Apple is apparently continuing to tighten its grip over how third-party manufacturers create Lightning-compatible connectors. A report from iLounge says that Apple has made significant changes to its Made for iPad/iPhone/iPod (MFi) policies.
Probably the biggest news is that any third-party manufacturers must have their facilities approved by Apple before creating any Lightning connectors. And not surprisingly, there have been no facilities approved as of yet, which seems to confirm that Apple will be the only source for accessories for some time.
The report did say that Apple is planning an MFi “seminar” to discuss the changes to the program and the new rules for manufacturing. It will take place in China sometime in November. Hypothetically, third-party Lightning accessories could be manufactured some time after that for sale during the holiday season.
And you probably shouldn’t be holding your breath for any working, unauthorized connectors to pop up any time soon. Soon after the iPhone 5 introduction event last month, a number of third parties placed their own adapters for sale on Amazon and eBay. But thanks to the authentication chip found in the cables and iPhone 5, it is highly unlikely that any of the adapters will actually work.
While the Chinese are apparently hard at work to crack the chip, sources also told iLounge that copying that connector has proved to be difficult.
Source: iLounge
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