Apple rant: a gadget that shouldn’t exist
On my drive in to work tomorrow, I’ll be trying out this little doohickey:
Don’t immediately recognize it? Why, it’s a “charging adapter” for iPod and iPhone. What it does is take an iPod accessory that uses the dock connector that doesn’t work with your brand-new iPod, iPhone, or iPod Touch and turn it into an iPod accessory with a dock connector that does. Even though these dock connectors are physically identical and oh-so-standard and found everywhere and super universal to Apple products, you still need a $30 adapter just to make your old one charge your new iProduct. And even though this accessory will, for $30, turn the iPod dock connector on my 2004 BMW X3 into one that will recognize and charge my iPhone, it still won’t make it actually play music through my car stereo. It’ll only charge it — which, I concede, is better than the useless pile of nothing I currently enjoy.
So, if I need a $30 accessory to partially enable an old dock connector to act like a new dock connector, tell me again why Apple couldn’t sign on to the universal phone charger and reap the benefits from a whole new collection of $30 dock-to-mini-USB connectors? Suck it, Apple.
Agreed, it shouldn’t exist, but why would anyone buy a $30 adapter?. For $7 on eBay, I got an iPhone/iPod Touch charger that included a detachable cable that can serve as a backup for the cable that connects the iPhone to the computer’s USB port. The AC plug part also folds flat. Tiny and great for travel.
You’re completely in the right here. And its not the first time either. The crap Apple has pulled disabling video out unless the connected device could prove it was licensed by Apple and therefore included some handshake chip, smells interestingly similar. You’re lucky the Scosche device exists–the video out thing never got fixed. People who had bought DVD players with iPod docks (bought one of these, had to return it), TV sets with iPod interfaces (I have one of these), maybe even Airlines that had installed backseat entertainment systems that let you plug in your own iPod. Never understood why there wasn’t more rage over this stuff myself…
I have been using the Scosche adapter for a few months. It does solve the problem. And yes, the problem should not exist in the first place. I was a bit lucky that one of my cars iPod adapter manufacturer provided a replacement plug for only $18 when the new iPhones and Nano’s came out. So out a total of $48 for two cars just to power my iPhone and Nano again. My only question is if Apple does this, why do they not sell adapters to make the $$? “Strange they are” – Yoda.
molly I demand you return to buzz out loud full time, it’s just not the same
I haven’t yet tried one myself, but there’s a power adapter from Griffin
that supposedly passes through the audio signal
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/reviews/entry/griffin-charge-converter-firewire-to-usb-for-iphone-and-ipod/
I have literally scoured the web for someone who is willing to call Apple on their shenanigans. I like the Leo Laportes of the internet, but I really appreciate the alternate perspective (ie – rants).
Thank you – please continue.
Call Apple on their shenanigans? I’m your girl!