Anker to debut USB-C to Lightning cables in March, audio adapter in April

Accessory juggernaut Anker on Monday previewed its first USB-C to Lightning cables, saying the accessories should ship out in March.

Anker shared the news of the new Powerline and Powerline+ USB-C to Lightning cables with AppleInsider just after CES, where other manufacturers such as Griffin and Belkin debuted their own products.

Anker's lineup is robust, if not iterative on existing Lightning cables already on the market.

The Powerline+ USB-C to Lightning has aluminum overmolds on each end and is reinforced with nylon throughout the length of the cable. The Powerline version of the cable uses aramid fiber in the cable itself for superior durability. Anker says the bend lifespan of the aramid version is five times higher than any other cable on the market, though those claims have gone untested.

Both cables can be purchased in 3t-foot and 6-foot lengths when they ship in March from Anker.com.

Anker is also releasing a USB-C to Lightning audio adapter in April. With the device, users can listen to Lightning EarPods or MFi-certified Lightning headphones on their Mac or iPad Pro via USB-C.

18 Comments

lorin schultz 2744 comments · 10 Years

About 5 years ago

I was really hoping we were close to seeing the end of Lightning, with the next generation of iPhones and iPads following the current iPad Pro to USB-C instead. This latest move to license a new breed of Lightning cables makes that seem unlikely. I don't think Apple would have bothered if the plan is to move away from Lightning anytime soon.

racerhomie3 1264 comments · 7 Years

lorin schultz said:

I was really hoping we were close to seeing the end of Lightning, with the next generation of iPhones and iPads following the current iPad Pro to USB-C instead. This latest move to license a new breed of Lightning cables makes that seem unlikely. I don't think Apple would have bothered if the plan is to move away from Lightning anytime soon.

Lightning should be the end of all ports on consumer iOS devices. Then it’s wireless .

racerhomie3 said:

lorin schultz said:

I was really hoping we were close to seeing the end of Lightning, with the next generation of iPhones and iPads following the current iPad Pro to USB-C instead. This latest move to license a new breed of Lightning cables makes that seem unlikely. I don't think Apple would have bothered if the plan is to move away from Lightning anytime soon.

Lightning should be the end of all ports on consumer iOS devices. Then it’s wireless .

No thanks. Apple sold me a device with lots and lots of storage space that I use to store lots and lots of content. The pain point is transferring that content to and from the device. USB2-speed transfers via Lightning cable are slow enough. The LAST thing I want is to make it even slower by limiting transfers to wireless.

MplsP 4021 comments · 8 Years

lorin schultz said:

racerhomie3 said:

lorin schultz said:

I was really hoping we were close to seeing the end of Lightning, with the next generation of iPhones and iPads following the current iPad Pro to USB-C instead. This latest move to license a new breed of Lightning cables makes that seem unlikely. I don't think Apple would have bothered if the plan is to move away from Lightning anytime soon.

Lightning should be the end of all ports on consumer iOS devices. Then it’s wireless .

No thanks. Apple sold me a device with lots and lots of storage space that I use to store lots and lots of content. The pain point is transferring that content to and from the device. USB2-speed transfers via Lightning cable are slow enough. The LAST thing I want is to make it even slower by limiting transfers to wireless.

Not to mention the fact that wireless is inferior to wired charging in almost every way.