Does the iPhone Work With Current iPod Accessories?

[mike]

The iPhone is indeed an iPod, but not all iPod accessories are compatible. We show you which ones are.

When first announcing the iPhone back in January, Apple touted the phone's 30-pin dock connector--the same one present on every non-shuffle iPod since the 3G iPod debuted back in April 2003. The implication was that, by using this connector, the iPhone would be compatible with many accessories for the iPod. Of course, "many" means different things to different people, so you're probably wondering exactly which of the iPod gadgets you've spend so much money on over the years will work with your shiny new phone. Here a rundown based on a few days of plugging the iPhone into anything shiny we could get our hands on.

Speakers: In terms of "dockable" iPod speakers--those that connect via the iPod's 30-pin dock-connector port--the iPhone has worked with every system we've tested, and sounds great. You just place the iPhone in the dock cradle (you may need Apple's Universal Dock Adapter to get a perfect fit), or connect the appropriate dock-connector cable, and press play. On those speaker systems that automatically start playback when you turn them on, the iPhone's iPod section does indeed begin playback automatically. If your speaker system includes a remote, that remote will control playback; in fact, remotes designed to let you navigate an iPod's menus, such as the one included with JBL's excellent Radial, also let you navigate the iPhone's iPod menus. (More on remotes below.) And contrary to a few reports we've seen around the Web, in our testing the iPhone was able to play audio and charge at the same time.'

Headphones: The iPhone has a standard 1/8-inch stereo headphone minijack, so any headphones with a standard miniplug will work--assuming you can plug them in. The problem is that the iPhone's headphone jack is recessed considerably into the phone's body, so headphones with thick plugs, or with short L-shaped plugs, won't fit.

Cables and Adapters:Standard iPod dock-connector cables and adapters have worked fine for us. For example, I was able to use Fruitshop's excellent Bone iLink to sync and charge the iPhone via a USB port on my Mac.

Chargers and Batteries: Physically, iPod chargers that connect to an iPod's dock-connector port will plug into the iPhone, and do power and charge the iPhone; in fact, the AC-to-USB power adapter Apple promotes for the iPhone is the same one the company sells for charging standard iPods. That said, we obviously haven't tested every third-party device to make sure it's actually safe to use for charging the iPhone. The same goes for external iPod batteries, which connect and power the iPhone.

FM Transmitters: When it comes to iPhone compatibility, FM transmitters are a mixed bag. We tested several transmitters that connect to the iPhone's dock-connector port but provide their own screen for choosing an FM frequency, and all were able to successfully grab the iPhone's audio signal and "broadcast" it. However, as with speakers, we received the message on the iPhone's screen about audio interference, offering to switch to Airplane Mode. When we enabled Airplane Mode, the signal was relatively clear; if we declined to use Airplane Mode, the transmitters were still able to broadcast the iPhone's audio, but we experienced a good deal of interference.

Remote Controls: As with speaker systems that can also control your iPod, several wireless remote-control accessories we tested worked perfectly with the iPhone; those designed to let you navigate an iPod's menus also work with the iPhone's iPod menus.
On the other hand, Apple's Radio Remote doesn't work as an FM radio or a remote; connecting it results in a "This accessory is not supported by iPhone" error.

Microphones: Unfortunately, current iPod microphone attachments aren't compatible with the iPhone, resulting in the same "not supported" image you see if you connect the Radio Remote. Coupled with the lack of built-in voice-recording functionality, this means that the iPhone can't currently record audio at all.

Audio/Video Docks:There are plenty of docks out there that let you get your iPod's audio and video into your home stereo and onto your TV. The good news is that, in our testing with several such products, the iPhone sends its audio through, and can be charged by, such docks; again, as with speakers, you may need Apple's Universal Dock Adapter for the best fit. The bad news is that, despite being the best video-playing iPod yet, the iPhone offers no video-output features--neither through its dock-connector port nor via its headphone jack.

Cases: Cases for iPods, other than generic fabric or foam pouches, won't fit the iPhone. Not to worry: there are plenty of iPhone-specific cases out there already, and we're sure to see scads more before long. And the good news is that, according to our sister publication, PC World, the iPhone is much more scratch-resistant than any iPod.

Miscellaneous: In some test a few other popular accessories with the iPhone. Unfortunately, Apple's iPod Camera Connector, which lets you import photos directly from your digital camera to an iPod, doesn't work with the iPhone. Similarly, the Nike+iPod Sport Kit doesn't work with the iPhone; despite being a 4GB or 8GB, flash-based iPod, the iPhone works more like a full-size iPod in this respect.

Automobile Integration: It haven't had a chance to test the iPhone with in-car integration systems, such as those from Alpine, Harman Kardon, and BMW. Given the success we've seen with dockable speaker systems and remotes, we don't expect problems, but we're contacting vendors and will be doing some testing of our own to determine compatibility.

Testing, testing... We'll be covering the imminent deluge of iPhone accessories here on Macworld and iPhone Central.