Pity the poor Porsche owner. He pays a fortune for a 911 and a further fortune for the so-called “Universal Audio Interface” to connect up his MP3 player, iPod or iPhone. His iPhone 4S fits a treat; then along comes Apple with its longer iPhone 5 and disaster ensues. The phone no longer fits in the little cubby under the armrest. That expensive audio interface with Apple 30-in connector is a write off.
What is needed is a Lightning adapter but the whole ensemble simply doesn’t squeeze into the tray under the centre armrest. What to do?
There has been a great wailing and gnashing of teeth in the Porsche fanboy community since the arrival of the iPhone 5. Some pundits have suggested sticking with the trusty 4S. But Porscheman, like Leicaman, isn’t going to be fobbed off so easily. He wants a solution.
The answer is to use Apple’s very expensive (£30) Lightning to 30-pin Adapter. It’s short (just under 8in including plugs) and, inch-for-inch it must be one of the most expensive cables in the world. But it does the trick for Porsche. The iPhone 5, with Lightning plug inserted, can be squeezed in to the tray with the cable curled round in a semi-neat fashion.
The good news, too, is that this Heath Robinson solution also charges the phone. Porscheman is now happy.
Above, left to right: (1) The Porsche Universal Audio Interface consists of USB and Apple 30-pin connectors in a small, under-armrest cubby. (2) Using the Apple Lightning Adapter adds to the length of the phone which prevents it fitting inside the tray. (3) The short Lighting to 30-in adapter cable does not add significantly to the length of the phone so that it can be fitted (even with an attached case) into the under-armrest tray.
by Mike Evans, 19 February 2013