Third-Party Manufacturers Already Selling Lightning Adapters On Amazon, eBay
by Brent Dirks
September 17, 2012
Well that didn’t take long. Just days after Apple introduced the new iPhone 5 with the smaller Lightning dock connector, third-party manufacturers have already begun selling 30-pin adapters that are substantially cheaper than Apple’s own solutions.
According to 9to5Mac, Amazon sellers Nanotch and iTronz are offering pre-orders for versions of the adapters. The pictured Nanotch adapter is $17.95, plus $4.95 shipping, and will be released on Sept. 30. The iTronz solution is priced at $9.99, plus $2.50 shipping, with a release date of Oct. 5.
There are also numerous sellers on eBay offering both types of the adapters.
Those prices are substantially cheaper than Apple’s own $29 and $39 versions of the adapter that are listed for shipping sometime in October.
The smaller dock connector, besides causing headaches for consumers who have already purchased 30-pin dock accessories, has been controversial even before the new iPhone was announced. A report earlier in the month said that Apple would be the sole seller of the adapters and they would only cost $10 each.
Thanks to a mixup on Apple's site early Friday morning, many who pre-ordered an iPhone 5 believed that one adapter would come with the new handset. But that hope was quickly squashed.
While the third-party adapters might save some money, I’ve do wonder how reliable the technology will be. I would rather pay a little more and know that my other accessories and new iPhone will work just fine.
Source: 9to5Mac
