The iPhone 5 may cost the same as the iPhone 4S did when it was first released last year, but as for a replacement charger for the hot new Apple handset, well, you’re going to have to cough up some more cash.
The USB power adapter plus a 30-pin USB cable — the full charger setup for an iPhone 4S or older, iPad, or iPod — costs $29 through Apple’s website, just as it always has. However, Apple does not sell the USB power adapter and the new Lightning dock connector cable for the iPhone 5 together — you have to buy those separately, at a cost of $19 apiece.
That means iPhone 5 customers are forced to pay $9 more — an increase of roughly 24 percent — for a replacement or spare charger setup than customers with the iPhone 4S or older.
This does not make much sense, at least on the surface. Like the standard 30-pin to USB cable, a new Lightning cable will cost you $19. So theoretically, Apple should offer iPhone 5 customers the package deal (USB adapter plus Lightning cable) at a cost of $29.
We’ve reached out to Apple to see if they have a $29 Lightning charger package in the works, but have not yet heard back. We will update this space as soon as we do.
The 24 percent price hike follows complaints about the new Lightning-to-30-pin adapter, which comes with every iPhone 5, due to its relatively high cost: A replacement for that will cost you $29 (or $39) through Apple.
All said, we would be highly surprised if this jump in price is permanent; the company didn’t officially raise the price of the full charger setup, after all. It simply failed to offer that option, meaning we have to piece it together ourselves, at a cost. Further, we doubt the $9 difference will have much impact on sales of the iPhone 5, which have already topped 5 million in just a matter of days. Still, forcing iPhone 5 customers to lay out an extra nine bucks for a replacement charger seems to us an unhelpful oversight, at best.
This plug contains a tiny chip that senses and reassigns its circuit paths in real time. If you plug it into the iPhone “upside down,” it will reconfigure itself and still work properly.
Maybe this isn’t something you care about. But I’ve spent enough nights in a dark hotel room trying to plug in one-way phone chargers. It’s worth a whole, whopping nine bucks to me.
awesome!!!! I love throwing money at apple!!!!! love it!!!!
Shouldn’t cost a lot to begin with, this is why apple just sucks in general. but stupid people will keep buying these over-priced things and keep them in business.
It is not them raising the price, it is the consumer paying it.
Remember all that “antiquated” equipment people complained about? I have a few chargers, and should just need a couple extra cables. I like the new design and will like it more when the new iPad shares the same design. Micro USB is crap. I’m glad Apple went with a two sided design!
Why not rebrand “digital trends” to “whining trends”. Just buy it or leave it, it’s just a phone not the air you breath, it’s a choice for where you want to spend your money not a tax! I am out of here man. Pathetic.
Yeah, dood.
I’m totes leaving this non-existent room.
The Iphone is one beautiful p
I have no problems with a new charger design IF it works better, lasts longer and is readily available when I loose mine.
why bother with mac tax and stick with android
Well Damon, that captive audience you mention will continually purchase said products, often blindly, and being a free market system and all, why wouldn’t Apple continue to hose their own customers over?
The Iphone is one beautiful p
they should have done this in the early days of the iphone, now all my accessories for the iphone are gone.
No goggle map haha?
Ponzi Scheme.
Screwing their customers…shame!
This plug contains a tiny chip that senses and reassigns its circuit paths in real time. If you plug it into the iPhone “upside down,” it will reconfigure itself and still work properly.
Maybe this isn’t something you care about. But I’ve spent enough nights in a dark hotel room trying to plug in one-way phone chargers. It’s worth a whole, whopping nine bucks to me.
Couldn’t agree more! If I added up the micro seconds I’ve spent flipping my charger around over the years I might have an extra day! ;) Also, you can find the charging “cube” readily on ebay for a few dollars I don’t know why anyone would pay $19?
Bastards!
C’mon guys.
Apple.
C’mon.
The flock won’t care one bit.
Shouldn’t cost a lot to begin with, this is why apple just sucks in general. but stupid people will keep buying these over-priced things and keep them in business.
Don’t buy it then
It is not them raising the price, it is the consumer paying it.
You are so right, Michael. This change in no way represents a corporation with a captive audience and sole propriety milking more profit from their consumers, but instead simply highlights the phenomena of massive numbers of customers demanding that Apple just take more of their money.
Well Damon, that captive audience you mention will continually purchase said products, often blindly, and being a free market system and all, why wouldn’t Apple continue to hose their own customers over?
Kind of go hand in hand, don’t they, Michael :)
Ummm. Well. $20. Not too bad. The old one was $10? If so then that’s just greedy.
Ouch, this is definitely a rough increase. Especially as it’s been shown with previous iPhone models that some of the 3rd party chargers actually decrease your battery life over time…
I don’t have a problem with them um-bundling the USB power brick from the cable – i have enough power sources at home/work/my car, but I do need a cable. I do agree that they should have better thought out the pricing. I can see apple pricing things the way they are – not merely as a way to price gouge us, but to make people think a second time before buying a part that they already probably have.
$40 for the cable and wall plug is ridiculous. Especially since I will need to replace the cables in my home. I need at least 3. I guess the good thing is that I should be able to keep the wall plug and just replace the cable which is $19.
Yeah, that’s the point I was trying to make above. If it was only 5-10 for the wall plug, i’d probably just buy it, even though i 4 unused ones sitting at home. But pricing it at $20 actually prevents me from buying it and adding garbage to a landfill.
Incredibly stupid on Apple’s part. We all know the part cost them nothing to make, they have more cash in the bank that 99% of the companies out there, and on top of that, they are trying to sneak one past consumers to make even more money? When will Apple fans start to realize that this company is not about the user, but the bottom line?