What you need to know
- Apple appears to have discontinued the iPhone Lightning Dock.
- The product page has been removed from the Apple Store website in some countries.
- You have to really look hard to find it directly from Apple anymore.
The iPhone Lightning Dock, an Apple accessory that has existed since the launch of the iPhone in 2007, may be going extinct.
As reported by 9to5Mac, Apple has appeared to have quietly discontinued the product and removed it from Apple Store websites around the world. The outlet notes that the product has been removed from the Apple Store website in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
When searching for the product on the Apple US website, there are no related results. Google still shows a result for the iPhone Lightning Dock product page, but then a message says "the product you're looking for is no longer available on apple.com." The same applies for Apple's website in Canada and Mexico.
According to the outlet's research, it appears that the product may have actually been discontinued since November of 2021.
9to5Mac also checked Apple's website for multiple European and Asian countries. You can still find the iPhone Lightning Dock product page there, but the product is "sold out" in all its colors. Based on an archive page, the last time the product was seen available online for purchase was on November 10, 2021, which may suggest that Apple hasn't shipped any new units since then.
Apple is most likely opting to point customers to its MagSafe chargers. The company launched the MagSafe Charger and soon after the MagSafe Duo Charger that charges both an iPhone and Apple Watch. A number of third-party companies including Belkin and Anker also released MagSafe charging products.
It appears that, at least for first-party charging, Apple starting to kill Lightning.
Bottom line: The iPhone 13 is the best iPhone for most people, with impressive new cameras and notable improvements to battery life. Without all the bells and whistles of the Pro line, the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini are still powerhouses that'll keep owners happy for years to come.
