Chinese suppliers still working to clone Apple's Lightning cable and integrated chip

Posted:
in iPhone edited January 2014
Though some websites are selling what are claimed to be inexpensive third-party cables compatible with Apple's new Lightning port, accessory makers have not yet reverse engineered the chip found inside Apple's official cables.

Websites like China's Alibaba.com currently have a number of companies claiming to offer their own inexpensive Lightning cables for sale. Some suppliers on these sites are advertising that new orders for third-party cables will ship in less than a month, but evidence suggests those deadlines will not be met.

One supplier contacted by Peter of Double Helix Cables indicated that their company plans to begin working to clone Apple's Lightning authenticator chip in earnest after China's Mid-Autumn Day national holiday, which will be recognized on Sept. 30.

Realistically, Chinese companies looking to make cloned Lightning cables won't be able to produce any products for at least two months, according to Peter.

He said that although resellers on eBay and Amazon may claim they currently have the product in hand, it's not possible, as no suppliers have to his knowledge begun manufacturing third-party Lightning cables.

"People should be very surprised if this cable can be cloned by Christmas," Peter told AppleInsider. "This is a serious undertaking and the Chinese know it."

Lightning


Some companies began advertising accessories such as Lightning to 30-pin adapters on Amazon less than a week after the iPhone 5 was unveiled. Once such accessory, the Nanotch adapter, is advertised to be released on Oct. 17 ? a date Peter believes could not be met.

Apple's new Lightning cables feature chips embedded in the accessory. The exact purpose of the chips remains unknown, but it's been speculated that they could be used to make it impossible for third-party accessory makers to build Lightning cables without Apple's authorization.

The new Lightning connector found on the iPhone 5, as well as the forthcoming iPod touch and iPod nano updates, is 80 percent smaller than Apple's legacy 30-pin connector, which lasted for nearly a decade. Apple's new cables are digital and dynamically assign pins to each side of the plug, allowing it to be inserted into a device in either of two orientations.
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 41
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member
    Guess what will happen that Apple does not want. Somebody will buy a cheap $5 knockoff, put it in the shiny iP5 and cause it to burn-up or damage it and try taking it to an Apple store and say the phone was "defective" when in fact, trying to save a few bucks and go cheap ends up costing a lot more.

    In the end, the consumer will blame Apple.
  • Reply 2 of 41
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sflocal View Post



    In the end, the consumer will blame Apple.


     


    Probably the same kind of people that would put their iPhone in their pocket along with their keys and then proceed to whine about how it's all scratched up.

  • Reply 3 of 41
    sflocalsflocal Posts: 6,092member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post


     


    Probably the same kind of people that would put their iPhone in their pocket along with their keys and then proceed to whine about how it's all scratched up.





    Hmm... interesting.  Do you think those kind of people might be related to the other kind of people that drop their iPhone on concrete and and then whine (i.e. "blame Apple) about it getting a dent?  

  • Reply 4 of 41
    Good luck Chinese!

    Hope this happens asap, wish apple would release the specs so consumers could have more options for cables, save money.
  • Reply 5 of 41
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by sflocal View Post




    Hmm... interesting.  Do you think those kind of people might be related to the other kind of people that drop their iPhone on concrete and and then whine (i.e. "blame Apple) about it getting a dent?  



     


    I think that you're on to something there! image


     


    As a matter of fact, I believe that they're the same people. The same people who were dropping their glass backed iPhone 4's on concrete are most likely the same sort of people that will scratch up their aluminum backed iPhone 5's.

  • Reply 6 of 41
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by tswone View Post



    Good luck Chinese!

    Hope this happens asap, wish apple would release the specs so consumers could have more options for cables, save money.


     


    I disagree. From experience, and having bought plenty of cables in my time (both computer and audio/video cables), you don't always save money by going with the cheap version.


     


    What good is a cheap cable if it breaks after a few months or even weeks? There are different levels of quality in cables, how they are made, the construction, the design, the thickness, the materials, etc.


     


    The opposite is also true. Just because some cables are expensive (I've seen some pretty expensive audio cables for sale), that doesn't necessarily mean that they are better than an average priced cable.

  • Reply 7 of 41


    30 bucks for a cable or adapter is just a rip off (don't even argue that it costed tons of money to design, theyll get there money back over the next 5-15 years)


     


    I used a few "knock-offs" from china for my 4 etc.... NEVER a problem, so yea (plus i know like 10 other people who use knockoffs too


     


    Apple should be making money on the phone not the cord that connects it


     


    anyway, love my iphone 5

  • Reply 8 of 41

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post


     


    I disagree. From experience, and having bought plenty of cables in my time (both computer and audio/video cables), you don't always save money by going with the cheap version.


     


    What good is a cheap cable if it breaks after a few months or even weeks? There are different levels of quality in cables, how they are made, the construction, the design, the thickness, the materials, etc.


     


    The opposite is also true. Just because some cables are expensive (I've seen some pretty expensive audio cables for sale), that doesn't necessarily mean that they are better than an average priced cable.



    'inexpensive power only cables are a necessity however.  Cheap is cheap, inexpensive is minimizing 'cost vs function vs durability'


     


    I do think that most 30 pin cables were bought are for 'emergency' power.  I have 1 at work, one downstairs by the TV, one for my computer, one by my bed, and one in the car (power only).  3 are 'cheap' ($5 per) 1 is a Belkin cable that came with my juice pack batter charger, and one shipped with my iPhone.  (my wife's iPad cable and her iPhone cable are at her side of the bed and at here desk).   I lose (hotel room donations) about 2 cables a year, so the cheap ones are great.


     


    I think that a 'dumb' mode (power only) cable spec can be built, that satisfies most purchasers.   Those that need smart connections (to a car audio system) will need a smart cable... and I'd rather have apple sell me the cable than the car/audio manufacturers.


     


    I'm pretty much getting 3 of these for my house the next time around (one for each guest bedroom), as when the kids come home to visit, there are 3-5 devices sucking power all the time.


     



    GE Surge protected chargers.

  • Reply 9 of 41


    The us of the word "clone" its to lenient. What they are actually trying to do is ripoff intellectual property that do not belong to them.

  • Reply 10 of 41
    Not ready to buy in to the "authentication chip" hypothesis. It's more likely to assign proper signalling to the signal pins, and proper current to the power pins.
  • Reply 11 of 41
    neilmneilm Posts: 985member
    The purpose of the cable chips is not "unknown" as this article states. It has been established that the function of each pin in the Lightning connector is dynamically assignable by the chip, depending on what the connected device calls for. What we don't know yet is how this signaling works or what its range of options is.

    If there's a functional - i.e. not "disconnect all" - default pin assignment state, then it's possible that a dumb cable could replicate that. Maybe a simple charging cable? However that cable wouldn't be functional for other purposes, making it of limited interest.

    If Apple follows past practice it will publish and license the Lightning cable specs in order to encourage the manufacture of third party peripherals.
  • Reply 12 of 41
    jragostajragosta Posts: 10,473member
    seankill wrote: »
    30 bucks for a cable or adapter is just a rip off (don't even argue that it costed tons of money to design, theyll get there money back over the next 5-15 years)

    It's simple. If you think it's too expensive, don't buy one. Problem solved.

    China is free to reverse engineer the design if they can do so without violating intellectual property laws. If they infringe on Apple's IP, though, Apple has every right to sue them into oblivion.
  • Reply 13 of 41


    If Apple would just sell the cables at a reasonable and fair cost, they may make more money because then not as many people would go looking for a knock-off alternative. Plus it would provide some good will for all the people who purchase their devices. 


     


    $30 for a cable or adapter is crazy - and leaves me with a negative feeling about buying into the Apple ecosystem on an otherwise overwhelmingly positive experience. It doesn't have to be that way and shouldn't.


     


    And - as part of the transition - I really feel they should include an adapter with all of the initial devices with the new connector. Instead, Apple has opted to get as much cash (and profit) as possible from all of the people buying Apple products rather than showing they care about their customers. I understand wanting to maximize profits, but in the long-term it's not always the best move. Treating customers right is what will keep them coming back time and time again. 


     


    I am an Apple fan, but it's stuff like this that really makes it hard to be a proud Apple fan.

  • Reply 14 of 41


    Originally Posted by huffcw View Post

    If Apple would just sell the cables at a reasonable and fair cost…


     


    Back up. Apple created the tech behind it. Apple created the devices that use it. No one else makes the cables, nor does anyone else have to have the rights to them. They are, by definition, a fair and reasonable cost.


     



    $30 for a cable or adapter is crazy…



     


    I take it you don't do much pro-level anything, do you?


     




    …and leaves me with a negative feeling about buying into the Apple ecosystem…



     


    A smaller upfront cost (for an adapter that isn't about to fall apart and will work) than you'd be paying for the half dozen knockoffs over the lifespan of the port is a bad thing? 

  • Reply 15 of 41
    I suspect that any adapters made by third parties without the chip will only allow the phone to changer nothing more. The chip (beside the rumor authentication purpose) may provide the additional functionality that Apple said will come with the new connector.

    This is no different than some of the third party ipod/iphone 30 pin connectors not all support full functionality, some only allow the device to charge nothing more, you can not use it to sync via USB.

    So if you only want to change then go for the cheep adapters if you want full functionality then buy the $30 apple one. Consumer choose.
  • Reply 16 of 41
    I think that most people are idiots.
  • Reply 17 of 41
    drblankdrblank Posts: 3,385member
    First, maybe the chips sense which direction the cable is inserted and it changes the pin outs.

    Another possibility is maybe sensing when the battery is fully charged and maybe shuts down before it overcharges the battery? Just a guess.

    Apple should at least license their design for 3rd parties because some 3rd parties actually want to make a more expensive version that uses higher grade cables for the audiophile crowd, ala Audioquest.

    Until we get 100% confirmation, we can only speculate, guess, wonder, or just simply go with it and not worry about what those chips. Sometimes not knowing creates a blissful state. Maybe that's why some people don't get to involved with the technical aspects of computers and technology devices.
  • Reply 18 of 41
    I believe this chip will be near-impossible to "clone", especially since it is already known to do more than authentication. Didn't apple already describe this as "Adaptive Signaling"?

    Keep in mind how Thunderbolt works: It extends the PCIe bus outside the computer's chassis. An accessory, such as they Thnderbolt-to-Ethernet adapter, includes the NIC hardware in the adapter. Thunderbolt does NOT provide NIC fuctionality!

    Also, remeber that the A6 uses customized ARM cores. Apple could easily be exposing an internal databus to the Lightning connector. The USB-Lightning connector would then include the USB device tranceivers itself, and interface to the databus.

    This would be an extremely powerful architecture, as it would allow accesories to have functionality not included on or directly supported by the A6. It would essentially extend the SoC! Potentially, this could support HDMI, analog A/V outputs, USB3, SD Card Reader, eSATA, game buttons, or whatever Apple or an authorized partner could imagine - it would just require a custom chip in the connector.

    Assuming Apple has done this, the "Lightning" interface would be a closely-guarded secret. Unless it is very closely related to a standard ARM databus, the protocol would be a complete unknown. Furthermore, the end device would need to behave just like the official Apple device in order to be compatible with the OS.

    Device makers partnering with Apple could get support for their devices in the OS or in custom apps.
  • Reply 19 of 41


    I'm truly glad that there are so many "problems" with the 6th iPhone and its software.


     


    We're already to the point of outright mocking into insignificance all this crap that could have "-gate" appended to it, which will serve as a very effective means of keeping disproportionate reactions to non-issues, blown up by the Anti-Apple Brigade to be "newsworthy" items (in essence, pure idiocy), in check.
  • Reply 20 of 41


    Quote:


    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


     


    Back up. Apple created the tech behind it. Apple created the devices that use it. No one else makes the cables, nor does anyone else have to have the rights to them. They are, by definition, a fair and reasonable cost.


     


    Yes they created the tech and devices, but it doesn't mean they should screw their customers on the price for it (it's just not the right thing to do to their customers). It's an overpriced phone accessory. Fair and reasonable would mean they are priced appropriately for being a phone accessory.


     


     


    Quote:


    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    I take it you don't do much pro-level anything, do you?



     


    But this is not a pro-level cable in anyway. I have purchased pro-level cables and equipment for music, and this does not fall into any similar category. Again, this is a phone accessory.


     


     


    Quote:


    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    A smaller upfront cost (for an adapter that isn't about to fall apart and will work) than you'd be paying for the half dozen knockoffs over the lifespan of the port is a bad thing? 



     


    I don't mind paying a bit more for a better quality cable, but Apple's price is significantly more. They don't have to be offered as cheap as the knock offs (of course), but bringing them a little closer so no one even bothers to look for an alternative to purchase would be a good move for all in my opinion (Apple would likely sell more and users would have a more reasonable cost).


     


    By the way, I haven't had one cheaper cable/adapter alternative I purchased in the past fall apart on me under regular use. 

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