iPhone connector has proprietary electronics

[amirm]

Seems like the cable is smart with some kind of authentication silicon in there. As I noted in the other thread, these are the tools for controlling the ecosystem and making money from it:
http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/25/apple-lightning-cable-inspection-finds-an-extra-smart-connector/

Apple Lightning cable inspection finds an extra-smart connector, won't make for cheap substitutes

Apple made much ado of the Lightning connector it launched side-by-side with the iPhone 5, but what we've known about it has been limited outside of the presence of an authentication chip. Double Helix Cables' Peter Bradstock has delved deeper and tells AppleInsider that there's some clever wiring that clinches the reversible design. While Lightning's power supply is truly symmetrical among the contact pins, the data isn't -- which suggests a chip inside is redirecting data to keep the plug working as intended. The technique helps explain why Apple would need any elaborate circuitry in the first place. No matter the wizardry inside, Bradstock doesn't see any cut-rate Lightning alternatives being useful in the near future: as it's unlikely that anyone outside of Cupertino knows how the authentication works at this stage, clone cables may amount to little more than heaps of metal and plastic.

 

[Keith_W]

To be fair to them, the old 30 pin connector was a mixture of analog and digital. Perhaps this chip is there to recreate the analog signal to maintain compatibility. People who know more about electronics than I do - feel free to comment! Is that a DAC chip?

 

[amirm]

I will research it more later but for now, the chip in addition to providing the necessary functionality, also handles authentication. That is, it exchanges magic messages (keys) with what it is plugged into or it will not talk to it. So you don't get to build an accessory in your garage and sell it without a license from Apple. Or, sell a replacement cable that is longer, cheaper, better, etc. You would need to get a license to get the magic key and with it, be bound by their licensing requirements and royalties.

Similar thing went on with replacement inks. The printer companies put chips in them to stop third-parties from selling cheaper ink. I think folks have gotten around that so that may also be possible here but it is certainly hard and a big obstacle.

 

[ack]

This will be challenged in court as monopoly.

 

[Phelonious Ponk]

Depends on what it does. If all it does is make it difficult to compete, without adding any value, it is certainly an anti-competitive practice. If it has a higher function with a higher value, they have every right to license it, and to fight if it is copied. It's just too early to tell.

Tim