Buying a whole set of new Lightning cables to replace the 30-pin connector cables we’ve been using for years has left a lot of iPhone 5 feeling a little bit blue. No one wants to spend $100 to buy five new cables, but cheap Chinese knock-offs have seemed out of reach thanks to the authenticator chip Apple’s used in the new data cables.

Hope has risen though, as clever Chinese hackers announced today that they’ve been able to successfully clone Apple’s Lightning Authenticator Chip, paving the way for cheaper third-party Lightning cables and accessories.

The third-party cable (shown in video below) does all the things Apple’s official Lightning cables can do, and more. It can charge, and sync the iPhone 5, but they’ve moded the cable so that it glows as well, so you can feel extra cool and super fast with your iPhone 5, and it should still work after iOS 6 updates roll out.

The third-party Lightning cable is a major breakthrough and we should see more cables hit the market soon, even though Apple will be hot on their heels with legal papers as they try to squeeze their MFi licensing fee from each of the Chinese suppliers. You can buy the iPhone 5 Lightning cable and dock for $39 right now.

Source: iPhone5mod

Via: M.I.C. Gadget