News
Sources: Apple to be sole maker of Dock Connector Adapters
By Jeremy Horwitz
Editor-in-Chief, iLoungeGoogle+
Published: Wednesday, September 5, 2012
News Categories: iPod Accessories, Apple, iPad Accessories, iPhone Accessories
Responding to earlier reports that Apple hasn’t offered developers parts or specs for next-generation Dock Connector accessories, additional sources have confirmed to iLounge that Apple will be the exclusive initial vendor of a new Dock Connector Adapter, to be sold individually and/or in three-packs. According to sources, the Dock Connector Adapters will sell for approximately $10 each or three for $29, with Apple-branded new USB cables selling for $19 each. For reference, Apple’s MagSafe to MagSafe 2 Converter sells for $9.99, while international pricing for Apple’s earlier iPhone Micro USB Adapter is €9 ($11) or £8 ($13).
While leaks of the new connector have been numerous, Apple has remained mum on what developers are calling the “9-pin Connector,” even though sources claim that Apple has in recent months stopped approving third-party proposals for connector-equipped accessories. Some developers fear that Apple will corner the market for both the adapters and cables, much as it did with MagSafe connectors for MacBook laptops, using licensing agreements and threats of lawsuits to prevent less expensive third-party solutions from coming to market. One source notes that Apple will reap a windfall by limiting competition in this manner, generating revenues of $100 million for every 10 million Dock Connector Adapters it sells for $10. According to the source, Apple estimates that it will sell the first 10 million Adapters by the end of 2012. It remains unclear whether Apple will allow third-party developers to release competing alternatives before then, or afterwards.
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1
The Chinese goods vendors on eBay and Amazon are going to have a field day with this. $19 for a cable? That lasts about a year or two max before it comes apart? Last dock cables I bought came 3 for $10 and are better made than Apple’s official ones.
Posted by Code Monkey in Midstate New York on September 5, 2012 at 8:17 AM (PST)
2
3rd party vendors don’t have the spec because it hasn’t been *announced* yet.
Posted by John on September 5, 2012 at 9:50 AM (PST)
3
Wait. Why?
Why do you need an adaptor? Won’t the phone come with a charger?
Why is the connector smaller in the 1st place? Why bother with so much more room in the new shell?
Everything is Wireless now except charging, right? The adaptor won’t fit in existing dock-style accessories, so what’s the point of an adaptor? How can Apple predict they’ll sell so many items no one really should need? Why buy an adaptor unless you plan to use an old charger in addition to the charger that comes with the new Device? Only if you want two or more chargers, right?
Two seemingly unrelated questions: why is the phone so much larger than the extra screen size requires? Why did Nokia botch their announcement going early before they had a release date?
Guess what, all these questions are answered by one simple feature:
The iPhone 5 will be a 100% wireless Device with wireless charging.
The smaller dock is for service and recovery access.
Posted by Alex on September 5, 2012 at 10:53 AM (PST)
4
By your post, you are either 12, in which i say, “good job buddy!”
or you are a grown adult, who is dumb. either way, “good job buddy!”
Posted by Shut up Alex on September 5, 2012 at 10:59 AM (PST)