Want a Dock for the iPhone 5? - There's Still Hope!

[Anthony Bouchard]

Albeit Apple has not made a dock stand for the iPhone 5 like they have for the iPhone 4S and older, you shouldn’t lose hope just yet. Where Apple fails to deliver, third party companies will help to fill in the blanks; at least this is the hope with a new dock stand for the iPhone 5 called the Lightning Dock.

The Lightning Dock will be compatible with the iPhone 5 and the iPod touch 5G, as it uses Apple’s new Lightning connector – the reason for the name. The anodized aluminum version of the Lightning Dock has similar qualities when compared to the popular Elevation Dock for iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S by Casey Hopkins, although the shape and seating are different. The Lightning Dock also comes in black anodized aluminum and hardwood versions if you're not a fan of the regular anodized aluminum version. In case you were unaware, the texture of the regular anodized aluminum version is similar to that of a MacBook Pro case.

Just taking a look at the Lightning Dock, it appears to be very sleek. There is no opening on the dock for the iPhone 5 to sit inside of; instead, all of the weight will be put on the Lightning connector itself. The company does offer optional back support with a piece of removable Plexiglas ($5 more). Images shown below:


Without Plexiglas iPhone 5 support.

With Plexiglas iPhone 5 support.

The Lightning Dock is a great accessory if you’re looking for a dock for the iPhone 5. It’s also not too expensive either. If you remember the Elevation Dock for the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, it retailed at $90. The Lightning Dock costs much less – $34.95 for the anodized aluminum version and $24.95 for the hardwood version.

The company shows us a demo of the dock in the video below:


One major thing we notice is that it takes user-generated force from the user's fingers to remove the iPhone 5 from the dock (even though they do a good job trying to hide it in the video). In the situation with the Elevation Dock, the connector was just slim enough that the iPhone 4 or iPhone 4S could be lifted away from the dock without any force to remove the device from the connector. Apart from this, the iPhone 5 doesn’t appear to be wiggling as the finger touches the screen, signaling sturdiness.

You can get a discount code if you Tweet about the Lightning Dock and follow the company on Twitter. If you like it, you can pre-order yours here!

Sources: TheLightningDock via iMore

[jery911]

that thing is ugly, i like the orignal style better, where your phone sits inside the dock.

[mbeezy81]

Why would they sell the back support separately?? It should come with it......No way I would trust just the connector to hold my phone up..

[ScottyColorado]

I for see this connector broken after like one bump.

[hogcia]

I for see this connector broken after like one bump.

Definitely...

[rcm]

if anything it is a good start, and for a very good price. But it needs a hollow center like the old docks have to stabilize the phone because the single back support is not enough.

[thazsar]

I'm looking forward to Sinjimoru creating a lightning plug for their dock!!! Simple, sleek and AWESOME! Had two for my ip4S'

Amazon link: http://amzn.com/B004VXT3I2

[xclusiveiphone]

Where's the AUX input? Isn't that the purpose of having a dock?

And seriously who would buy the wooden one? Seems like anyone can make one if their good with wood.

[blkcadi]

Where's the AUX input?

That would be nice for sure.

[MacOSG]

@thazsar - I would go for one of those in a heartbeat! That LightningDock male plug will break off easily. Maybe even F the other (female) end up on your phone.

[xhazex9x]

Where's the AUX input? Isn't that the purpose of having a dock?

And seriously who would buy the wooden one? Seems like anyone can make one if their good with wood.

I know plenty of girls that are pros with wood And they cant yet make iphone docks....i would buy the wood one

[KraXik]

I know plenty of girls that are pros with wood And they cant yet make iphone docks....i would buy the wood one

Lol.

Girls that are pros with wood? Hopefully they don't use their own wood, if they do, you have been grossly misinformed about girls....

[MetallicaFan1991]

Stupid dock, horrible design and just fugly. Why would anyone buy this?!?

A $3 dock from China will be a million times better.

[clive.weller]

Surely what is really needed is a dock converter so we can continue using our current equipment

[znbl]

I really don't understand why they changed ports like this. Of everything I read thus far, there doesn't appear to be any actual benefit to it. There is no real speed increase (other than what you'd get from improved hardware [cpu, etc] anyways), and it's still subject to USB speed limitations, which my 4S can hit the upper end of when transferring files easily), then the only real difference is that the connector is narrower and perhaps a tad thinner, which probably why docks for it are slow coming out, as making thin narrow male connector that wont snap off during normal use is not an easy task.

I really think Apple made a poor choice. If they wanted to, say, make the phone USB 3.0 or ThunderBolt compatible for faster transfer speeds when syncing directly, then it's the computer-end of the cable that would need to be changed, not the device-end. I honestly see no logical sense in the 30-pin end being changed, aside from the obvious attempt to get people to re-buy all sorts of accessories. Adapters will help for somethings, but not for everything. For docks that have the bowl-shaped cradle with the connector sort of recessed, any adapter will cause an iPhone 5 to sit above the bowl, for example.

[Anthony Bouchard]

I really don't understand why they changed ports like this. Of everything I read thus far, there doesn't appear to be any actual benefit to it. There is no real speed increase (other than what you'd get from improved hardware [cpu, etc] anyways), and it's still subject to USB speed limitations, which my 4S can hit the upper end of when transferring files easily), then the only real difference is that the connector is narrower and perhaps a tad thinner, which probably why docks for it are slow coming out, as making thin narrow male connector that wont snap off during normal use is not an easy task.

I really think Apple made a poor choice. If they wanted to, say, make the phone USB 3.0 or ThunderBolt compatible for faster transfer speeds when syncing directly, then it's the computer-end of the cable that would need to be changed, not the device-end. I honestly see no logical sense in the 30-pin end being changed, aside from the obvious attempt to get people to re-buy all sorts of accessories. Adapters will help for somethings, but not for everything. For docks that have the bowl-shaped cradle with the connector sort of recessed, any adapter will cause an iPhone 5 to sit above the bowl, for example.

The new connector has a smaller internal housing that gave them more space to dedicate to internal hardware. The connector also has improved speed and reliability, because of an eight-signal, all-digital hardware design.

[KraXik]

I really don't understand why they changed ports like this. Of everything I read thus far, there doesn't appear to be any actual benefit to it. There is no real speed increase (other than what you'd get from improved hardware [cpu, etc] anyways), and it's still subject to USB speed limitations, which my 4S can hit the upper end of when transferring files easily), then the only real difference is that the connector is narrower and perhaps a tad thinner, which probably why docks for it are slow coming out, as making thin narrow male connector that wont snap off during normal use is not an easy task.

I really think Apple made a poor choice. If they wanted to, say, make the phone USB 3.0 or ThunderBolt compatible for faster transfer speeds when syncing directly, then it's the computer-end of the cable that would need to be changed, not the device-end. I honestly see no logical sense in the 30-pin end being changed, aside from the obvious attempt to get people to re-buy all sorts of accessories. Adapters will help for somethings, but not for everything. For docks that have the bowl-shaped cradle with the connector sort of recessed, any adapter will cause an iPhone 5 to sit above the bowl, for example.

All of the above is fine, but when you try it, and you don't need to worry about which way round it goes in. It's amazing. So glad they changed it the way they did.

Something so simple, yet stupidly good!!!

[alanjf]

The new connector has a smaller internal housing that gave them more space to dedicate to internal hardware. The connector also has improved speed and reliability, because of an eight-signal, all-digital hardware design.

No offense, but are you just reading the marketing text? From the tests that I've personally seen, there is no speed difference when syncing/transferring, when compared to the 4S, as both are pretty much maxing out USB 2.0. And guess what, the 30-pin connector is digital too. The Lightening connector is just a different end for the same cable, which connects to USB on the other.

All of the above is fine, but when you try it, and you don't need to worry about which way round it goes in.

Um, how exactly could one be confused about which end of the 30-pin cable goes into the phone and which is USB? Seems you have it completely backwards, as it'd be infinitely more possible for someone who isn't tech savvy to be unsure which end is which for the new Lightning connector, at least at first.

[zues79]

No offense, but are you just reading the marketing text? From the tests that I've personally seen, there is no speed difference when syncing/transferring, when compared to the 4S, as both are pretty much maxing out USB 2.0. And guess what, the 30-pin connector is digital too. The Lightening connector is just a different end for the same cable, which connects to USB on the other.

Um, how exactly could one be confused about which end of the 30-pin cable goes into the phone and which is USB? Seems you have it completely backwards, as it'd be infinitely more possible for someone who isn't tech savvy to be unsure which end is which for the new Lightning connector, at least at first.

This person is talking about the connector that goes to the iPhone only not the end that goes to the computer. It's similar to a MacBook charger.

[KraXik]

This person is talking about the connector that goes to the iPhone only not the end that goes to the computer. It's similar to a MacBook charger.

Lol yep. That guy is pretty dumb.