Third-Party Lightning Port Accessories Coming Soon, Says Apple

Apple, at a recently concluded briefing for accessory manufacturers under its MFi (Made For iOS devices) programme, announced new Lightning connectors and specs for Lightning receptacles that licensees will be able to use in accessories. Both will be available to MFi-certified accessory makers in early 2015.

With the new Lightning receptacle, which Apple announced will start shipping early next year, third parties will be able to develop and sell new types of accessories that use Apple's proprietary Lightning connector, which replaced the original 30-pin connector in all iOS devices. This will allow accessory makers to design products that feature a port for the Lightning connector to receive or provide power without requiring another port (typically Micro-USB) on their accessories, which apart from user convenience would also allow for cost and space savings.

9to5mac reports that the announcement was made during Apple's MFi Summit in China, during which Apple also announced it had started accepting product plans for its HomeKit platform.

Alongside the Lightning receptacle, Apple also unveiled a new Lightning connector (C68), which 9to5mac reports accessory makers describing as "a slimmed down, low profile version of previous implementations that can be used in a wide range of accessories from docks to form-fitting cases."

9to5mac notes that Apple has developed variations of its Lightning connector for use in accessories, but adds, "The only one consumers ever see is the C48 connector which is only available for use in cables."

The new Lightning connector is expected to enable the introduction of new accessories with integrated Lightning connectors.

Back in June, Apple introduced a new specification for manufacturers in its MFi (Made For iOS devices) programme that allowed the Lightning connector to be used as an high-quality digital interface for audio devices such as headsets.