Apple Releases First Battery Case To Eat Third-Party Accessory Makers’ Lunch

In a surprise move, Apple just announced an external battery case for the iPhone 6s. Named the iPhone 6s Smart Battery Case, the battery extends the battery life of your iPhone 6s by up to 25 hours. The new accessory is available in black and white for $99 starting today.

Let’s start with the design. Apple is using silicone as the main material like on its other cases. The company doesn’t disclose the capacity of the battery except that you’re supposed to get 18 to 25 hours of extra battery.

Like third-party battery cases, Apple uses a Lightning male port at the bottom to plug your iPhone. You can charge the case using a traditional Lightning cable — most third-party batteries rely on a microUSB cable. Apple’s accessory also works with the iPhone 6 and it looks like there isn’t a 6 Plus and 6s Plus version.

The Smart Battery Case features an unfortunate hump at the back. Mophie’s Juice Pack design is a bit sleeker compared to Apple’s official accessory. Apple made sure that you can access all the buttons, cameras and microphones when you use the case.

So why is Apple releasing this accessory when third-party accessory makers are doing a fine job? It’s all about getting more money out of iPhone owners. By releasing an official accessory, Apple can capture all of the profits with the Smart Battery instead of selling Mophie and Anker batteries in its Apple stores.

That’s also the reason why Apple released the Smart Cover and Smart Case for the iPad. Most iPad owners have been buying these cases in addition to their iPads, and Apple has some nice margins on these accessories.

Apple has made many recent efforts when it comes to accessories. The Apple Pencil is a nifty addition to the iPad lineup and a great way to promote the iPad Pro. The company also released a new keyboard, touchpad and mouse, an Apple Watch Dock and an iPad Pro keyboard. In the end, it’s all about eating third-party accessory makers’ lunch. But some of them are truly great accessories, and you’re not forced to buy them — so it’s hard to complain.

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