iPhone: The Missing Manual, 4th Edition

Appendix B. Accessorizing the iPhone

Like the iPods that came before it, the iPhone is inspiring a torrent of accessories that seems to intensify with every passing month. Stylish cases, speakers, docks, cables—the list goes on.

This appendix gives you a tiny representative sampling. It also points you in the right direction so you can find iPhone accessories that look good, sound good, and most importantly—fit.

Proper Shopping for the iPhone

This is the most important thing to remember when you’re looking for iPhone hardware: Not all iPod and iPhone accessories are created equal. (Or, as Yoda might say: Created equal, not all iPod and iPhone accessories are.)

For example:

• The iPhone 4 is shaped differently from the iPhone 3G and 3GS. Form-fitting cases, sockets, and accessories designed for the older models don’t fit the newer one.

• The iPhone is also a phone, with components inside that can cause static and interference when used with external speakers (which have their own electronic innards). So accessories for the iPod may not work.

To help you identify products that are compatible with the iPhone, Apple has its own “Works with iPhone” logo program. As the company puts it, products bearing the logo are “electronic accessories designed to connect specifically to iPhone and certified by the developer to meet Apple performance standards.”

Getting stuff with the “Works with iPhone” logo should save you the grief that comes with “Buying the Wrong Thing.”

Some good places to look:

• Apple’s iPhone ...