I just read a news article yesterday that these had finally been “cloned”, and waddayaknow, DX is on the ball…
New today:
http://dx.com/p/8-pin-lightning-usb-charging-data-cable-for-iphone-5-white-1m-162210
But does it work?
All the ebay auctions for cables disapeared.
I’ll bet the $8 that this one does, considering what I read yesterday… We’ll find out.
It should be a publicly available interface for designers, so unless it's shoddily designed or manufactured, it should work.
I like my apple products but this BS about designing new cords and chargers just to make them different is pure greed.
I am against someone ripping off others advancements and intellectual property but I am all for someone cloning a charging cable that Apple designed specifically to rip off customers and force them into paying $45 for a wire. Apple needs to check it’s greed because this could come back to bite them.
Just don’t buy crapple products, simples. 
I was waiting for this! Lol
They used the old cable design for ~10 years. It isn’t greed. I think they were allowed to make a new smaller faster more efficient cable design. Other companies change them up every generation of phone. No complaints from me, if it allows extra room for more features and upgrades in the phone. 10 years on one cable ain’t bad at all.
Nah, it's not just the design, Apple purposely put an identification chip on the cable itself just so that nobody else can manufacture it.
ID chip, on a cable. The same cable that they sell for $40. You gotta smell something here.
What? That they don’t want Chinese knock offs floating around? I’m sure if golf club, shoe, and clothing manufacturers (for example) could have a way to stop knock offs, replicas etc from being produced they would but because these are electronics, they have a way to try and stop it. I don’t really blame them.
I agree the product is over priced but I wouldn’t want my market consumed by cheap Chinese knock offs either.
I saw on the news that its regular USB but they just changed the pins so it will only suit their products.
They have made a lot on docks and stands and music players and chargers and cables etc, now they can start over again so when people upgrade they will have to buy every other apple product to go with the same accessories.
Micro USB has become the standard for nearly all Android devices even though there is 100 different manufacturers.
Ezarc beat me to it. To be fair though, micro USB isn’t quite standardized. Me and my partner have an HTC desire hd an a galaxy s3 respectively, we’ve made both our leads less solid by using each others. Replacement leads do cost about £1 each delivered for both phones though, and that’s for genuine leads.
I simply will not tolerate paying a premium for an inferior product, and that’s what I feel I’d end up with with an Apple product. Simple as that really. When my contract upgrade comes next year, I’ll also be getting a galaxy s3. For mine and my partner’s uses, it blows the iPhone out of the water, drags it back to land and spits on its bullet riddled corpse…. J)
It will be time for the Galaxy S4.
Even with the old Iphone and the old connector Apple ripped people off, IMO. They could have just used a standard USB connector like everyone else.
It is obvious that Apple is greedy. They tried to shutdown Samsung because their phones are kicking Apple in the Butt, they pulled Google maps from the newest phone, never allowed Google navigation on an Iphone, won’t allow users to use micro SD cards for memory.
All this BS is what kept me from going with the Iphone 4 for my Wife and instead bought her a Galaxy S which was much cheaper.
Oh I don’t deny any of that. But all of the corporations Are disgustingly greedy lol.
I own all apple products, so they all work together in harmony. And I won’t change away from them (yet) because they treat me flawlessly. My laptops have lasted me 6+ years with zero problems. Absolutely zero. My iPhone 4 was picture perfect for the entire time I owned it. So the only reason I am sticking to apple is because they’ve provided me top notch quality in everything I’ve purchased from them. Why would I leave when everyone else I know and see and hear about are having problems and headaches with their ‘other’ products. If I’ve got a good thing going, I won’t go elsewhere. (I don’t mean to sound like a fan-boy, I just prefer putting my money where I’ve found quality product-not saying others aren’t. Same reason I buy certain vehicles).
I don’t deny apples greed. But they are all greedy lol. Apple has always done their own thing. It’s nothing new.
Work just gave us a $700 Windows based Blackberry type phone. I still carry my IPhone because it works. I have had nothing but problems in the week I have had the Windows phone. It is just like all Windows and Microsoft products, glitchy and unstable.
I will put up with a lot of BS from Apple because they make a vastly superior product than anything else I know of. Their products have always worked flawlessly for me while my PCs and everything Mircosoft produced has been buggy and needs constant attention and “fixes”.
I work with electronics, computers, electricity etc. It’s not a hobby for me and I don’t enjoy spending my free time updating software or cleaning files to get my products to work like they are supposed to.
The IPhone can’t do everything the windows phone can do but what it does, it does. The Windows phone on paper is more capable but in practice is almost worthless because of the constant glitches. It’s garbage.
They are greedy...but they ain't stupid. What business/corporation isn't greedy?
Just yesterday they came out with 4th gen ipads with major upgrades, just 6 months after the introduction of the 3rd gen. A lot of ppl that bought the 3rd gen ones are pissed off. I would be too if I just bought one this year. I guess my point is at the end of the day, they can do what ever they want and still there will be masses amount of ppl buying their products. Why? Because they can. They're greedy. They want a big hooplaaa right before their quarterly earnings come out. They do this because they're the most popular, most demanded, have the most brand loyal customers, and the most innovative company for the last 10 years? Their innovative products are designed to change the way you do things, their way. That could be a good or bad thing. But it works. You ask any kid if they had a choice what phone they want. I guarantee +99% of them will say "iphone". It's our right to complain but in the end they got you by the balls and the kids don't care the cords cost +$40.
I do have apple products but I'm not an apple freak. When I make a purchase, I do my research and buy the best product for my purposes in my price range. I bought an iphone 4 when it came out. In my case it wasn't a very expensive purchase as if you know how it works here in Canada and I'm sure similar to other places, you sign a 3 year plan with a mobile network and get the phone for a token fee (now the telecommunication company has you by the balls, :) I have been very happy with it so far. Software is stable and it never crashes. If I had to buy a new phone now, I'm not sure if the iphone will be on the top of my list but close to it.
@ speed six: amen brother. Exactly true.
@ speed six: amen brother. Exactly true.
Only the future will tell what there is in store for apple. I could see them getting a bit careless now. But I’ll go where the quality is. And I’ve learned it’s worth paying a slight premium for.
I’m not sure where the $40 price for cables is coming from? A little research would have revealed the correct price Lightning to USB Cable $19.00
Thanks fartybum. If the DX model I just ordered doesn’t work out, I’ll think about ordering from apple (still over priced but better than $40!)
Has it been verified that it’s an authentication chip? Everything that I’ve read just assumes that it is but no one really knows.
It could just be a chip that detects the orientation of the cable (since you can plug it in both directions) and routes the signals accordingly.