For some months, the company has been seeking royalties from accessory makers that want to display a "Made for iPod" logo on their products. The program, which one analyst has likened to an "iPod tax," applies to devices that connect electrically to the player and not to cosmetic things like cases.
Now Apple has made the program a requirement for manufacturers who want their gadgets to plug into the "dock connector" at the bottom of the music player, Senior Vice President Phil Schiller confirmed to CNET News.com last week.
"Yes, the electrical connection has specifications around that and licensing around that, and the way you get that assistance and information and licensing is through the ‘Made for iPod’ program," Schiller said in an interview. He did not say when Apple made the program mandatory.
