Apple → Re: [iPhone] Bigger Fail Than Maps ...

damn it. And I just bought 3 cables. Oh well. I need them badly.

I wouldn't trust the early stuff anyway. It seems awfully fast for that work to have been in so short a time. Even though chips like that are easily reverse engineered, you never know if there are potential issues.

That's true. My 30 pin cables are all knock offs that cost me about $2/ea. (my original iPhone cable broke long time ago), so it didn't benefit me to spend the $29 for the adapter.

I'm just glad that the cables, while still a bit expensive @ $19, are $19 and not more.

I think there's little doubt that the OEM stuff is better quality. I'll buy them over knock off items as long as the price isn't too out of whack. $19 is still a lot for a cable, but if you need it, you need it and it's still better than paying full price.

I started thinking about this, and was wondering if Apple wants to keep the accessory market to itself.

Instead of buying a "logitech" dock/speaker system, you have to buy the overpriced Apple one.

I can get an upgrade from my wireless provider right now cheaply enough, but it's the one thing that's holding me back from a Iphone5 vs a 4S of which I have accessories that will fit.

Very unlikely. They make money on licensing. Apple used to make a lot more accessories but has retreated and let's 3rd parties make almost everything now.

Did they actually license the previous dock connector(cheap/free), or just open it up? It must have been dirty cheap for such a huge third party product list.

And then there is the cost of making stuff, if Apple wants an arm and a leg for the Lightening license, they may find little made for them.

They licensed it.