News
Third-party Lightning Adapters appear online
By Jeremy Horwitz
Editor-in-Chief, iLoungeGoogle+
Published: Monday, September 17, 2012
News Categories: iPod Accessories, iPhone Accessories
Hitherto unknown third-party developers have begun to offer purported Lightning to 30-Pin adapters through Amazon.com, notes AppleInsider. Nanotch and iTronz currently have pre-order pages on Amazon promising $10 to $18 prices for the Adapters, which feature male Lightning connectors on one end and female 30-pin ports on the other, with promised availability near the end of this month.
On the surface, these accessories appear to be better values than Apple’s own Lightning Adapters, which will sell for $29 each when released in October. However, established developers have told iLounge that early third-party adapters will likely experience either delays or functional problems with old accessories and new Apple devices, citing Apple’s decision to keep both parts and specifications to itself until the last moment. These developers have suggested that both the quality and electronic compatibility of unlicensed adapters may be poor, given that new Apple authentication chips will be required to make them work properly. The adapters should be considered risky investments until they’ve been properly tested with the new iPhone 5 and iPods.
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Just be aware that the descriptions for the adapters only mention USB sync and charging. They mention nothing about audio out or other control signals being passed such as iPod control in both of which the Apple units are capable of!
Posted by Mark Bebbington on September 17, 2012 at 1:34 PM (PST)
2
As over priced as Apple’s dongle is, I sucked it up and bought one because it’s just like when they switched from firewire to USB. Too many unknowns with a new connector for such expensive devices to risk them over saving $20.
While nowadays you can get iPod cables three for $10 with superior build and quality to Apple’s from reputable “knockoff” companies, it wasn’t always like this. It took a long time of sustained Amazon and eBay reviews to weed out the garbage and find the companies making good accessories. For the first couple of years you were rolling the dice. I learned my lesson the hard way with a $2.50 eBay cable that resulted in a $150 logic board replacement for my 5G “classic” when it shorted out and fried my iPod.
Posted by Code Monkey in Midstate New York on September 17, 2012 at 2:17 PM (PST)
3
Th Apple adapters are worth the money considering it is not just rerouting pins but is also a functioning digital to analog converter in a pretty tight package. Plus, you know it will work.
Posted by jiji on September 18, 2012 at 12:12 AM (PST)
4
@3: We’re going to have to agree to disagree. Among other reasons why we know it’s overpriced is that the lightning cable from Apple is $10 less containing more hardware.
The adapter is, quite simply, a brilliant (from Apple’s p.o.v.) way to generate tens of millions in profits for no good reason whatsoever (from the consumer’s p.o.v.).
Posted by Code Monkey in Midstate New York on September 18, 2012 at 1:14 PM (PST)