Have you ever found a killer deal on an iPod charger or cable online? Did it have the “Made for iPod” logo on the packaging? If your answer is no, then you purchased a non-Apple sanctioned accessory for your iOS device. You might think that your saving money or getting a great deal, but what you are unaware of is that charger you purchased for $10.00 online might actually be causing damage to your devices.
Apple wants to put a stop to this, so they are suing several accessory makers to put a stop to them selling non-approved Apple accessories. Some might think that Apple is only doing this because they get a 20% to 25% kick back from accessory makers they partner with. The reason why these accessories bear the “Made for iPod” logo is because these companies adhere to Apples policies. If Apple makes a change to the cable or power charger, these companies will change their products to meet Apple’s standards.
A few years back Apple decided to add a chip to their USB Dock cables, so when you output video from your iPod or iPhone with a non-approved cable, it would not display any video on your television. This was done so that you would use sanctioned cables. Another example would be Apple’s power adapters for their iOS devices. Non-approved chargers can cause irreparable damage to your iOS device, or simply not charge it. Case in point, I have a non-approved car charger that I got as a gift. It would only charge my iPhone if it were fully charged. However, if it were at 30% or less it would not charge my iPhone. If I had an approved car charger I wouldn’t have had this issue. Luckily my iPhone is fine, because I didn’t continue to use the charger.
Something else to keep in mind when you see the “Made for iPod” logo on an accessories packaging: Make sure your iOS device is displayed as a compatible device. Just because it says that it will work with your iPod Nano, it doesn’t mean it will work with your iPhone. Certain devices will only work with the device they have been approved for. Moreover, there are other accessories that will work with all of your iOS devices. So, the next time you think you saving on that non-approved accessory; just think how much it will cost you to replace your iPhone because you bought that $10.00 charger that fried it.
Photo Credit: This accessory is not made to work with the iPhone
Article Via AppleInsider.com
