Apple to iPhone 5 buyers: No free 30-pin adapter for you
Some Apple Store sites were listing the adapter as free with the new iPhone, but that information was wrong.
iPhone 5 buyers won't be getting a Lightning to 30-pin adapter on the house after all.
Reports that the new phone would come with the adapter surfaced today after some of Apple's online stores listed it as packaged with the iPhone 5.
The information on Apple's U.K. iPhone 5 order page specifically said that "your phone includes a Lightning to 30-pin Adapter for connecting 30-pin accessories to devices featuring the Lightning connector."
But it seems Apple committed a bit of a gaffe here. Customers who called or chatted with Apple reps about the adapter eventually learned that the information was wrong.
The company has since removed all references to the free adapter from the pages in question. An Apple sales rep confirmed to me by phone that the adapter is not included with the iPhone 5.
There's been no word from Apple yet on why the misleading information was published. An Apple rep reportedly told one TNW reader that the matter is "being investigated at the moment."
CNET contacted Apple for comment and will update the story if we get more information.
iPhone 5 buyers who need the Lightning to 30-pin adapter for existing devices will still have to pony up $39 for a 7-inch adapter cable or $29 for a small stub adapter. Both items are listed by Apple as available in two to three weeks, meaning around early October.
Since the new adapter doesn't support video out, Apple is also reportedly prepping Lightning adapters for HDMI and VGA that should be available sometime in the coming months.
