Apple Lightning to 30-Pin Adapter (0.2 m)

[DavidFoster]

The iLounge's review of this product, Apple Lightning to 30-Pin Adapter (0.2 m), and actually the closely related Apple Lightning to 30-Pin Adapter was fair enough with regard to their description and evaluation of their functionality, but I feel their recommendation by iLounge just wasn't warranted.

Apple didn't hold an election here (and I'm not saying they had to), but like it or not they sought to transform the iOS universe with imposition of an all but inevitable transition from the old 30-Pin Adapter to the newer 'Lightning' connector, and whether we the consumer like it or not, we have to live with it. Apple could have made that transition much easier. Much easier. Instead they have decided to literally spit in our collective faces by charging $40 for this stupid little connector that I am certain cost them far less to manufacture, package, and distribute. They didn't have to do that. Apple's pricing manuever here is clearly an instance of unbridled greed intended to profit from their imposed change of what was once regarded as a 'universal' connector that's used by HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of consumers.

OK, I hear a chorus of Apple users chanting 'whiner' and 'no one is forcing you to buy it.' I am not whining, I am instead accusing Apple of being both INSENSITIVE and EXPLOITIVE with regard to the Lightning connector.

I'd like to lay down a challenge to those who know. Know what? Know what it really cost Apple to make this connector. You know who you are. There might be hundreds of you or maybe because of the way Apple works, just a handful. Deep down in your hearts you know Apple is overcharging for this connector. But by how much? I'd like to know since I really needed to buy it for its functionality (having a very expensive speaker with the old docking connector) and I am sure there are potentially millions of other consumers who would like to know just how much these greedy (insert word here frequently used to designate those born to unmarried parents) are profiting of of us. This is a simple request. Do it anonymously, use torr or whatever it takes, mask your IP address, you aren't dumb, right?

How much does Apple make off this connector?

[smith44mag]

I think the price is kind of high considering what it *doesn't* do (no video, no iPod control), but there have been a few teardowns that consider it a pretty sophisticated piece of electronics because it does D/A conversion for audio and that the $29 price is probably not out of line considering what's packed inside.

My larger complaint is about the entire way Apple went about handling the transition. They should have put the lightning connector on the iPad 3 released this summer; this would have allowed manufacturers to be completely up to speed by the time the iPhone 5 was released.

Instead, they waited until iPhone 5 and there's very little (anything?) you can buy from third parties with a lightning connector.

They've also made it much more difficult for third parties to produce lightning enabled devices based on everything I've read, for reasons I don't understand. To me this seems like shooting themselves in the foot -- what seems to make the iEcosystem work is innovation by third parties and removing the ability to do clever things with the dock connector seems really counter-productive.

[Iphone lover]

I agree it's ridiculous!! Another way for them to make $$$ the greed of people these days!!


16gb iphone 3g 16gb iphone 3gs 16gb iphone 4 16gb Iphone4s 32gb iPhone 5 32gb Data iPad 2 ihome 16gb iPod touch 4th generation 2gb iPod shuffle