Katie Marsal
Apple's annual "MFi" conference is currently underway in Shenzhen, China, where the company has informed third-party accessory makers that they will need to meet its supplier code of conduct to sell officially licensed products.
Devices certified as "Made for iPhone," or iPad and iPod, will only be able to come from companies that adhere to the code of conduct, according to TUAW. The full Apple Supplier Code of Conduct document is available at Apple's website.
Prior to this week's announcement, the code of conduct only applied to Apple's supply chain partners and component vendors. But under the new rules, all official members of Apple's licensed accessory ecosystem will be expected to adhere to stricter rules for worker rights and environmental issues.
Author Michael Rose noted that it's currently unknown what Apple's audit requirements will be, as well as penalties for noncompliance with the rules.
Details from the "MFi" conference also revealed that Apple's new Lightning connector, found on the iPhone 5 and iPad mini among other devices, is waterproof.
The third-party accessory market for the Lightning connector is currently lacking, because authorized vendors have been waiting for this week's conference so they can obtain certification from Apple.
The first authorized accessory maker to announce Lightning-compatible products is Belkin, which revealed a new car charger and dock this week. The accessories are available for preorder now, and are scheduled to ship by Nov. 15.
Though Lightning cables include an authentication chip that may cut down on unauthorized accessories, the technology has been reverse engineered by some companies in China that have begun making unofficial Lightning cables. One cable detailed by AppleInsider last week was found to be compatible with Lightning devices, though it achieved a low price with poor shielding and cheap parts.
Malcolm Owen
Christine McKee
Amber Neely
17 Comments
What!! No longer can I buy from back-alley under-lit sweat shops comprised of rag-dressed children working 14-hour shifts???
But, that's how this country was made! It's the American way...!
I applaud Apple's efforts, but still feel cheap cables will be abound in a few months all over anyway.
I applaud Apple's efforts, but still feel cheap cables will be abound in a few months all over anyway.
Cheap as in junk, yes. I don't think Apple is asking people to license the tech involved for financial gain, but simply to be able to exercise some level of quality control on stuff that people plug their iDevices into, which is a good thing. Manufacturers who haven't licensed the tech, who are making reverse engineered knockoffs, Apple can likely have their products banned and pulled, which is also a good thing because these manufacturers probably don't have any commitment to product quality but are just trying to make a quick buck with the cheapest crap they can knock out.
The Apple Supplier Code of Conduct is a great opportunity for an in-depth, thought-provoking editorial about Apple, corporatism, government, and the responsibilities of consumers. I'd love to read it. Journalism consists of reporting the information that doesn't appear in companies' press releases, and analyses they don't don't want made of that which does. "The rest is advertising." And don't we all see enough advertising?
I really wonder when Apple will release a Lightning to Thunderbolt connector...
I've been thinking about this and it makes perfect sense to release them. They don't have to be standard since most PC's don't have Thunderbolt but still I would really like faster transfer times. I don't know they could always call it Storm Connector or something like that...