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 iOS 7 Lightning Connector Authentication Check 'Permanently' Cracked
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
And better, even though I find the price of Macs expensive, they are good value for that money. But each single time a keynote speaker announced a new cable or adaptor and ended with ‘for just $20/$30’, it made me want to slap that person in the face. These are just so heavily overpriced, there is simply no way that people could reasonably say they are good value. I embrace these unlicensed manufacturers for providing what the market at large wants: reasonable prices for simple products. And the quality has become better over the years too, my DisplayPort–DVI adaptor for a few pounds works very well, and still does after three years.
Yes, like the tight QC Apple has done with the Black anodizing on the iphone 5 and ipad mini. Oh wait..
My 2 cents
It's absolutely true that if Apple charged reasonable prices for their products, these knockoffs wouldn't be necessary. That being said, by using these accessories u r risking damage to ur product and it would be immoral to demand apple replace it, considering it wasn't their product that did this.
It's absolutely true that if Apple charged reasonable prices for their products, these knockoffs wouldn't be necessary. That being said, by using these accessories u r risking damage to ur product and it would be immoral to demand apple replace it, considering it wasn't their product that did this.
How exactly does a hardware hack bypass a software check for validation? and even if it did, how does that make it impossible for Apple to disable this cable entirely? The cable would have to somehow change the iOS devices hardware or software. Apple only needs to release a software update that checks for this hacked hardware.
And if they are somehow spoofing a valid Apple hardware signature of some sort, well (besides the legal implications) they are assuming that there is not another signature already in Apple certified devices that is more hidden.
Frankly, Apple alone is the only one who would know whether or not Apple can block this hack. It is a bold statement to say otherwise.
Just look at the console modding scene... its a game of cat and mouse which we've all seen Apple play well before...
Because when the original Apple cable burn your iPhone you may receive indemnization, even if it burn your home while you left your iPhone charging.
With the fake cable, Apple will show you their middle finger.
Its a risk. Small risk, but a risk.
And I dont know what are you doing with those cables but I use for 5 years the same cable that came with my iPhone and 2 years the cable of my iPad. Not a scratch on them.
Last edited:
Really, setting fire at 12volt? BTW: the Apple originals are also made in China just next to the cheap knockoffs. Some competition is just good for the market.
But honestly, what are the odds of ruining your iPhone with a 3rd party cable? It can't be that high, and without hard evidence this is nothing more than fear mongering to me.
Just like I can ruin my iPhone by jailbreaking it.
Good to see other companies bringing up cheap cables. Apple charger cable has lot of issues and they are making money by charging $15 for their own manufacturing flaw. Phone does not charge because that chip cable goes faulty every few months. Its a growing problem.
I am happy to see cheaper price cables on market
Check out Monoprice. Their Lightning cables are certified. Been using a bunch on my iPhone and iPad.
The more Closed Apple Gets, the more Enemies Apple Gets.
Advice: Low the price on cables and save some iDevices life.
Buying cables right now....
Advice: Low the price on cables and save some iDevices life.
Buying cables right now....
One of my original lightning cables has already fried right around where the cable goes into the lightning plug, and another Apple cable looks like it'll be doing the same thing soon. The quality control Apple has on their own cables is laughable.
Maybe if I didn't have to charge my iPhone twice a day, my cables would last longer, but I'd gladly use another companies cables if they held up better than the Apple ones (and were cheaper!)
The problem are not the licencing fees.
Apple only gives licences to companies with fair working rules for their workers.
(Fair as in fairer than sweatshops).
It just cost therefore more to make these cables and thats something many people don't want to pay
Apple only gives licences to companies with fair working rules for their workers.
(Fair as in fairer than sweatshops).
It just cost therefore more to make these cables and thats something many people don't want to pay
You might get lucky and a knockoff works for you. I, however, have experienced instances where knockoff (Rocketfish) display adapters and cheap usb extenders simply didn't work and we had to find a real Apple-branded one. Display adapters definitely make a difference if the equipment you are sending to requires a proper EDID to determine the incoming resolution. You have to know whether your equipment requires an active or a passive adapter. The cheap ones tend to be passive, which probably won't work at high resolutions. Hope I said that correctly.
FiiO applied for a MFI license and was denied (or delayed?), and there was some suspicion that it was because they are a Chinese company:
http://www.head-fi.org/t/613495/upcoming-fiio-e02i-rocky-and-e12/105
I'm not sure if that makes sense, since most (all?) MFI-certified cables are made in China anyway. But if that is the case, I can't blame iPhone5mod for developing a workaround.
And for all the people automatically associating Chinese companies with poor quality or IP theft: while there certainly is a problem with IP with many Chinese companies, there are innovative companies designing and producing high-quality goods in China. Two examples that come to mind are FiiO (amplifiers) and Fenix (flashlights).
I've actually had some experience with different quality lightning cables, from Apple's all the way down to ones that fall apart immediately. None of the knockoff cables were the same quality as the Apple cable as far as construction. That doesn't mean that they didn't work, as some worked fine, but I could tell the difference in quality.
For example, on the Apple cable, the plastic piece holding the metal lightning connector end is a solid piece of plastic molded around the metal lightning connector. On some of the cheaper knockoff cables I've encountered, this hasn't been the case, where the lightning connector was attached to a plastic piece that slipped into another plastic sleeve and glued together. On some cheap ones, this plastic sleeve almost immediately fails, and the connector pulls out of it and exposes the circuitry (which happened to me on a vacation with a desperate knockoff purchase to charge my phone).
Also, the metal lightning connector itself on the Apple cable is one solid piece of metal. On most of the knockoffs I have seen, the connector is actually two pieces of metal somehow put together, and you can see the seam somewhere around the indentions on the sides. Also the gold contacts are usually painted on (or soldered in, or however the contacts are installed) more sloppily on the knockoffs. It often looks like somebody just took a small paintbrush and just dipped on some gold paint on the knockoffs, as opposed to the nice clean looking contacts on the Apple cable.
So I have seen all levels of quality on these cables, it really varies. Some work fine for a long time, others are complete pieces of crap that you'll have to throw out after just a few days. Some actually retail for MORE than the Apple cable (usually these are the Apple certified ones though, like Griffin or Belkin, and are pretty safe). I purchased a Griffin cable for $24.95 when the Apple cable was $19, lol, again, because I was desperate at the time and that's what the local Walmart had.
So after that long ramble, I guess my point is, there is a reason why Apple wants to certify these cables. They want to make sure it's something that you'll be happy with, which I know sounds cheesy and an excuse for money grabbing, but it's the truth. They're not just slapping an "approved by Apple" label on them in exchange for money, they're verifying the quality of construction meets a certain minimum- because there is a lot of variation and unbelievably cheaply made items out there.
For example, on the Apple cable, the plastic piece holding the metal lightning connector end is a solid piece of plastic molded around the metal lightning connector. On some of the cheaper knockoff cables I've encountered, this hasn't been the case, where the lightning connector was attached to a plastic piece that slipped into another plastic sleeve and glued together. On some cheap ones, this plastic sleeve almost immediately fails, and the connector pulls out of it and exposes the circuitry (which happened to me on a vacation with a desperate knockoff purchase to charge my phone).
Also, the metal lightning connector itself on the Apple cable is one solid piece of metal. On most of the knockoffs I have seen, the connector is actually two pieces of metal somehow put together, and you can see the seam somewhere around the indentions on the sides. Also the gold contacts are usually painted on (or soldered in, or however the contacts are installed) more sloppily on the knockoffs. It often looks like somebody just took a small paintbrush and just dipped on some gold paint on the knockoffs, as opposed to the nice clean looking contacts on the Apple cable.
So I have seen all levels of quality on these cables, it really varies. Some work fine for a long time, others are complete pieces of crap that you'll have to throw out after just a few days. Some actually retail for MORE than the Apple cable (usually these are the Apple certified ones though, like Griffin or Belkin, and are pretty safe). I purchased a Griffin cable for $24.95 when the Apple cable was $19, lol, again, because I was desperate at the time and that's what the local Walmart had.
So after that long ramble, I guess my point is, there is a reason why Apple wants to certify these cables. They want to make sure it's something that you'll be happy with, which I know sounds cheesy and an excuse for money grabbing, but it's the truth. They're not just slapping an "approved by Apple" label on them in exchange for money, they're verifying the quality of construction meets a certain minimum- because there is a lot of variation and unbelievably cheaply made items out there.
I certainly won't buy one. I used my friends aftermarket car cable on my first iPhone after he hit a bump it shook loose and when I reattached it the screen flashed never to charge again. I have also seen a battery on an iPad that stopped holding a charge because they had a fairly new aftermarket charger on it. I used my charger on it over night and it charged completely.
I tried the knockoff cables, adapter, & 2 docks at first and all but 1 dock failed within a couple of months. I didn't like the idea of intermittent charging on my bedside table. Now $10 can buy certified cables from Monoprice in different lengths & colors so I don't see the reason to try to save $1 or 2.
I'd rather not waste the time or money when the knockoff cable does fail (because it probably will). I try to use the original Apple cable the most so that I can get it replaced at an Apple Store on the rare chance that it fails/breaks.
I'd rather not waste the time or money when the knockoff cable does fail (because it probably will). I try to use the original Apple cable the most so that I can get it replaced at an Apple Store on the rare chance that it fails/breaks.
Did anybody miss the story about how somebody was able to modify the previous 30-pin dock charger to hack the iOS system?
Source
There is a good reason for protecting the dock connector, especially if Apple wants to open it up for accessories. I wouldn't trust a hardware crack of any kinds. I rather just buy a certified cheaper cable from Monoprice.
Source
There is a good reason for protecting the dock connector, especially if Apple wants to open it up for accessories. I wouldn't trust a hardware crack of any kinds. I rather just buy a certified cheaper cable from Monoprice.
Whoo!! Crack that thing just like you cracked HDMI HDCP, China. This is the rare occasion that I like the illegal things they do.
It's not just about getting knockoff cables. Now that the security is cracked, we will see uncertified accessories. But the $10 for 10 bundles of Lightning cables are also nice. There is no reason why these things should have security on them. It's BS just like the security on HDMI cables.
----------
Since you almost always jailbreak iOS over the 30-pin dock connector going to USB going into the computer, this isn't surprising.
Crack that thing just like you cracked HDMI HDCP, China. This is the rare occasion that I like the illegal things they do.It's not just about getting knockoff cables. Now that the security is cracked, we will see uncertified accessories. But the $10 for 10 bundles of Lightning cables are also nice. There is no reason why these things should have security on them. It's BS just like the security on HDMI cables.
----------
Since you almost always jailbreak iOS over the 30-pin dock connector going to USB going into the computer, this isn't surprising.