Apple Terminates Kickstarter Project With Licensing
posted Friday Dec 21, 2012 by Scott Ertz
Apple is such a caring company. They love their customers and their product ecosystem so much that they feel they need to protect their ecosystem FROM their customers. I think it is a lot like loving two dogs but knowing you need to keep them apart so they don't eat each other's food. With that mentality in mind, Apple has ensured around $140,000 was given to a group of people to protect them from Apple's products.
POP Station, which is a portable power station with 26,000 mAH worth of charging power, was a Kickstarter project pitched by Junior Edison, the manufacturer. The charger has 4 retractable cables, each with the capability to charge either micro-USB or Apple's Lightning charger. Obviously, this is a very sought-after product, with 1,000 backers willing to pay to back the project.
Unfortunately, Junior Edison never checked the licensing agreement with Apple for use of the Lightning connector. According to CEO Jamie Siminoff,
After applying to Apple (which is now required for Lightning), we learned that they are no longer willing to approve a product that uses the Lightning charger alongside any other charger (including their own 30-pin - seriously). Just like that, POP could no longer fulfill its true promise.
Because of that, this little product was destroyed before it ever got off the ground. At least some people got their money back, right? Thanks, Apple!
Check out their launch video after the break.