Apple Taking Substandard Accessory Makers to Court

**Michael Essany** · 07-31-2010, 09:50 AM

In case you missed it during what's been a busy week of governmental sanctioning of jailbreaking and international Apple product releases, there has been another story on the back-burner that is surfacing again in full this weekend. And perhaps its an issue with which many MMi readers are well acquainted.

If you've ever purchased a knock-off brand iPhone charger, for example, only to have it fall apart, short out, or fail to work altogether only a short while after purchasing it, Apple is looking out for you. Actually, Apple is also looking out for itself in hopes of getting you to stop buying cheap third party accessories and stick with the official stuff.

If you haven't heard, Apple is heading back to the courtroom, but this time it's Apple that's doing the suing. The tech giant has filed a complaint noting that many iPod, iPhone, and iPad accessories are of "inferior quality and reliability, raising significant concerns over compatibility with and damage to Apple’s products."

Of course, this is far from a general swipe at third party accessory makers. Specifically, Apple is calling attention to Accstation, Boxware Corporation, Crazyondigital, Eforcity Corporation, Everydaysource, Itrimming, and United Integral. The Bloomberg report, however, mentions that an additional twenty companies may also wind up within Apple's legal cross-hairs.

Apple Inc. sued companies it said are selling unauthorized electronic accessories such as chargers, speakers and cables for the iPod music player, iPhone and iPad tablet computer.

In a nutshell, Apple is not only strengthening its choke hold on businesses that take away dollars from the tech giant, but also making an issue out of the reality that many accessory makers aren't adequately modifying or updating their products to reflect the changing models and tweaked specifications of new generation products - a reality that, according to Apple, may render some iDevice attributes or features unusable.

Bloomberg

**santacruzlocal** · 07-31-2010, 09:52 AM

I made the mistake of buying a POS knockoff and almost caught my house on fire.

**Magnum** · 07-31-2010, 10:00 AM

**TheDirtyDiddler** · 07-31-2010, 10:04 AM

Third paragraph, iPod listed twice. Ah the redundancy of Apple's name choices.

**lacrossplayereht** · 07-31-2010, 10:07 AM

Really apple. I seem to remember your head phone shipped with my iPhone fell apart after a week.

**Doran** · 07-31-2010, 10:08 AM

Who else has had the USB cord that came with the phone come apart after a bit of use???

**bencjedi** · 07-31-2010, 10:12 AM

Also it would be nice if the quality 3rd party manufacturers could update their products. I've never been able to charge an iPhone while driving using the Pioneer CD-IB100II adapter for audio in my ride because Apple changed the voltage requirements between the iPod to the iPhone and that adapter doesn't provide the charge the iPhone needs. Granted the adapter was made for iPods, but I don't like RF adapters.. they suck. It's direct-connect audio for me or nothing. At least the battery on my iPhone4 lasts significantly longer than my old 3G, so I can enjoy music power-untethered for most long trips before the iPhone needs juiced up again.

**tudtran** · 07-31-2010, 10:17 AM

I bought a car charger on eBay for $3. The charger lasted a week.

**Sonofevil77** · 07-31-2010, 10:19 AM

I only buy quality name brand accessories for my iPhone because the pos things my friends buy for it never work. eBay has 1 million chargers for .99 and they are fire starters lol.

**CZroe** · 07-31-2010, 10:21 AM

Originally Posted by Doran

Who else has had the USB cord that came with the phone come apart after a bit of use???

Pretty much everyone. It's designed to. The rubber gets brittle over time. I saw an Apple Store employee telling a customer who had it happen to all of hers that they recommend that she not pull on the cord. Like you wouldn't have been exceedingly delicate after the first one?! Get real.

Anyway, I had the recalled wall plug that Apple included with the iPhone 3G until about 2 weeks ago. Way to go, Apple!

Pot, meet Kettle.

**Cowboy** · 07-31-2010, 10:22 AM

If you read the box for example walmart car/ wall chargers they say on the box that this may void device warranty! So I always advice people to buy from Att or apple for aftermarket chargers because the other brands are cheap and fry your battery for the most part.

**coolguy742** · 07-31-2010, 10:29 AM

Wow Apple! If I remember the pos headphones that came with my iPod fell apart in under a month... And on top of that I bought a Belkin 2 port ipod car charger almost a year ago and it is still working perfectly...

**chenlevi21** · 07-31-2010, 10:30 AM

I got a car charger which is not apples:I oops haha. So far it works okay. I think?

**rhekt** · 07-31-2010, 10:31 AM

Good they should

**tw1zt3d** · 07-31-2010, 10:31 AM

So then, what about the 3rd party stuff they sell in their own stores? I bought my Griffin car/home charger from Best Buy for cheaper than they sell it in the Apple Store.

**Cowboy** · 07-31-2010, 10:32 AM

Originally Posted by h2a

Oh look. Messany subtly bashing Apple for doing something that makes complete sense, as usual. God i wish you'd leave MMi.

Unnecessary Sir!!!!!

play nice or dont play at all.

**deadfire55** · 07-31-2010, 10:35 AM

My ipod touch 1g cord (2 years old) has at least an entire roll of electrical tape around it and it still works perfectly. I've bought two knock-offs from eBay and both broke in about a months time.

**Cowboy** · 07-31-2010, 10:37 AM

Yeah i have like 10 cords from all the iphones i have i keep ripping them they work but i dont like the wire being exposed. I just take them in every so often and apple warranties them out for me.

**sursture** · 07-31-2010, 10:38 AM

Marketing Trick.
Apple gets free advertising and most people gets the notion that Apple=Quality. Which some of us know is not always the case....

**bigorangekitty** · 07-31-2010, 10:39 AM

I've bought 3rd party components such as chords with chargers. they've lasted longer than apple's own chords which come apart at the ends. just apple trying to put more money in their own pocket.

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