Many people use the word MFi, do they actually know what does it stands for?
MFi or Made for iPhone, iPad and iPod is a licensing program of Apple Inc. for accessories manufacturers of iDevices. It determines and ensures the standard and compliance of accessories to be used for Apple Inc. Products. It is essential for accessory makers to get registered with this licensing program before proceeding to produce the Peripherals. Manufacturers can put an MFi logo on the packaging of their products to promote and assure the quality of their products.
Presently Apple Inc. doesn’t allow the manufactures to develop products with its proprietary Lightning Connector. So all the accessories are been developed with USB and micro-USB connectors to use, sync and recharge the devices. For an example, see our Lightning Cable for iPhone 6 and Power banks you will notice a Lightning connector and a USB connector with Lightning cable and a micro-USB Connector along with USB output ports for power banks to recharge the devices and to recharge the power bank itself.
Although we offer ultra slim portable power banks but a device made with the Lightning connector, will certainly be more, thinner and lesser in weight. In addition a user has to carry two cables to recharge the phone and to recharge the juice packs.
The good news for manufacturers and users is that, Apple Inc. will permit the manufacturers to make the accessories with Lightning connector this year as Apple Inc. has revealed this intention in its yearly briefing for accessory manufacturers held last year in Shenzhen, China.
“Apple’s yearly briefing for accessory makers in it’s ‘Made for-iPhone/iPad (MFi) licensing programme, the company unveiled new lightning connectors and specs for Lightning receptacles that will soon be available for implementation in MFI accessories. The new Lightning receptacles, will allow accessory makers to build new types of accessories that include a port for Apple’s proprietary Lightning connector previously reserved for it’s own iOS devices.
The announcement was made during Apple’s MFi Summit in China. Over the course of three days in Shenzhen, China. We previously reported that Apple planned to brief accessory manufacturers on HomeKit hardware, iBeacon, Apple’s new Lightning headphones spec, game controllers, and more. Allowing accessory makers to build-in a Lightning port provides a number of benefits, according to manufacturers briefed during Apple’s MFi Summit. One of the biggest benefits is to reduce costs for manufacturers and simplify the product for users”.
As much thinner that much better and preferable, this is a common patron’s perception. Now after the cell phones the cell phone accessories manufacturers do their best to launch slimmer and slimmer juice packs to win the business. Apple Inc. new Mfi licensing program for accessory manufacturers will accelerate the pace of this race by allowing manufacturers to make accessories with its proprietary Lightning connector.
It is been expected that the Apple Inc. new intentions of launching MFi Lightning connector program for manufacturers will bring more possibilities in accessory manufacturing industry. The iPhone accessories made with new Lightning connector will be more beneficial and useful for users and as well as for manufacturers. A user would be able to use one Lightning cable for iOS and for the accessories.
Right now an additional USB cable is required to charge the accessories but, a built-in Lightning connector would enable a user to charge the both an accessory and the iOS device with a same cable which came along with the device. Whereas the manufacturers, will be benefited by, making a thin and more simple design at a lesser cost.