You could be forgiven for assuming that the best place to buy iPod and iPhone accessories is the Apple Store. After all, Apple spends an incredible amount of money on marketing to make sure you buy everything through its outlets. However, the Apple Store has not one, but two Achilles heels. First of all, they don’t have attachments for other manufacturers’ products, it’s strictly a one trick pony; So if you’re looking for a new case for your iPod along with LG cell phone covers, you’ll have to look elsewhere. A spare charger for your Blackberry? Not very likely. Don’t even think about buying Samsung mobile phone cases from one of those fancy glass retail stores or from the web store. Apple’s other weakness is price. Because its customers are essentially captive (or at least many of them behave as if they are), the Apple Store rarely offers sale prices.
We recently compared deals and prices on a variety of Apple product accessories at the Apple Store and another popular web retailer. First, we bought armband cases for the iPod Touch, an ever-popular accessory for runners. At Apple, they start at $29.95, but the alternative retailer has a similar model on sale for under $24. We thought it would be interesting to pick a common accessory for the newer iPod Nano and settled on Apple’s Dock Connector USB Cable, the part iPod users seem to miss most often. The Apple Store currently lists this at $19, which seemed reasonable until we checked the other site and found that they were offering Apple’s OEM cable for less than ten dollars. Finally, we looked at iPod Mini accessories, but that wasn’t a fair comparison because the Apple Store doesn’t carry any. Ironic, isn’t it? And it goes without saying that buying anything else like HTC replacement batteries or LG cell phone covers will be a short and fruitless trip to the Apple Store.
One last thing to consider: while other web retailers offer free shipping on orders over $40, at Apple’s online store you have to spend $50 or you’ll pay shipping costs.
The bottom line is that there are web retailers that offer accessories for a wide range of products, including but not limited to Apple’s popular iPhone, iPod, and MacBook, along with products for numerous cell phone and smartphone manufacturers. Samsung mobile covers, Bluetooth headsets compatible with many phones, memory cards, screen protectors, laptop covers, LG mobile covers and Blackberry chargers, all in one place at competitive prices. They also carry new iPhone 4 accessories, including special designs to bring your Apple iPhone 4 to life. So don’t spend too much on Apple products because there are better options available!