Sept. 15--The least Apple could have done is throw the iSheep a bone and include the $30 adapter with the purchase of a new iPhone 5.
Existing Apple customers who are planning to buy the iPhone 5 will likely have to shell out $30 for their own. Because, otherwise, the bevy of power cords and chargers compatible with previous models of devices won't be compatible. The adapter will connect the old 30-pin port to Apple's new "Lightning Connector," which is smaller and reversible for the first time.
Is it too much to ask for a company that has the largest market cap in the world, at $650 billion, to shave a tad off their profit margin? I mean, their fan base does continually spend $199-plus on each new iteration of Apple product, camping out like dutiful pilgrims as will happen next week with the release of the new iPhone.
What's more, it's not just an adapter you'll likely be purchasing with the new iPhone, but a number of power cords and chargers (two on average at $20 each according to a leading analyst) to replace the ones you've accumulated over the years as a result of purchasing multiple Apple devices.
That's $70 extra you're paying to Apple in addition to the cost of a new iPhone.
"First World problems," quipped Mike Morgan, analyst at ABI research. "The people who want to maintain that quality of life are going to have to shell it out."
Apple's new "Lightning Connector" is surely progress. It's 80 percent smaller than the plugs that currently connect iPhones, iPods and iPads to other devices. It's reversible, which is a nice touch. But the change has been criticized as "one big pain in the neck" for consumers. And it is.
Beyond the inconvenience for consumers, the new "Lightning Connector" is a particular annoyance to the hotel industry, which has invested millions of dollars to include Apple docks for guests, Morgan said. "Do they expect a customer to bring the 30-pin adapter or provide it themselves and risk having it stolen?" he asked.
The iPhone was due for a refresh, but wouldn't it have been generous for Apple to build the iPhone 5 with the already-universal micro-USB port seen in many other phones?
But then Apple would have relinquished a cut of the burgeoning $20 billion secondary accessories market and the separate, lucrative market for digital speaker docks, because consumers would have so many choices.
As iPhone mania kicks in next week, try to remember which choice the company has made here.
jvansack@bostonherald.com
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