A gaping hole in the Lightning adapter market will soon be very obvious
When Apple introduced the Lightning connector as the replacement for the old 30 pin connector, a lot of people were worried about all their old accessories. Apple has released two adapters (one solid and one with a cable), which are both horribly overpriced for something that should come free with the device, and horribly limited in exactly what accessories are supported. They’re fine if you just want to use old chargers or speaker docks, but anything more advanced than that and you’re essentially screwed. That hasn’t gone over too well with users, but there’s an even bigger issue with Apple’s Lightning adapters: They’re both Lightning to 30 pin. Where are the 30 pin to Lightning adapters?
Right now, we’re in a period where most accessories still use the 30 pin connectors. It takes time to design and manufacture new Lightning-based accessories, and in all fairness, most Apple devices still use the 30 pin connector. Therein lies the problem. Manufacturers are working on Lightning connector accessories as we speak, with some companies, like Bose, already offering Lightning-compatible products. I don’t know each company’s plans for the future, but I don’t expect a whole lot of them to continue producing 30 pin versions of accessories along with the Lightning versions – at least not once the new connector becomes more common. What then when all the accessories out there are for the new standard, and all the 30 pin accessories are gone from the shelves? There is no adapter that goes the other way, with a female Lightning connector and a male 30 pin connector, and I doubt there will ever be one from Apple.
You also have a lot of people who now have one of each connector type in their Apple devices. I’m one of those. My iPad 2 uses a 30 pin connector, my iPad mini a Lightning connector. If I buy something for my iPad mini now, it won’t be compatible with the iPad 2. I can buy certain 30 pin accessories for the iPad 2 and have them be compatible with the mini, but who wants to buy the last generation of accessories that will eventually be completely outdated? Forwards compatibility is great, but it has to be second to backwards compatibility, not a replacement for it.
It seems extremely counter-intuitive and short sighted of Apple to only make the compatibility go one way. I guess you could argue that if you make it harder for users of old devices to use new accessories, you encourage them to upgrade their devices. While that’s a greedy approach, it’s at least somewhat logical. The only problem is that the last 30 pin device, the iPad 3, came out this spring. It was touted as the latest and greatest, even to the point where it was literally named “the new iPad.” Moreover, both the iPad 2, iPhone 4, and iPhone 4S are still being sold new from Apple, and if the current triple generation system for iPhones is kept and no changes are made to the devices, we won’t see the iPhone 4S going away from shelves for two more years.
The Lightning connector switch didn’t go over well with a lot of people. So many companies have been screwing over users with changing connectors for years that I guess Apple thought it would be less of big deal, forgetting the massive arsenal of 30 pin accessories that people have built up over the years. The Lightning connector does have several actual advantages to it, so a few years from now we’ll probably be better off, but Apple has- in my opinion- failed harder with this transitional phase than it did with Apple Maps. Expensive adapters that work on only the simplest of accessories, and no adapters that make new accessories compatible with the older devices- despite them still being sold. Hopefully third party manufacturers can fix Apple’s screw up.
This is what happens when you believe your own propaganda. I think Apple got so pumped up with its own rhetoric that it was blinded to the user-unfriendliness of what it was doing. More than cynical, it’s wilful self-deception to persuade yourself that your customers have to upgrade to get the benefits of your brilliance. It’s like the iPad mini b/s claiming that the extra .8 inches on the mini’s screen was a) a breakthrough, and b) totally different and more innovative than 7″ Android tables. Perhaps Apple staffers need to go to sleep each night believing this stuff: customers don’t.
With regards to the screen size, there’s actually more value in the screen ratio imho.I use my iPad for a lot of things that is preformatted 4:3, like magazines, pdf files and so on, and that’s the content that really is different on s 7.9″ 4:3 screen compared to on a 7″ 16:9 screen.for things like video, the iPad loses in maaaaany ways, but it’s superior for 4:3.
What did you expect. Apple does not give a Rat butt about customers, all they care about is $$$. and if it comes to ripping you off to get that $$$, Oh well
Bingo I have given up on Apple products long ago…
When Apple decided to switch their connectors they should have done so for the customer’s advantage, not their own. I personally feel that they should have released two adapters years ago; a 30 pin to standard mini USB and a standard mini USB to 30 pin. That way people can begin to dip their toe in each pool. I’d love to be able to use iDevices and Android devices with the same accessories. I sickens me to have to run a USB cable from the back of my bedside Phillips Android dock just so that I can connect my iPad via Bluetooth and charge it at the same time. Perhaps that’s a bad example though since my TFP has a proprietary cable as well and can’t charge on the dock either. It just feels silly and insulting for there to be companies out there who refuse to get on board with the concept of a standard connector.
The kind of adapters you’re talking about actually exist, just not officially. The old 30 pin connector has also survived through several “standard” connector eras, all the whole providing more functionality that those. I’m glad Apple didn’t choose to go with the current standard, micro usb, because it’s a HORRIBLE connector. Very fragile, and can’t handle the amount of power that lightning can (12W charger in iPad 4 not possible with microusb). So I don’t really argue with the connectors, just the lack of the proper adapters
I didn’t know what the advantages of the 30 pin connector were, but all I really want is universal implementation. Based purely on looking at the lightning connector it does seem like it would be just as fragile as the Micro USB (which I’ve never had any issues with.) However, I don’t have any hands on experience with the lightning connector; are there physical differences that make it more sturdy?
Yes. Microusb male connectors consist of an outter housing protecting a inner”hole” with pins. Female connectors then have a hole or the housing, with a “plate” sticking up from the middle to connect to the pins in the male connector hole. It’s sort of like a male connector inside a female one. This design makes the actual piece that has the pins very thin, fragile, open to breaking off, and prone to dust interfering. I’ve seen many broken micro usb connectors on devices where people don’t realize how fragile they are, often from cables being pulled at an angle etc.
The lightning connector on the other hand is a true male/female connector design, more like a headphone jack that anything else. It’s about the size of micro usb, but the entire connector part is solid, with pins on the outside. There’s no housing that complicates it, makes individual sections more fragile, or gather dust. The female connector is just a hole, nothing sticking up in the middle that can break off.
Apple doesn’t care what you think or if you have to buy new accessories. ;)
I won an ipad 2 at my company Christmas party. I spent three hours at best buy trying to sell it in exchange for a nexus 7. The customer service rep was laughing because they have never had someone come in complaining about a free ipad. At any rate, I ended up keeping it. Begrudgingly! At 399.99 this thing better be good!
Here’s one
http://ddl.en.alibaba.com/product/697399542-0/30_Pin_male_to_8_Pin_female_Adapter_for_iPhone_5_DDL_O_007_.html
Nice find! I googled around for one, but it seems that people aren’t too concerned by whether they’re calling it lighting to usb or usb to lightning, so both resulted in the official adapters
Nice article, I don’t think many folks buyers care. I guess purchasing more connectors isn’t a problem for some.
I for one, I know about 2 others, that love the new connecter. It sheaths the pins and holds the device fast. I hate to think how many times I’ve dropped my iPhone 5 and the lightening connecter held it!
You nailed it, Apple really doesn’t seem to care about backwards compatibility, but it almost seems conspiratorial that the connectors you linked to are not available for sale.
I keep thinking retailers are pretty ignorant to the usefulness of adaptor featured on alibaba.com , but hey why not sell someone something less useful first and then the better item later? Double the money!
The company linked to above by Ben is a distributer as far as I can ascertain, I’ve not seen any of these for sale yet, just some cheap clunky knock-offs on obscure sites.
I have an iPad2, which I essentially want to hot-glue to one of these male 30 pin/female 8 pin lightning adaptors. That way I can carry around lightning adaptors and be done with the od 30 pin USB cable.
Oddly, Apple sells in Europe a microsim female to 30 pin male connecter, but not in the U.S. This is actually workable for me, but it baffles me that they won’t sell it in the States unless they are just oblivious to their customers wants, lol. I guess I could check Apple Canada, perhaps they sell it.
It does appear that they don’t want to push an inexpensive adaptor in the States.
That adapter in the picture, where can i find it? Please answer ASAP!
Dude read the article it’s attached to
I found this real 8pin female to 30 pin male adapter at
http://www.guuds.com/product/iP5-9020__Lightning-8-Pin-Female-to-30-Pin-Male-Adapter-for-iPhone-4S-4-iPad-2-iPod-Touch-4.html
nice find!
The problem with those adapters is they only support charging and electricity.
No audio out and no video out.
I’m still waiting for a solution that can enable me to connect my “old” 1 year Ipod Classic to my Bose Sounddock III (with Lightning Dock)
Build your own.
I doubt any large company is going to look after its consumers. Maybe in a limited fashion, but never totally for consumers. Micro$oft will keep charging you for connecting to mutliplayer servers. Apple will keep releasing a new device and flaunt the tiniest differences. Device manufacturers will still look for the cheapest materials to work with. It’s supposedly “business sense”, but in a world where idiots roam free, it’s easy for large, organized companies to take advantage of the unaware. In fact, most of the market goes to younger people, who often buy these phones. This sets and a standard in that generation. The only quality they’re going to know is the quality they’ve been given. Hence why they’ll be just fine with these shoddy phones and their fragile screens and inner workings.
i personally think most of you are insane.
Apple kept the same 30 pin connector for about a DECADE! for ALL of their devices. Can any other company say that?
And when it finally came time to upgrade it, you guys are freaking out, some of you even think they did it just to make more money!!
The iPhone 5 size would not be possible if they continued with the 30 pin connector. It was indeed time for a change.
think about this, you guys are complaining about this NECESSARY switch….. with any other compnay’s products, you dont even the possibility of having such accessories. Where are all the people complaining about Samsung Galaxy S(whatever) speaker docks connectors??…. THEY DONT EVEN EXIST!
If this was a “money grab” from Apple, dont you think they would have gone about it a little differently? Such as NOT making adapters? then you would have to buy the entire new cables or accessory (way more expensive than a $29 adapter which can be used on all of your old cables)
say you have 4 30 pin cables, for $29 they all can be used on your new iphone 5 or other lightning device. If there was not adapter, you would have to buy 4 new cables at $20 each – $80 or more total.
Let say you are still complaining…. How much longer should Apple have kept the same connector, if a DECADE was not long enough, what is for you people? And why are not you not complaining about EVERY SINLGE OTHER COMPANIES DEVICES. how many 5,6,7,8,9+ year old devices every used the same connectors?
I bought an 8-pin femal to 30-pin male adapter from guuids – same as Joe.
Slightly disappointed in that the battery charging does not work, never mind the audio/video out or data sync functions!
Have asked for a replacement, see what they come back with.
Where one to buy in the United States?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00FOLTBBY/ref=ox_ya_os_product
Just bought two of these connecters on eBay for about two bucks including shipping from China. I thought I’d provide an update to those who were interested a while back.
Does anyone know whether the the connections from the iPad will distribute power to another device – such as my iPhone? I’d love to have my iPhone be able to parasite energy off my iPad when traveling!
This might come in handy:
https://www.shapeways.com/product/WNMPDJ343/lightning-adapter-dock-universal?optionId=10120035
To make sure the lightning adapter doesn’t break.