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July 11, 2008

ipod_accessories

Why are those iPod accessories so darn pricey?

Posted Jul. 11, ’08, 1:13 PM PT by David Dahlquist
Category | iPod » iPod Accessories

accessories.jpgEver wonder why a lot of iPod and iPhone accessories seem kinda, well, over priced? It’s not just the insatiable greed of the accessory companies, mind you. The root of the problem goes deeper, into the deep dark corners of Apple itself!

Popular Mechanics reports that since the release of the original iPhone and the current generation of iPods, Apple has installed a proprietary authentication chip in their portables that makes it impossible for 3rd party companies to create iPod/iPhone compatible accessories without signing an often times costly agreement with Apple.

For instance, if I wanted to output video from my previous generation iPod Video, I could go on eBay and buy a generic $2 iPod Video cable that would work just fine. New iPhones and iPods, however, require the “officially licensed” Apple cables, and these can run you up to $50!

Needless to say, the chip not only causes prices to go up, but it forces accessory companies to cut corners and cheapen their production so they can pay for the Apple license (not to mention, the costly “made for iPod” stickers) while maintaining a consumer-friendly price point. Sucky.

Of course the other side of the argument goes that since Apple is the great innovator, and the sole creator of this massive, $2 billion accessory market, they are entitled to a cut. This makes sense, and it’s also understandable that Apple would want to have some control over the quality of the accessories designed for their products, but some of Apple’s methods detailed in the PopularMechanics report seem a little overboard. In fact, most manufacturers interviewed by PopularMechanics estimated that up to $20 of the retail cost of iPod and iPhone speakers can be directly attributable to fees levied by Apple. Ouch.

What say you, fair reader? Should Apple accessory companies be given a little more freedom to produce Apple-friendly items, or are Apple’s steep tariffs fair in your book?


11 Comments

Dave-O said:

I bought a video cable for my iPhone for $25. The video chip is necessary to tell the iPhone/iPod what kind of video to output. You can't buy any video cable for your old iPod that will output component video, you can for the new ones.

July 11, 2008 1:29 PM
Dave said:

Yes, there in business to make mony blah blah blah. I think Apple's going overboard. I seem to remember that years ago they had a lot more compatibility added into the product so they could play as nice as possible with others in the sandbox. Now they resort to such crap as reversing the connections of the video out & one of the audio outs on the 5G iPod so the uneducated consumer would believe that *had* to buy an iPod cable. Now, based on what you're saying, Apple now *forces* you to buy one of their cables. This kind of tactic is way overboard, IMHO.

July 11, 2008 1:32 PM
Inkling Author Profile Page said:

All the more reason for each of us to get by a little longer with our Apple products. We may not be able to change these greedy little Apple policies, but we can make them cost by upgrading less often and suggesting to our friends that they do the same. Delaying a new purchase by a year is roughly the equivalent of 1/3 less sales. And given the nature of electronics, waiting gets you more for less, so there's no real down side.

Particularly irritating is Apple's refusal to license their MacBook power connector. I've got a marvelous iGo adapter that's useless without one.

Back in the 1970s, IBM got bit by the courts for attempting to get monopoly profits out of mainframe accessories. Maybe it's time for the same thing to happen to Apple. That and maybe a parody of the 1984 commercial focusing on Apple as the villain. The latter, involving little more than rewriting the on-screen text, could be quite funny.


July 11, 2008 3:01 PM
BetamaxTape said:

SONY's excessive proprietary parts/products cost them business.

Will Apple make the same mistake?

July 11, 2008 3:30 PM
Steve W said:

Did you ever see the "1984" Commercial? Apple was "the villain". The PC users were the loyalists, and the lone Mac user was the rebel - the terrorist. Notice that the PC users are not impressed by her actions, nor tempted to switch allegiance. They are just shocked by the Mac audacity.

Like you.

July 11, 2008 4:13 PM
Dave said:

@Steve W:

LOL! That's funny! The rebel who crashes through the ordinary with something new and different is a terrorist! LOL! Exaggerated, lifeless drone figures are loyalists! Thank you for ending my day with a smile! XD

July 11, 2008 6:58 PM
James Katt said:

Apple's 3rd Party Accessory ecosystem is a multibillion dollar business.

iPod users LOVE accessories. They buy them up.

Accessory makers are making tons of money in creating 3rd Party Accessories for the iPod.

I don't think they are that pricey. The accessories themselves are not available to the other platforms.

Apple want to insure quality to the accessories that use its exclusive iPod connectors. Accessory makes don't have to use the iPod connector. They can just make cases or other audio components that don't use the connector - thus that accessory can also be used by a Zune.

If you don't like the price, don't buy it. Otherwise, get a better job or get a second job. Apple's iPod accessories are worth it.

Other than cheap customers, iPod customers and iPod accessory makers are both happy - with the accessory makers laughing all the way to the bank.

July 12, 2008 8:15 AM
heretic said:

Apple deserves a cut in order for it to be assured of compatibility and quality, BUT their cut is unreasonable... APPLE IS GETTING GREEDY!

July 12, 2008 6:28 PM
TCD said:

Well the Apple tax and the lack of basic features like voice dial and modem pass-through and the clamp Apple has on its' products completely alienate me... My new cell phone is 3G, modem pass through & every other feature you can image AND a reasonable monthly plan that is REALLY unlimited everything!

Regretfully,
Tom

July 12, 2008 8:16 PM
yelocab said:

I can see both sides. I guess on one side, Apple was tired of everyone cashing in on the iPod bandwagon by labeling everything as "iPod compatible"--even if that just meant it had a generic audio input jack. On the other hand, I wonder if this is the reason I can't find a nicely designed alarm clock with an iPod dock for less than $150. (Actually, I have yet to find one I like--one that doesn't look cheap and tacky.)

July 12, 2008 11:31 PM
Lancelot said:

Can anyone say "flee market"..
I refuse to pay Apple's prices for accessories & find that those fun little markets that are only open Fri. to Sun. a great place to find items at greatly reduced rates, plus you can get a good hot dog or a cold beer. I use to shop Ebay but their sellers are a bunch of thief's now.

July 13, 2008 1:37 PM

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