????從Made for iPod到Made for iPhone/iPod/iPad再到2010的MFi，蘋果公司（Apple）的外設認證計劃在那之后就再沒有傳出多少新聞。

????近十年來，那些可以插入火線接口、30針接口、4圈金屬iPhone耳機插孔以及閃電接口等等蘋果專有接口的設備制造商心不甘、情不愿地向蘋果支付高達10%的版權費（后來減少至每件外設4美元），為的就是在自家產品打上蘋果“Made for …”的標識。

????現在，中國的海爾集團（Haier）也加入了MFi俱樂部——海爾是白色家電（這是英國叫法，美國稱為大型家電）的主要制造商，2005年曾試圖收購美泰公司（Maytag）。根據周三發布的一份新聞稿，海爾集團的天樽空調是全球首款獲得MFi認證的白色家電。

????這款空調是海爾“智能家電”家族的一員，這個家族中還包括一款云端控制的智能酒柜、一款云端控制的洗衣機以及一款云端控制的智能冰箱。

????它到底只是個噱頭，還是先發優勢？我和大家一樣不清楚。（財富中文網）???

????Apple's (AAPL) peripheral certification program hasn't been in the news much since Made for iPod morphed into Made for iPhone/iPod/iPad and then, in 2010, to MFi.

????For nearly a decade, makers of devices that plug into Apple's proprietary ports -- FireWire, 30-pin dock, 4-conductor iPhone connectors, Lightning, etc. -- grudgingly paid up to a 10% royalty (since reduced to $4 per connector) to Apple for the right to carry Cupertino's "Made-for..." logos.

????Now China's Haier group -- a major manufacturer of what the Brits call "white goods" and Americans "major appliances" (Haier tried to buy Maytag in 2005) -- has joined the club. According to a press release issued Wednesday, the company's Tianzun air conditioner is the world's first major appliance certified to carry Apple MFi logo.

????The AC is one of a family of Haier "smart appliances" that includes an Intelligent Cloud-controlled Wine Celler, a Cloud-controlled Washer, and an Intelligent Could Refrigerator.

????A gimmick or a first-mover advantage? Your guess is as good as mine.