Belkin is the first “real” third party to unveil Lightning connector accessories

Reactions were mixed, but not overly enthusiastic about the new Lightning connector released by Apple with the introduction of the iPhone 5.  The reaction was less than mixed when it was found that the Lightning 8-pin plug was a “protected” accessory, using a rudimentary authentication chip to enable the transfer for data and manage charging of the device.

Naturally, the 8-pin plug to get ripped apart and examined. It was found that the chip was not so secure and all was downhill from there as cheap third-party cables became available at a fraction of the cost of the "real" Lightning cable.

Apple is getting ready to brief “approved” third-party vendors at the MFi Technology Summit for purposes of making accessories that will work with the new iPhone, iPod and iPad. MFi means, "Made for iPhone/iPod/iPad," and that event begins November 7th in China. Despite that, Belkin is the first to arrive on the scene with a working car-charger for your iPhone 5 ($29.99) and a Charge & Sync Dock ($29.99). The Charge & Sync Dock uses your existing Lightning cable that came with your iPhone, so it is not so much a groundbreaking accessory, it is not a bad looking though.

Both are available for pre-order and will ship by November 15th. We placed some pictures of the dock below as well as a video about the car charger, because…they are just so complex.

sources: Belkin via 9to5Mac