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Lightning to 30-pin Adapter IPod Out Not Supported?

I like many people on a speaker dock and to put it bluntly it wasn't cheap. I can't see myself getting any money for it and it's probably not even a year old (though manufactured in 2010). Anyway I was hoping while not cheap itself the adapter would allow the iPhone 5 I plan to buy to function with this dock but the terms iPod out seems to refe to audio so am I correct in assuming they won't be compatible?

iPhone 5 Lightning to 30pin adapter-OTHER

Posted on Sep 12, 2012 5:48 PM

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19 replies

Sep 12, 2012 8:28 PM in response to gooballala

Well the audio output is good but save a free app with online radio station access the dock is very simple as there's no remote or anything. It's the Philips Fidelio desk speaker system to be precise. Anyway I mainly use it to charge my iPhone but I do enjoy playing music through it once in a while. Here's hoping it's supported. I actually contacted the company but it was too early for them to know if their item was compatible.

Sep 12, 2012 9:51 PM in response to NimirRaj

What I read on another site about vehicles that come iPod / iPhone ready is that most likley those accessories that rely on the analog signal from the 30 PIN will be out of business. If they actually use the digital signal for audio and iPOD control, they *should* still work.


But this is all one big mystery until people start getting iP5's in their hands to test with the current accessories and environments. I fear Apple's lack of clarity on this is due to fear the answer will hurt pre/initial sales of the device if people think they will need to buy a new car stereo or accessory.

Sep 13, 2012 4:12 AM in response to DJChad

Unfortunately this lack of clarity will 100% prevent me from pre-ordering for one, I have far too much money invested in audio docks / car audio equipment / other Apple iOS devices to take the risk just to have shiny new phone.


This says to me that if they were clear about what's going to be broken, then they'd lose the orders for definite. Instead they'll get a lot of pre-orders from people hoping, then piles of complaints. One would LIKE to think that at $29 you'd be getting a D-A converter to support analog connections. Otherwise what are you getting for all that money?

Sep 13, 2012 9:53 AM in response to DJChad

Oddly enough I'm also looking into buying a car right now one feature I loved being a connection for your iPhone or iPod, but after reading an article I believe the new lightning connector will still work as the car in question uses a simple USB connection (I believe) to convert digital to audio which they believe will be compatible though I can't be sure. Supposedly Fords are compatible but I'm looking at a Chevy.

Sep 13, 2012 10:37 AM in response to Jemster

I completely agree. Bad move on Apple's part. I don't mind having a new dock connector, but you better make sure that it is backwards compatible with everything. Apple is so proprietary it's rediculous. If the case is that the new connector with adapter will not work with many 30-pin connector accessories, I will not be buying any more Apple products. I will switching to more universal standards that will not make my tech obsolete in a year.

Sep 13, 2012 11:08 AM in response to Jemster

Agree totally with what you say Jemster, the adaptor costs the wealthiest company on earth pennies so why do they not supply it free in the box when we stand to lose a small fortune in investments on our accessories?! you also make a valid point about the analog audio facility, 100% with you.

Sep 13, 2012 2:29 PM in response to CJStocker

The ipod out feature is where the phone renders a video of the music library to be shown on an external display like the navigation screen of your car.


Since there is no video output on the adapter this feature fails. It's all about VIDEO not being supported.


A simple dock that needs audio will work fine. The adapter will work for any application that doesn't involve video output from the iphone.


Ipod out compatible car kits and home theatre integration is extremely rare. Very few devices implement it. Those that do may still function for audio output and charging the phone but you will not see anything on the screen anymore.

Sep 13, 2012 6:10 PM in response to Aaron Cobb

Thats some lazy reporting.


These news writers are assuming it affects audio because it has the term "ipod" in the name of the feature not realizing it's a technology for displaying information on a car or sterio while the audio is playing. Do your own research on the feature if you like but "ipod out" is an API and hardware spec that was added in verion 4 of IOS. I can assure you the iphone running version 3 and below of the IOS operating system was doing audio output with the speaker docks and car kits of the time so it's not an audio feature.


If you want to construct a hardware kit that is compatible you would have to apply for the Apple Made for ipod hardware developer program to get access to the technical details on how it's built and that same program will give you access to the technical details on how the new lightning port can do these things.


Apple says a lightning to HDMI and Lightning to VGA adapter would be available in the coming months according to some other things I have read so I guess video output is still possible but just not in a way that made sense to integrate into the way video happened on the old dock connector.

Lightning to 30-pin Adapter IPod Out Not Supported?

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