by A flurry of Lightning connector accessories for the iPhone 5, iPad mini and iPad are hitting the market from JBL, Belkin, Scosche and iLuv, among others, giving users more choices beyond what Apple offers.
Lightning is an 8-pin connector, which is smaller than the 30-pin ports that have been on iPhones, iPads, and iPods for years. The switch had users grumbling as the new connector rendered older cables and accessories like speaker docks and chargers obsolete. Apple’s strict certification had delayed the release of third-party Lightning accessories by months, but companies such as Bose have pledged to ship products soon.
JBL’s speaker docks
JBL OnBeat Micro with Lightning for iPhone 5
Harman International has introduced two JBL speaker docks—the OnBeat Micro and Venue LT—that connect to iPad mini, iPhone 5 and the newest iPad via a Lightning cable. The $99 OnBeat Micro is a portable speaker dock that can charge and play music from the iPhone 5. The speaker has a 20-watt amplifier and can bring “noise from ceiling to floor for up to five hours when it’s using batteries,” according to the company. The speaker dock uses four AAA batteries and also has a USB port to charge other mobile devices.
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