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.