtle differences can make a dock somewhat problematic. However, all hope is not lost!

Here's what I would do:
1) Use PDMI. It's standard and capable of AV and Data using well-established 'standards' (HDMI/USB/et al.)

2) Instead of standardizing a 'dock', use a peg-and-hole standard to attach devices to a dock! Here are a few details.

• The pegs would be on the dock itself and the device would have holes to accommodate these pegs.
• There could additionally be standardized spacing between two pegs (eg 2 inches apart) engineered to be robust and standard across devices.
• These holes could straddle the PDMI connector
• Manufacturers could reinforce the hold that the peg fits in, for a snug and secure fit every time.
• You could use magnets to fasten the docks pegs to the devices holes.
• The pegs need not be thick, but could be quite thin, but sturdy (think of a slightly curved wall-plug prong). They should be more than capable of holding the device up without needing additional docking mechanisms.
• The pegs could be a standard distance from the back of the device. This is important as while you may not know the thickness of the device, you can always reinforce the back of the device against the dock without requiring padding. This is very useful for a great many docks that have the devices back against something (eg. a car dock).
• Cleverly devised docks could 'break off' the prongs (eg. magnets or a mount that could flex) in the event that too much torque is placed on the peg/hole connection. This would save both the dock and the device.

*I opted not to place the PDMI connectors on the pegs, because I believe that they should be very easy to implement by manufacturers, to ensure their use.


Voila. It doesn't get much more simple than pegs and holes, but the standardized docking implications are tremendous.


I forsee counter-top docks, bathroom mirror docks, wall docks, desktop docks, keyboard docks, speaker docks, notebook docks, car docks, etc, all without requiring a huge effort for furniture/vehicle/electronic manufacturers. Best of all, the system would reduce the size of docks tremendously. Plastic docks that fit around devices are not practical as they must be custom made and are huge.