Amazon and Monoprice Offering Certified, Low Cost Lightning-to-USB CablesBoth Monoprice and Amazon are now offering low cost Lightning cables, priced at $11.77 and $14.99, respectively, for a standard 3-foot cable. That’s a significant savings over Apple’s official Lightning cables that are sold online and at retail stores for $19.99. Monoprice is known for offering high quality generic cables at a deep discount. In addition to the standard 3ft cable, Monoprice is also selling a 6ft cable for $12.56 and a Slimfit cable for $12.73. The cables are all MFi certified Lightning to USB charge/sync cables, made to work with the iPad, iPhone, and iPod. The Slimfit cable from Monoprice is set to ship out in the beginning of March, with the other two cables following later in the month. Amazon is only offering a 3ft MFi Certified cable at this time, but it is available to ship immediately. While there are cheaper lightning cables available, the offerings from Amazon and Monoprice are MFi (Made for iPad/iPhone/iPod) Certified, which means they have been approved by Apple. Other low cost Lighting cable options are unofficial, which has introduced concerns about quality and compatibility. Apple has been maintaining strict control over the Lightning connector and accessories that utilize the technology, insisting that Lightning-related accessories are manufactured in Apple-approved facilities. As a result, the introduction of lower-cost licensed Lightning cables has been slow. Recent Mac and iOS Blog Stories • Apple Releases Firmware Battery Fix for 2010/2011 MacBook Pro 15- and 17-Inch Models • Minor Update of Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 Fixes Licensing Bug • Apple Exploring Alternatives to Traditional Passwords with Photo Identification as Authentication • Tim Cook Opposed Suing Samsung Over Mobile Device Patents • 4chan Founder Chris Poole Releases DrawQuest, an App Designed to Inspire Creativity • iOS 6.x Jailbreak Evasi0n Hits Seven Million Installs in Four Days • Vodafone UK Warning iPhone 4S Users Not to Upgrade to iOS 6.1 Due to 3G Issues • Enterprise Information Workers Favor Microsoft Tablets and Apple Phones
http://www.macrumors.com/2013/02/12/amazon-and-monoprice-offering-certified-low-cost-lightning-to-usb-cables/
