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Kickstarted-funded POP charging station lives on after Apple rule change
Here's a nice turn of events that must have plenty of Kickstarter backers feeling the holiday cheer. Following an abrupt about-face by Apple, the POP power station portable charger for iOS devices has been un-canceled by its creator, who is now heading full-steam-ahead into production of the product. GigaOM reports that backers of the portable battery, which sports a combination of retractable Lightning and 30-pin cables if desired, have received an email from project founder Jamie Siminoff announcing the good news. Siminoff had decided to issue them full refunds after Apple wouldn't approve his creation, saying its guidelines forbid both connector types from being used on a single charging accessory. Following the media coverage the story spawned, however, Apple changed its rules. Siminoff initially decided not to continue development of the POP device when he learned about Apple's change of heart on the matter, but luckily for backers he appears to have had a change of heart of his own. The POP project raised US$130,170 of its original $50,000 goal. [Via AppleInsider]
Apple ends Kickstarter project over Lightning licensing rules (updated)
Update: Ars Technica reports that Apple has reversed course on its decision and is allowing 30-pin and Lightning dock connectors to be on the same device for charging. The team behind the Kickstarter-funded POP power station must refund all the money it collected after it failed to get approval from Apple to use the Lightning cable in its device. The POP portable power station is a high-capacity charger with four built-in retractable cords that charge an iPhone, iPad or Android device. Launched with the slogan "Power where you need it," the POP could charge multiple devices at once using either power from an outlet or from an integrated 26,000 mAh battery. The project stumbled when it failed to get approval from Apple to use the company's Lightning connector. Apple has a strict program that governs the use of its Lightning connector and the POP power station didn't meet the company's requirements that the connector be used alone in a product. A device with a Lightning connector cannot be paired with an Android-compatible microUSB cable or even a 30-pin cable for older Apple devices. Edison Junior, the company behind the Kickstarter program, is disappointed with this decision and has decided to abandon further work on the project. The company is refunding all the funds collected from supporters and absorbing any credit card fees as well as a whopping 5 percent Kickstarter fee totaling US$11,000. Edison Junior CEO Jamie Siminoff told Wired that the company would consider releasing the power station in an all-Android version or with Apple's older 30-pin connector, if there was enough demand from customers or retailers. [Via Wired]
