Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Apple's Strict Requirements for Its Third-Party Lightning Accessory Program Detailed
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Love my Macbook Pro but for my phone I have to stick with Android.
When it comes to chargers and cables... in Android's case (cheap, basic, and common)... It Just Works.
I also have an iPad and media management is SO much easier on my Android phone than iPad.
When it comes to chargers and cables... in Android's case (cheap, basic, and common)... It Just Works.
I also have an iPad and media management is SO much easier on my Android phone than iPad.
Obviously not true seeing as they aren't stopping Chinese manufacturers from making cheap clones nor are they stopping Amazon from making their version of the cable.
You're talking about Thunderbolt (formerly Light Peak) which is in computers. Jesus, some people just shouldn't be allowed to comment or have an actual opinion.
READ: We want you to pay us to sell your cables. We want our freaking 30% TAX like on everything else we allow 3rd parties to participate in because having $137 BILLION dollars in cold hard cash just isn't enough baby!
Sadly, for the CONSUMER, this does NOT mean anything helpful despite their LIES. It ONLY means SKY HIGH PRICES.
Greedy buggers....
"best experience possible"
I'm going to pile on here.
Look, I love MacRumors and I don't even have a problem with these sorts of Apple policies. And quality assurance probably does factor into these decisions.
But sentences like this read like they're lifted from an Apple press release.
I'm going to pile on here.
Look, I love MacRumors and I don't even have a problem with these sorts of Apple policies. And quality assurance probably does factor into these decisions.
But sentences like this read like they're lifted from an Apple press release.
Last edited:
READ: We want you to pay us to sell your cables. We want our freaking 30% TAX like on everything else we allow 3rd parties to participate in because having $137 BILLION dollars in cold hard cash just isn't enough baby!
Sadly, for the CONSUMER, this does NOT mean anything helpful despite their LIES. It ONLY means SKY HIGH PRICES.
Greedy buggers....
It's almost as if the Tea Party has made the MacRumors forums their home. Seriously, Apple has NOT stopped anyone from making these cables and you can easily pick them up from a generic manufacturer for $5. If you don't trust Chinese companies then you can go to Monoprice and pick one up for $11. Stop sounding crazy; I promise the world won't end because there's a new chip in the sync cables.....
Still doesn't explain why they decided to still run with a crappy micro-USB cable to use their cases!!
Yeah, because Apple is so known for providing bad user experiences.
You buy a $300 phone, spend $2000+ for two years worth of service, and likely have a $1500+ Mac or two sitting around the house, and you can't afford an extra $20 for a cable? Wish you people would just grow up a little.
Not to mention that it's not inconceivable that Apple could have some pretty far out things planned for this cable's capabilities in the future.
I'm spuing. One of the main things I don't like about Apple products has become worse. Expensive Proprietry cables. At least there was a way to work around it, now I don't know if the next iMac update will break the cables I just put around the office. $30 per cable or $6 per cable? You do the maths.
Every other standard operates around the $1 to $2 dollars per cable mark, HDMI, USB, no matter how complicated the cable the cost is low.
It's a pure money grab by Apple that is a major inconvenience and expense - NOT a quest for quality in the cable.
Every other standard operates around the $1 to $2 dollars per cable mark, HDMI, USB, no matter how complicated the cable the cost is low.
It's a pure money grab by Apple that is a major inconvenience and expense - NOT a quest for quality in the cable.
In a nutshell, Lightning only serves 1 purpose to Apple: Money.
It doesn't exist for convenience. It doesn't exist for the customer - in fact Apple quite clearly dont give a damn about the customer when it comes to their proprietary ports, and never have done.
It doesn't exist for convenience. It doesn't exist for the customer - in fact Apple quite clearly dont give a damn about the customer when it comes to their proprietary ports, and never have done.
It's almost as if the Tea Party has made the MacRumors forums their home. Seriously, Apple has NOT stopped anyone from making these cables and you can easily pick them up from a generic manufacturer for $5. If you don't trust Chinese companies then you can go to Monoprice and pick one up for $11. Stop sounding crazy; I promise the world won't end because there's a new chip in the sync cables.....
Dude, I'm a left-leaning independent, not anything close to the flipping tea-party. There's nothing crazy about the fact that Apple has made it clear they can disable unauthorized 3rd party products using that security chip. There's certainly nothing crazy about the idea that Apple has largely created their own cable/dongle market and makes a freaking fortune selling overpriced cables and adapters. They realized they are being undercut and so magically their newest cables have security chips in them to try and prevent low prices from ruining their new little market. Just look at the extreme in price differences:
-Apple 30-pin iPod Cable: $19.
-3rd Party Generic: 99 Cents - $2.50
-Amazon Basics 30-pin (better cable than Apple's in every respect): $8.99
-Amazon Basics Lightning ($15, almost as much as Apple's now).
(Apple Thunderbolt to 30-pin Adapter $29 <- More expensive than the darn cable itself!)
-Apple Approved Thunderbolt to HDMI Adapter: $35-45
-3rd Party Generic with Free Shipping: $1.99 (I bought THREE of these just in case and one of them for another family member; they work PERFECTLY with full audio).
-Apple Mini Display Port to Dual-Link DVI: $99 <= WTF?!
I rest my case. Apple, GREED is thy true name.
Hooray for high prices and fanatical Apple worshipers.
No, what is sad is paying ridiculous prices for adapters and dongles that need not even exist (e.g. the Retina MBP just plain lacks ports period and thus creates the need for all kinds of hubs and dongles and adapters and there's no good reason in the world why they couldn't include more ports; my 2008 MBP has everything you'd ever want on it and it's not THAT much bigger).
Apple has quite the scam going these days and people like you can't way to hand over your money, it seems.
squeeze?
Since it was previously reported by some component manufacturers that Apple is in fact charging them costs/chip that is very very near zero margin for lightning chips, how does that jive with your theory?
I think it's more so that they want to make sure only quality components come out.
Since it was previously reported by some component manufacturers that Apple is in fact charging them costs/chip that is very very near zero margin for lightning chips, how does that jive with your theory?
I think it's more so that they want to make sure only quality components come out.
Why should companies have to license from Apple to begin with, these things should be open to all developers. Apple wants people to pay top dollar from them not 3rd party manufacturers. This is Apples new marketing plan. Why else did they invent lightening cables to begin with, micro usb would do the same thing for cheaper.
----------
Amazon has to license from Apple, they are not just making cables on their own. What do you think these cables are, they are not industry standard like USB, they are Apple making money.
"iPhone accessories are a multi-million dollar business and Apple wants to ensure that users have the best experience possible by only allowing approved third-party accessories to be used with new iOS devices."
OK, but why doesn't Apple just have some kind of seal of certification on Apple-approved devices? This is just annoying. DRM sucks.
----------
No, it absolutely would not.
OK, but why doesn't Apple just have some kind of seal of certification on Apple-approved devices? This is just annoying. DRM sucks.
----------
No, it absolutely would not.
Explain why micro usb is so bad? Because Apple didn't invent it?
The ONLY reason Apple created a new connector is to make money, nothing else.
I can't begin to tell you how badly I want to Lightning to LOD cable without a stupid adapter.
1. Lightning has capabilities beyond Micro USB, and so does the older Dock Connector. Lightning has capabilities beyond the older Dock Connector, but they haven't been used yet. For example, both dedicate a pin to video (well, Lightning does temporarily). Lightning allows Apple to expand their devices' in/out capabilities over time because of how it changes which pins it uses.
2. Micro USB is much more annoying to plug in than Lightning, which is not picky about which way you plug it in. Same with the 30-pin. That feeling of plugging the cable in the wrong way...
3. Lightning just looks sleeker.
4. Lightning is supposedly faster, but I don't have much info on that. Of course, if it is, it's bottlenecked if you're using a Lightning to USB adaptor.
All things that are useless for what most people use the cable for, charging their phone.
Actually, the ability to plug it in either way is a convenience for charging. Anything that has Lightning is not designed only to be charged. You're being narrow-minded if you're applying this to other customers. iDevices are meant to work with various accessories and sync with PCs. Also, do you SERIOUSLY think that Apple would attempt a money grab at such a high cost in publicity and consumer satisfaction? This thing has very negative reception.
I'd be fully satisfied if Apple stopped this DRM nonsense and actually moved everything to Lightning instead of awkwardly keeping some devices at the old standard.