Apple’s lightning cables are a bit different from the previous 30-pin cables as they include an encryption chip that means third-party cables have to be approved in order for them to work. However it seems that a company has managed to crack the authentication scheme.
The company, iPhone5mod sells its Lightning connectors for $6.90 (roughly a third of the $19.00 Apple charge for an official cable). The company released a video showing its products being connected to an iPhone 5 and it doesn’t trigger an alert about using uncertified accessories.
This is great news for consumers who have had to stick with the expensive and bland cables offered by Apple. iPhone5mod sells a variety of cheaper cables in interesting colors and designs. Some also sport some useful functionality like three-in-one charging.
Will this continue to work by the time iOS 7 goes out for general consumption? We honestly have no idea, so iPhone5mod will have to be careful when selling their products since if it turns out they won’t work, the company will have a lot of angry customers.
At the moment we would have to advise you stick to official cables, despite them being so expensive. Wait until these new cables are working with consumer software, then consider if you want to take the risk.
