Apple already introduced a charging dock with the original iPhone from 2007. This allows the iPhone to be placed upright for charging and used as an alarm clock or for music playback. But now it is no longer available.
Apple has quietly stopped selling the Lightning Dock. It is not available from Apple itself, nor from most other online stores. The dock allows charging not only iPhones, but also AirPods and iPod Touch.
No longer available from Apple
The accessory only came onto the market in 2015, after three iPhone generations (iPhone 5, iPhone 5s and iPhone 6) already had the new charging connector. It is compatible with all iPhones with a Lightning port, including the new iPhone 13 models. The dock is also popular for music playback as it has a 3.5mm output.
Since Apple has not announced that sales will stop, it is difficult to understand how long the dock has been discontinued. The product page on apple.com no longer even exists. If you search for the dock on Google, the link still appears, but it leads nowhere. The site was last seen in the Wayback Machine internet archive in November 2021 on. On “apple.com/de” you can still find the dock. However, it is not available for delivery there or for collection from the Apple Store.
The Lightning Dock was recently only available in two colors – gold and black. The price has remained unchanged at 55 euros since the product launch in 2015. Previously, the accessory was also available in white, space gray, rose gold, and silver, as well as a muted gold tone. In the meantime, the Lightning Dock is only available from a few shops in free trade. However, third-party alternatives abound, including on the Apple site itself and in Apple Stores.
Does the Lightning Dock have to make way for Apple’s MagSafe?
There are several theories as to why Apple has withdrawn the Lightning Dock from sale. One is that the company wants to give more prominence to its MagSafe charging accessories. MagSafe uses wireless charging technology to power devices. The charging coil is always optimally aligned thanks to the magnets arranged in a circle. Only newer iPhones 12 and 13 series, as well as 3rd generation AirPods and AirPods Pro support MagSafe.
Another assumption is that Apple is now taking another step towards a completely apertureless iPhone without a charging port. There are already indications that Apple is planning to get rid of the SIM card slot and only uses eSIM. You can find out more about this in our article on the upcoming iPhone 14.