The Belkin 3.5mm Audio + Charge Rockstar ($34.95)
Is this really the first iPhone dongle to solve this problem? Well, it’s the first dongle that Apple is officially selling.
If you like wired, 3.5mm headphones, you’re now an old-fashioned Luddite. But looks like there are lots of iPhone users that don’t mind being stuck in the past.
I swear I’ve seen this on Canal Street somewhere. But now, Apple is offering a certified, $35 solution.
The special dongle comes from Belkin, which is now offering a ‘3.5mm Audio + Charge Rockstar’ for $34.95. In fact, this is one of Apple’s most heavily-trafficked pages.
Previously, Belkin’s ‘Rockstar’ dongle featured two Lightning ports.
So anyone that wanted to connect a 3.5mm headphone jack would then need another dongle. Which meant: two dongles, plus the 3.5mm headphone cord, just to use a pair of headphones you like!
Maybe that was a good time to switch to Android. But switching smartphones is difficult these days, especially after you’ve committed years to the iPhone. Of course, Apple would greatly prefer that you go wireless, and buy one of their many high-priced headphones. But even Apple-owned Beats by Dre is selling wired headphones with 3.5mm jacks.
All of which indicates that enough people are sticking with their jacks. Accordingly, Belkin is smartly reacting to that demand and Apple is making a concession. As much as Apple wants to cram wireless headphones down your throat, consumers don’t always oblige.
Looks like the combo-dongle works, with a few caveats.
Chris Welch over at the Verge got his hands on the dongle early. “So far, this new one is working as expected,” Welch relayed. “The adapter does indeed allow you to listen to music through headphones and charge your iPhone at the same time.”
So what doesn’t work? The Lightning port adapter doesn’t allow headphone splitting with another dongle adapter. Basically, the Lightning half only works for charging and synching — that’s it. So, for example, any attempt to convert the Lightning port into another 3.5mm jack won’t work.
Got a headache yet?