Apple has announced the launch of a new iPhone Lightning Dock which will be compatible with both the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.
At the same time as the company announced the release of a new 15-inch MacBook Pro with Force Touch, as well as a cheaper version of the 27-inch Retina iMac, Apple announced the first official Lightning Dock with compatibility for the latest version of the iPhone. Due to the company’s tardiness in releasing the official dock, a number of solutions already exist.
Lightning Dock updated design to accommodate both versions of the iPhone
In order to enable both the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch iPhone models to fit in a single dock, Apple has had to change the usual design. Instead of putting the charging connector in a groove in which the iPhone sits, the new iPhone Lightning Dock has a wide enough base that both editions of the iPhone can fit on top of a raised Lightning connector.
An additional benefit of this updated design is that it should enable users to charge their iPhone without removing its protective case, which was always a slightly irritating procedure with previous models of the charging dock.
Delayed release follows precedent set by iPhone 5
Given the fact that several quality competitors already exist, Apple has decided to sell its new Lightning Charging Dock for iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus for $39, and delivery is currently expected within 1-3 days. Although it may seem strange that the new charging dock was released 9 months after the latest versions of the iPhone, this is not a new practice for Apple.
Many commentators speculated that Apple would not be releasing an official charging dock when the iPhone 5 appeared with a new design and a new charging connector, but without an official dock. However Apple later released its own charging dock with the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c one year down the line.
Although the company may have lost out on some customers due to the delay, it is presumably hoping that the allure of an official product will still drive strong sales.
