Looks like Apple is doing what we thought it would
Friday, October 5, 2012 at 2:30AM From iLounge- "According to the sources, only Apple-approved manufacturing facilities will be allowed to produce Lightning connector accessories, even including third-party accessories. Moreover, Apple hasn’t approved any factories yet, which the sources say will limit the number of Lightning accessories available in the near future."
Annoying...
Bug Blatter makes the following comment- "Gotta love the commenters saying how great it is that only Apple-approved docks will be available. They could have just introduced a certification process with a sticker like other companies (e.g. MS) have done, but no, they have to have complete control.
I wonder if manufacturers who also make Android docks will find their approval takes a little longer...MS and Intel both did stuff like that in the past.
If you needed any further proof of whose phone Apple thinks it is, well it certainly isn't yours."
All News
Reader Comments (7)
This is getting closer to one of those rare times I sit back and actually cheer the EU - ie. when they see anti-competitiveness.
Apple are walking the same line as Microsoft, and while MacOS could be argued to not be in a monopolistic position, iOS is another matter and this would be taking choice away from the consumer.
Of course, patents blah blah blah might make a difference but we'll see.
The patent stuff didn't bother me too much because I knew that behind the scenes they're all up to it, it's just Apple's the one most public. And while I don't agree with the method, that early samsung looked like a total rip off of the iphone. Plus there was no tablet market before the ipad (rectangles aside).
On the other hand, restrict the opportunity for me to buy charging packs, docks, etc, and I'll start to look a lot more seriously at Android long term (even if the "move" takes time).
This is one the situations in which I'd see Apple needing an objective justification for its behaviour, so that it is not considered anti-competitive. Apple cannot protect the shape of the cable by copyright or a design right, and it seems that putting an authentication chip in the cable simply subverts this mechanism, which existed to ensure consumer choice and prevent the blocking of competition in making third party alternatives.
It's too early to see whether this is Apple being a control freak or whether there is more clever stuff behind this connector, and Apple want to reap full benefit from it.
Personally I love the new connector. Looks great, reversible, and strong. I have a strong feeling the authentication piece does a lot more, a very strong feeling based on some not publicised facts about it.
And the old connector was 10 years old. Not as if Apple changes that often.
Gavin - Agree it was time to change.
And the cost I think is more fair, having discovered that the converter includes a digital to analogue converter chip.
What I'm not clear on is the authentication piece, I'll judge further when I find out.
BUT - it's not just about this, its more (poor example perhaps, but other areas such as third party apps having to present significant extra functionality over inbuilt ones, to be approved). Week Cal for Ipad springs to mind, removed when Apple put some of its functionality into their version.
I don't get people. This step Apple is performing was obvious and so it will be in the future. They have build not a phone or tablets but an ecosystem to keep people in. They will improve this system. They will then move forward and make simple things like these connectors to keep people without any option but to spend money on them. Yes, they will have total control someday, but this is only natural.
In Portugal I know of cases on court where Apple have pushed retailers out of business so they can start being the only point of sales. They will go down this road and smash everyone around until they are the only ones allowed to sell their products and they will make their products unique, not allowing copies... except for the Chinese - those can do whatever they want that nobody, not even Apple, will oppose them.
They're just doing with the accessories what they did with iTunes. They're probably kicking themselves for not doing it right from the beginning.
@Peter C it really contains a DAC? That seems bizarre; it's converting a digital signal to analogue to send it down the wire? And presumably there's an ADC at the other end to change it back? I'm really not getting how that would work or what purpose it could serve.
However even if it's true, why couldn't they have put the chip in the iPhone? You'd have one iPhone and umpteen cheap connectors, docks etc.
@Neil did you find out if the microUSB charging was a legal requirement? Everything I've read has said it was but misinformation has a habit of spreading over the web without being properly checked.
It's not a legal requirement as such, but rather a collective agreement of handset manufacturers, in the form of a memorandum of understanding — you can find the MoU and some further details here.
Notably, for the discussion here, Apple is listed as a signatory.
Articles 4.2.1 and 4.3 are of particular note here:
4.2.1:
4.3:
(About three months after the MoU was concluded, the European Commission issued a mandate to the main standards bodies to alter European standards to implement the MoU — you can find the mandate on ETSI's site.)
Hope that helps clear it up a bit :)