Many reports have indicated that Apple has tightened control on their brand new Lightning connectors as used on the iPhone 5 (and presumably on the rumored iPad mini), requiring that all manufacturers go through Apple to approve devices before allowing them to be mass produced and shipped to consumers. Now, however, it looks like certain distributors have begun circumventing Apple’s lockdown on Lightning connectors, as evidenced by a new product now for sale by Chinese company iPhone5mod.

The new, unlicensed accessory is a iPhone 5 Flash Lightning Dock - essentially a replica of Apple’s own official iPhone/iPod docks that they used to include in older mobile products, custom designed to fit the iPhone 5′s new connector.

It remains to be seen if Apple will have anything to say to companies that attempt to sell unlicensed products such as these, but I’d wager now that the Lightning connector’s built-in security has been breached, there’s little Apple can do to stop a potential flood of these sorts of products.

Via: MacRumors