Third-party USB-C to Lightning cables likely coming in 2019

Apple appears to be making the final preparations to allow third parties to sell fully-certified USB-C-to-Lightning cables, a report said on Wednesday.

The company recently began notifying licensees in the MFi (Made for iPhone/iPad/iPod) program, Macotakara wrote. The technology is said to require a "C94" Lightning connector, something Apple introduced with a new iteration of its own cable in May 2018.

Third-party accessories will be able to deliver 18 watts of power in cases where the USB Power Delivery standard is supported.

No products will be ready for this fall's iPhone and iPad Pro launches, Macotakara suggested. In fact the first wave is only predicted to ship in mid-2019.

Third-party offerings will likely be a welcome relief to iPhone and iPad owners. Apple often charges a high premium for first-party accessories — a 3.3-foot USB-C-to-Lightning cable is $19, and a 6.6-foot one is $35. A 6-foot USB-A-to-Lightning cable from Anker, in comparison, is just $8.99.

USB-C is now de facto on most Macs and is gaining traction on Windows computers. It is also being found more often on products like hubs and wall adapters.

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3 Comments

bystander

said about 5 years ago

I don't get it. There are already plenty of third-party USB-C to Lightning cables and power bricks on Amazon. I have had a third-party 18w power brick with USB-C to lightning for months. (It's awesome BTW.). Is the story just that Apple is now allowing an MFi version? If so, that makes sense as being newsworthy (I guess), but, I have to say, the "non-certified" product I have works just fine.

hypoluxa

said about 5 years ago

bystander said:

I don't get it. There are already plenty of third-party USB-C to Lightning cables and power bricks on Amazon. I have had a third-party 18w power brick with USB-C to lightning for months. (It's awesome BTW.). Is the story just that Apple is now allowing an MFi version? If so, that makes sense as being newsworthy (I guess), but, I have to say, the "non-certified" product I have works just fine.

Most probably do, but you do get the occasional lemons.

payeco

said about 5 years ago

bystander said:

I don't get it. There are already plenty of third-party USB-C to Lightning cables and power bricks on Amazon. I have had a third-party 18w power brick with USB-C to lightning for months. (It's awesome BTW.). Is the story just that Apple is now allowing an MFi version? If so, that makes sense as being newsworthy (I guess), but, I have to say, the "non-certified" product I have works just fine.

The 11.3 upgrade broke the fast charge ability of non-certified USB-C to lightning cables. They will still charge, but only at the 2.4a/5v rate of a standard USB-A cable.