It’s been nearly two months since Apple released the iPhone 5, and accessories for the handset are still extremely hard to find. So far all we’ve seen, as far as Apple-approved add-ons, are a car charger and sync dock from Belkin.
Good news this morning though. The California-based Scosche Industries has announced its own official lineup of Lightning accessories, which includes a wall charger, a car charger, and a retractable USB charging/sync cable…
MacRumors points to the release:
“Smartphones and tablets are an integral part of our daily lives, but keeping them all charged can create several challenges,” said Kas Alves, Executive Vice President of Scosche Industries. “We designed our Lightning chargers with flexibility in mind. The new line provides power solutions for home and on the go and addresses the varying wattage requirements of our favorite devices, the need to charge multiple devices simultaneously and is capable of powering multiple devices with different connections with the same charger.”
Scosche highlights the fact that its accessories will carry the coveted “Made For” seal, meaning they’ve been certified by Apple. And it recommends staying away from counterfeits, saying, “knockoffs can harm your Smartphone or Tablet.”
Here’s the lineup:
- strikeDRIVE pro 12w + 12w – Dual USB car charger with Lightning cable ($49.99)
- strikeDRIVE 12w + 12w – Lightning car charger with USB port ($39.99)
- strikeDRIVE 12w – Car charger for Lightning devices ($29.99)
- strikeBase pro 12w + 12w – Dual USB wall charger with Lightning cable ($49.99)
- strikeBASE 12w – Wall charger for Lightning devices ($34.99)
- strikeLINE pro – Retractable charge and sync Lightning cable ($29.99)
There’s no word on an official launch date for the new accessories, but MacRumors is reporting that we could see some of them as early as January of next year. It’s a shame that they’re not going to make it in time for the holidays.
Apple has really clamped down on accessory-makers with its new Lightning plug. The 9-pin connector contains an authentication chip that makes it difficult for non-certified accessories to get to market. Hopefully, now that it has had its MFi meeting with manufacturers, we’ll start to see more supplements surface.