Back in July I reported on Belkin’s excellent iPhone dock. I was so impressed by it that I bought a second one to act as a bed-side stand for the iPhone. Unlike some docks, the Belkin comfortably accommodates my leather Belkin flip case, although I understand that some more bulky cases could be a problem. Now Apple has re-entered the dock market with a new iPhone 5S and 5C dock that will also accommodate the iPhone 5. No news on whether it will cope with attached cases, which is a crucial factor, so I will have to wait until I get my hands on one to check.
While the new dock includes an audio-out jack for earphones (unlike the Belkin dock) the big downer is that you have to provide your own Lightning cable. Despite the lower price of £25, the Apple dock appears to compare unfavourably with £29 Belkin’s brushed aluminium device which includes a hard-wired Lightling cable.