

How Apple lost $3000 trying to extort extra $4 from a returning customer - TooSmugToFail
https://medium.com/@srdjankovacevic/how-apple-lost-over-3000-trying-to-extort-extra-4-from-a-returning-customer-b00e34e0ea09

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andymoe
I've made a product under the Apple MFi program and let me tell you the people
that are making uncertified cables and accessories likely are doing a lot more
than "not paying the license fee to Apple." Unless you are in China bribing
someone to sell you stolen IP I can't imagine how you would produce a knock
off cable. The lighting connectors and auth chips are _really_ tightly
controlled.

Plus, it's doubtful that any of the rigorous certification testing takes place
on these knockoffs and the spec is really easy to get wrong. So yeah, I've got
no sympathy for this guy at all.

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clinton_sf
I actually don't see a problem with Apple's MFi program. Back in 2013, a woman
in China was electrocuted by her iPhone 4 due to a non-OEM charger:

[http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1283818/woman-
electro...](http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1283818/woman-electrocuted-
while-answering-iphone-may-have-been-using-fake?page=all)

To quote from the article: “Knockoff chargers sometimes cut corners,” Xiang
said. “The quality of the capacitor and circuit protector may not be good, and
this may lead to the capacitor breaking down and sending 220 volts of
electricity directly into the cell phone battery.”

Apple trying to enforce its quality standards on the charging system seems
completely reasonable -- yes, even if it means that the end-user has to pay
for the quality. Most Apple customers are actually looking for that quality
and willing to pay for it.

There is a great teardown analysis of Apple and knock-off chargers at Ken
Shirriff's blog:

[http://www.righto.com/2014/05/a-look-inside-ipad-chargers-
pr...](http://www.righto.com/2014/05/a-look-inside-ipad-chargers-pricey.html)

[http://www.righto.com/2012/05/apple-iphone-charger-
teardown-...](http://www.righto.com/2012/05/apple-iphone-charger-teardown-
quality.html)

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zimpenfish
Anecdotes are not data but I've got plenty of mileage from Lightning cables
bought from the local Poundland - since they cost £1, I'm more than reasonably
sure they're not paying the $4 license fee for MFi.

Sounds more likely that his cheap cable broke (as they do) and just plain
didn't work any more.

~~~
TooSmugToFail
Source: [http://www.mobileburn.com/22031/news/ios-7-blocks-
uncertifie...](http://www.mobileburn.com/22031/news/ios-7-blocks-uncertified-
lightning-cables-but-theres-a-way-to-bypass-it)

~~~
zimpenfish
I've had every Lightning-enabled iPhone (bar the 6+) and iPod since their
introduction and I've never experienced this problem with unlicensed cables.
But trading anecdata is going to get us nowhere...

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paulpauper
why does walmart occasionally pay $100,000 in an injury lawsuit from tacking a
shoplifter who stole $10 of stuff? because the accumulative effects of doing
nothing will cost far more than $100,000

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snyderize
Does it actually not charge, or just warn that it might not work reliably?

