Apple will host "Made for i" event on November 7-9

The October 23 unveiling of the iPad mini is not the only event Apple has scheduled for the forthcoming weeks. From November 7 until November 9, the company will host its next "Made for i" conference in Shenzhen, China.

During the event, accessory manufacturers will be enlightened on the art of creating peripherals utilizing the new, all-digital Lightning connector. And since the new interface is bound to replace the 30-pin dock completely, we bet that the gathering will be of epic proportions. In addition, the topic of wireless accessories connecting to iDevices via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi will also be discussed.

What is probably keeping accessory manufacturers on pins and needles right now is how to get Apple to approve their products. With the introduction of the Lightning connector, Cupertino now has stricter control over what kind of third-party peripherals will be used with the iPhone 5 and future devices. That's because the Lightning interface comes with authentication chips, which would render unlicensed accessories incompatible. That is also why those cheap Lightning to 30-pin adapters might not work either. 

The only companies that Apple will supply the necessary pins will be those that meet its requirements. Makes us wonder whether those cute Electric Friends docking stations will be on the list.