Apple has reportedly reduced the licensing fees for accessory manufacturers who produce authorized accessories for Apple’s iOS devices. This could signal reduced prices for Lightning cables and other accessories coming from third-party sources.
According to Mac Otakara, this reduction applies to Lightning cables as well as other accessories that are part of Apple’s MFi (Made for iPod/iPhone/iPad) Program.
Apple’s Made for iPod (MFi) program launched in 2005 in order to provide a licensing and quality control program that gave accessory makers the opportunity to ship products with the Apple-approved label. Initially, Apple was reported to have charged companies a 10% fee based on the wholesale cost of the item to participate.
Hopefully, this will allow manufacturers to reduce pricing of such accessories as cables, and even the new MFi iOS 7 compatible gaming controllers that recently hit the market. One of the biggest complaints about the controllers so far is the high pricing, as controllers run anywhere from $79.00 to $99.00 per controller.
