The popularity of the Apple iPhone has led to a huge secondary industry churning out all kinds of accessories for the smartphone.

From protective gear like cases and products aimed at extending the battery life, to attachments that allow you to connect musical instruments.

Here IBTimes UK rounds up the 10 best bits of kit to connect to Apple's flagship smartphone.

Click the arrow button in image above to begin the slideshow.

Featuring products from IK Multimedia, Parrot, Dexim, Mophie, Optoma, Think Flood, Audeo, TDK, Scosche and Ion Audio. 

Guitars are cool. iPhones are cool. Amplitude risked blasting the universe apart in an explosion of cool by linking the two together.

Thankfully, we are still here today to enjoy the fruits of the company’s labour. Attaching your guitar or bass to an iPhone using the iRig connector would be the best use of that continued existence.

An accompanying app allows you to use staple guitar features such as a tuner, pedalboard, amp head, cabinet, microphone and four-track recorder.

Plus, if your Stairway To Heaven is not that heavenly yet you can plug headphones into the 3.5mm jack on the iRig and no-one will know.

Price: £29.99

Thanks to its online store packed with millions of apps, the iPhone has become an incredibly useful tool that crosses over many areas.

One of our favourites is to replace the traditional satnav in a car by plugging the iPhone in instead.

The Parrot Minikit Smart combines a satnav holder that allows easy viewing of the route onscreen, with a car charger that keeps the iPhone juiced up.

A Bluetooth connection also means you can answer calls and voice dialling helps you phone contacts without taking your eyes off the road.

Price: £99.99

The iPhone is not a toy! Unless you are using it to control a tiny truck.

Good luck trying to convince your colleagues that this is a core business function.

Dexim’s AppSpeed monster truck uses a plug-in dongle to turn the iPhone into the remote control for this little desktop destroyer.

Price: £39.99

Optoma has upped the cute factor by making its Pico Projector look like a tiny version of a standard business projector.

It is possible to link up laptops and other devices using Mini HDMI, VGA and Composite connections but you can also buy an adaptor to plug your iPhone in and spray your content across a much wider canvas.

The 301+ Pico Projector does have a speaker but we recommend using the audio out connection to get a bigger sound to match that cinema image.

And while the internal battery life lasts up to 1.5 hours, you will need to pack the mains power lead if you want to watch a whole Euro 2012 game.

Price: £349.99

Some cases are pretty, some cases are sturdy. Mophie Juice Pack Air fits into the second category yet hidden within its protective layer is an extra battery for that doubles the iPhone’s running time.

IBTimes UK recommends it for transatlantic plane journeys, to keep those videos playing and Angry Birds flying.

It is also a great way to maintain battery life if you use your iPhone as a tethering device, providing web access on your tablet PC or laptop.

Price: £39.99

By itself, your iPhone does not have the ability to send out the infrared signals used to control most home theatre equipment. That is where RedEye mini comes in.

This convenient travel-sized remote adaptor plugs into your iPhone’s headphone jack and works with an app to control 85,000 pieces of tech from over 1,600 device manufacturers.

Should a player or TV not already be included in that system you can use the existing remote control to teach the RedEye Mini what to do.

Price: £24.95

With Apple’s white iPhone headphones still not offering the best sound quality, you owe it to yourself to choose something better.

If the recession (or that iPhone purchase) has not drained your financial reserves completely you could do a lot worse than investing in a pair of Audeo PFE 132 in-ear headphones.

Manufacturer Phonak is an expert in hearing instrument production and the company’s sound engineers have crafted silicone and foam earphone tips that fit snugly in the ear canal to block out external noise.

For a true individual listening experience you can get really techy and change both the bass and treble by swapping out sets of acoustic filters.

Integrated Apple chip technology also means the volume on your iPhone can be turned up and down using the small control attached to the headphone lead, while music and videos can be paused.

Comes with a quality travel case, too.

Price: £179.99

Now you can charge your iPhone at night without discriminating against your partner’s Android or Windows device.

An Apple smartphone sits snugly in the dock of this alarm clock, while other phones connect to the extra USB port.

Even though their phone gets to power up, it will be your iPhone that wakes you up as you can choose to rise to music from your iTunes account.

The TDK Life on Record app also syncs alarms on the iPhone and can be used to tune the FM radio.

Price: £54.99

A USB cable for the iPhone has made the top 10 - are we mad?

Well, the Scosche flipSYNC Keychain Charge and Sync Cable is incredibly useful given that it is small enough to fit on a keyring.

Never run out of power again when there is a computer sitting nearby and always be able to sync the content on your laptop.

Price: £12

Finally shipping after being announced at CES 2012, the iCade Mobile slots around your iPhone to create a fully-fledged gaming device.

This Bluetooth case features a four-way directional trackpad, action buttons and four triggers, for when the touchscreen controls just won’t cut it.

The iPhone can be swiveled and locked into two viewing positions, depending on whether a game is supposed to be played horizontally or vertically.

More than 400 games are supported in all.

Price: £54.99