iPod nano 7G

Apple now offering refurbished 7th-gen iPod nano online

Apple has been very active lately in the refurbished department of its web store. Last week it posted fifth generation iPod touch models to the page for the first time. And just weeks before that, it began offering fourth-generation iPads and iPad minis.

Today, the company has added refurbished 7th generation iPod nano models to its website, bringing its reconditioned offerings for iOS devices it introduced last fall full circle. You can now find nearly every late-model iPhone, iPad or iPod at a discount...

Apple’s Lightning to Micro USB Adapter hits US online store

Apple's been an avid supported of USB for years. With USB 3.0, not so much - at least not until first Mac notebooks with USB 3.0 support began rolling out of assembly lines last year. The company, however, never adopted the industry-standard Micro USB connector. Instead, and much to the horror of the multi-billion dollar accessory biz, it chose to replace its own bulky, decade-old proprietary 30-pin dock connector with Lightning, another proprietary connector similar in size to micro USB (there's a reasonable explanation for that).

So, if you fancy connecting your Lightning-enabled mobile devices to micro USB cables and chargers to sync and charge, Apple comes to the rescue with its official Lightning to Micro USB Adapter. Originally released in Europe in September due to regulations mandating that all mobile phones be charged via commonplace micro USB adapters, it's now finally available to U.S. customers. How much? Just $20. I know, don't start...

Unofficial Lightning docks arrive

As Apple prepares to convene with accessory makers next month in order to lay out new rules pertaining to third-party Lightning gear, companies like iPhone5mod continue to exploit the supply-demand imbalance in order to produce unofficial accessories like cables and adapters that all use cracked Lightning chips.

iPhone5mod already has a few of these in its offering and they've just announced another accessory which could easily strike a chord with long-time Apple fans: a Lightning dock. Just like it removed the optical drive from the new iMac, Apple with the iPhone 5 stopped making docks for Lightning devices. Therefore, this opportunity has basically presented itself...

Unofficial Lightning cables and adapters shipping November 3 for half the price

iPhone5Mod previously released an interesting iPhone 5 Flash Lightning Dock, its first unauthorized Lightning-equipped accessory, and recently announced a nice backplate replacement for your iPhone 5. Today, they're launching three new Lightning accessories set to ship November 3. Of course, these unsanctioned cables and adapters lure with low prices that significantly undercut Apple's comparable offerings (think a 50 percent discount or more). We've got more information and nice promo clips right past the fold...

More headache for Apple and MFi partners as multiple clones of Lightning design emerge

Apple has replaced its decade-old 30-pin connector with a brand new 9-pin Lightning plug in its latest round of iPhone and iPod refreshes last month. Per teardown, the new Lightning I/O has also brought with it an authentication chip that along with tightened ‘MFi’ terms is meant to prevent third parties from making unapproved accessories.

Adding insult to injury, it's also been suggested that cracked chips which bypass its authentication functions are now available. Today, BGR posted images of several claimed third party authentication chips for Lightning USB cables.

Of course, the chips are not officially approved by Apple and present an ample opportunity for shady Chinese firms to manufacture Lightning cables, adapters and other accessories that should easily work with Lightning-equipped iOS devices while costing far less than Apple's overpriced alternatives....

The new iPod nano teardown analysis finds five Apple-branded mystery chips

Solutions provider iFixit tore apart Apple's seventh-generation iPod nano which was released alongside the iPhone 5 and the fifth-generation iPod touch at the September 12 media event. In addition to a Broadcom Bluetooth module and a touchscreen controller from Texas Instruments (whose mobile arm could be acquired by Amazon), the music player also packs in five Apple-branded mystery chips and scores a lower repairability score than the iPhone 5...

New iPod nano gets software update

Owners of the newly-introduced iPod nano might be interested to know that there is now a software update available for the device. That's right, Apple just started shipping the refreshed MP3 player a few days ago, and there's already new firmware for it.

The update brings the nano's OS to version 1.0.1. Keep reading for more details...

Apple is now shipping orders of the new iPod touch and iPod nano

Some buyers reported today that Apple has begun shipping orders of the fifth-generation iPod touch and seventh-generation iPod nano. The company yesterday started shipping the new Lightning to 30-pin adapter which allows people to use most of legacy accessories with the iPhone 5, as well as the new iPod touch and iPod nano, all featuring the Lightning connector. In addition, Apple this morning published the iPod touch user guide as a free iBookstore download...