Hasta La Gadget!

Apple may have shaken things up with its Lightning connector’s unique internals, but a leaked schedule reveals it’s holding a conference to help accessory makers get a handle for crafting products with the tech. Taking place between November 7th and 9th in Shenzhen, China, the MFi (Made for iPad / iPhone / iPod) Technology Summit will acquaint manufacturers with the new standard and guidelines for developing gear with the cable. Rather than divulging how to create Lightning connectors, it appears that Apple will be keeping the specifications close to its vest and assume the mantle of gatekeeper. According to one of TechCrunch’s sources, Apple will control the supply of pins for its connector and will only sell them to partners when accessories meet Cupertino’s standards. This tactic would match up nicely with the current requirements for the MFi certification program, which already makes parts from Apple-approved suppliers a necessity. It sounds like a potentially pricey proposition, but the source also claims that Cook and Co. have a fair asking price for components doled out in bulk, considering the technology behind them. Curious to see what else is on the docket for the three day shindig? Hit the first source link below for the full schedule.

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Tablets, Mobile, Apple

Apple to hold conference for iDevice accessory makers, school them in using Lightning connectors originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Oct 2012 20:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple will soon be holding a meeting with Made for iPod/iPhone/iPad (MFI) group partners to discuss the future of accessories working with their new Lightning connector. This Lightning cord and port has been integrated on the iPhone 5 already and will likely be appearing on the future set of iPad devices including the iPad mini, a tablet that’s not yet been confirmed to exist by Apple but will likely appear at an October 23rd event. This MFI meeting will be held in Shenzen, China, according to the source speaking with TechCrunch, and will have USB standards on the ticket.

This meeting in Shenzen was previously spoken about by iLounge who pinned the event up for sometime in November. Now with a November 7-8th date range in the tip book, it’s looking a lot more likely. This meeting has previously taken place in December, last year’s edition happening between December 7-8th. This meeting will also likely have AirPlay and Bluetooth standards being discussed as the MFI program expands once again.

UPDATE: Here’s the invite as posted by 9to5 Mac:

It’s not all about expansion, however, as it’s also been said that this meeting will discuss how limited Lightning accessories will be. Word has it that only MFI members will be able to product official Lightning-utilizing accessories and that Apple’s own manufacturing plants will be handling the entirety of the production of the cords that will be integrated into these accessories. Prices for these integrated ports and cords will be quite fair, so says the same source from above, especially when purchase in bulk.

A teardown or two from earlier this month showed the Lightning cord to have at least one unknown piece of processor technology that may well limit the capabilities of those knock-offs that would attempt to replicate Apple’s design. Here with the Lightning MFI program meeting taking place, the real production of officially approved accessories can begin. We shall see if this method of approval has any affect on the amount of accessories that hit the market – or how Apple keeps the non-official accessories from wide distribution.

Apple Lightning port “Made for iPhone” meeting changes game on November 8th [UPDATE] is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

SilverStone is ready to release the Strider ST60F-PS 600 W power supply later this month. Measuring 150mm x 86mm x 140mm, the PSU features a fully-modular design, a single 12V (49A) rail, a 120 mm fan, and a MTBF of 100,000 hours. The SilverStone Strider ST60F-PS also supports an 80 PLUS Silver certification (80 Plus Gold at 230Vac). If you are interested, you can purchase the SilverStone Strider ST60F-PS 600 W power supply for $120. [techPowerUp]

Apple‘s new Lightning interface has caused a bit of a ruckus ever since it debuted on the iPhone 5. It’s essentially been forcing previous-generation iPhone users to go out and buy all-new accessories. However, Apple released a Lightning adapter that allows 30-pin cables to be lugged into Lightning ports. One man was brave enough to open it up to see what was inside.

Peter, from Double Helix Cables, decided to earmark $30 towards an Apple dock connector that he would use to essentially destroy. However, he took pictures along the way and described the experience. First off, just opening up the connector was more difficult than expected, as a Dremel is about the only thing that’s able to pry it open.

One of the first things that Peter notices is that the connector is “beautifully manufactured like a cruel puzzle.” The lightning plug itself is steel reinforced, with a rubber dampening piece that wraps around it. Then, there’s a thin coating of epoxy that pretty much covers all of the circuitry, which makes it nearly impossible to tinker with. To top it all off, there’s a steel cage that encloses it all.

Peter mentions that in order to hack in a dock audio output cable to the Lightning connector, it “would require a Ph.D. in electrical engineering and specialized tools.” On top of that, the steel cage basically requires a tungsten carbide cutting blade in order to take everything apart in once piece. Plus, you have to chisel away at the epoxy that’s covering the chip itself. In the end, Peter said that it took him most of afternoon to take the adapter apart.

[via Gizmodo]

Apple’s Lightning Dock Connector gets teardown, almost impossible to mod is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

The Logitech Wireless Rechargeable Touchpad T650 provides a large glass touch-surface, allowing you to perform the basic point, click and scroll functions anywhere your fingers rest on the touch surface. Priced at $79.99, the new touchpad is fully compatible with the Windows 8 gestures, including edge gestures for app switching, app bar and charms bar activation, pinch-to-zoom and three-finger swipe to take you back to the Start Screen. The Logitech Wireless Rechargeable Touchpad T650 draws power from a rechargeable battery that offers up to one month of operating time on a full charge. [Logitech]