Accessories

Unofficial Lightning cables and adapters shipping November 3 for half the price

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

iPhone5Mod previously released an interesting iPhone 5 Flash Lightning Dock, its first unauthorized Lightning-equipped accessory, and recently announced a nice backplate replacement for your iPhone 5. Today, they're launching three new Lightning accessories set to ship November 3. Of course, these unsanctioned cables and adapters lure with low prices that significantly undercut Apple's comparable offerings (think a 50 percent discount or more). We've got more information and nice promo clips right past the fold...

Elevation Dock hacked to support new Lightning connector

Cody Lee ∙ October 3, 2012

Since the iPhone 5 launched two weeks ago with its new Lightning port, accessories have been extremely scarce. Lightning to USB cables alone have been hard to find, never mind docks and other add-ons.

Thus, we imagine we'll be seeing a slew of do-it-yourself solutions pop up over the next few months. In fact, one has already surfaced involving an Elevation Dock, some hacking and a Lightning USB cable...

Apple tightens terms for ‘Made for iPhone’ Lightning accessories

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated October 10, 2018

The tiny Lightning connector that debuted on the new iPhone, iPod touch and iPod nano allows Apple to exercise a much tighter control over the accessories ecosystem, it has been revealed. According to a new report out this morning, all vendors seeking to make products bearing the 'Made for iPhone' (MFi) trademark must be approved by Apple.

Additionally, club Cupertino is requiring vendors to manufacture their gear in Apple-approved facilities. Apple is currently educating them on the new terms so don't expect first officially approved third-party Lightning accessories before late-October or November...

Apple could have wireless Lightning adapter in the works

Christian Zibreg ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Apple's new, miniaturized dock connector that debuted on the iPhone 5 under the Lightning moniker so far proved an annoyance as customers with legacy 30-pin dock accessories are required to purchase Apple's pricey adapter. Worse, as Apple's cable has an authentication chip, it has been concluded that third-party alternatives offered by places like Alibaba.com won’t work.

But as a patent filing indicates, Apple is researching an interesting solution that could help ease Lightning woes with a universal adapter for iOS devices which facilitates, as Apple wrote, "the transmission of wireless data to any accessory"...

SVP Phil Schiller says Apple has no plans for an iPhone 5 dock

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Starting with the new iPhone, Apple will be replacing the decade-old 30-pin dock connectors in all of its future iOS devices. This means that, sans an adapter, all of your old dock accessories will become obsolete.

This includes Apple's white 30-pin dock — a signature accessory that's been around since the early iPod days. Most folks figured Apple would update it this fall with the new Lightning plug, but apparently that's not the case...