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Photos Claiming to Be of New Lightning Cable with Reversible USB Connector Surface

R

recklesslife85

Cancelled
Sep 17, 2012
462
170
Ted13 said:
Same here: we use the cable that came with my wife's iPhone 5 on a daily basis and it looks pristine -- indeed I have no way of telling it apart from my year old iPhone 5S cable.

Meanwhile I have seen tearing on some of my old 30 pin cables, but considering some could date back to my 2004 iPod, hardly a surprise.

No idea what people experiencing this problem are doing with they cables, none, because I don't exactly baby mine.
Click to expand...

I have 3 currently and two broken away.

I use the phone while plugged in charging so maybe thats the reason why but never happens with any USB cable ive used on other phones. Latest one thats broke is in the car so not sure how the rubber has come away off that one. I put it down to Apple cheaping out as its never happened with other USB cables like I've said, only lightning cables.
 
mixel

mixel

macrumors 68000
Jan 12, 2006
1,729
976
Leeds, UK
bushido said:
same, hate them. two of mine are already an exposed dangerous mess (they still work but i am just waiting for the day i get electrocuted). meanwhile the old ones from my iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 are still working perfectly without any exposed wires.

also i am very "anal" about those kind of things, like the cable of my macbook pro and the iPad still have the plastic on it.

2nlzbcl.jpg
Click to expand...

What the.. @_@

That's worse than what one of my cats sometimes does to cables.. (stupid cat chews cables!) .. Some of them are clearly defective then? I've had nothing like that.
 
M

mazecookie

macrumors newbie
Aug 15, 2014
9
2
yoyo5280 said:
Working in Apple retail, the most common complaint (many many times a day) is that the Lightning cables have stopped working. They don't last for most people, myself included, and you are very lucky.
Click to expand...

I work in Apple retail myself. And registered here just to call out your comment.

If you actually work in retail, you will know they don't just "stop working". They wire comes loose under the wire housing near the lightning connector.

This is for one of two reason. Either the cable is mishandled by tugging the cable to remove it from an iDevice, rather than using the white nib to remove it.

Or, when people are storing the cables, they are not cable tying them correctly (if at all), and the cable is receiving too much strain. Typical example is just stuffing a cable into a handbag.

If you genuinely work at an Apple store, and you're also having lightning cable issues, I would maybe book yourself in for an appointment at the bar and speak to one of your colleagues (because you obviously haven't already) and get yourself educated to manage your cables better. I would be very surprised if you are having lightning cable issues and you work at an Apple store.

Also, saying "very, very lucky" almost proves to me you don't work at an Apple store, of the tens of millions of lightning cables that are in the wild, and the portion that comes back into your store, i would say you have to be extremely, extremely unlucky to have an issue. Let alone an employee.
 
Arcady

Arcady

macrumors 6502
May 24, 2002
402
24
Lexington, KY
The picture of the USB A connectors is just a normal old USB without the connector cover and plastic insert.

This is not a new cable.
 
Bones13

Bones13

macrumors regular
Oct 7, 2008
137
58
Arcady said:
The picture of the USB A connectors is just a normal old USB without the connector cover and plastic insert.

This is not a new cable.
Click to expand...

I agree, the USB standard port does not have room for flipping the plug over. My point being that the jack and the plug standards would both have to change to allow plugging the thing in right side up and upside down. Kinda like they did with the. lightning plug/jack.
 
T

Taipan

macrumors 6502a
Jun 23, 2003
604
496
The most fascinating thing about the traditional USB connector design is that you have to flip it around at least three times before it fits.
 
mw360

mw360

macrumors 68020
Aug 15, 2010
2,032
2,395
mazecookie said:
I work in Apple retail myself. And registered here just to call out your comment.

If you actually work in retail, you will know they don't just "stop working". They wire comes loose under the wire housing near the lightning connector.

This is for one of two reason. Either the cable is mishandled by tugging the cable to remove it from an iDevice, rather than using the white nib to remove it.

Or, when people are storing the cables, they are not cable tying them correctly (if at all), and the cable is receiving too much strain. Typical example is just stuffing a cable into a handbag.

If you genuinely work at an Apple store, and you're also having lightning cable issues, I would maybe book yourself in for an appointment at the bar and speak to one of your colleagues (because you obviously haven't already) and get yourself educated to manage your cables better. I would be very surprised if you are having lightning cable issues and you work at an Apple store.

Also, saying "very, very lucky" almost proves to me you don't work at an Apple store, of the tens of millions of lightning cables that are in the wild, and the portion that comes back into your store, i would say you have to be extremely, extremely unlucky to have an issue. Let alone an employee.
Click to expand...

This is the kind of post that just begs for the "it just works:rolleyes:" response.

Today we are saying Apple gear is very specialized and delicate and should only be handled by people with the proper technical expertise.

Tomorrow we'll be saying that Apple products are accessible, consumer friendly devices, without all the opaque hassles and gotchas found in those nasty rival nerd gadgets.
 
T

till213

Suspended
Jul 1, 2011
423
89
mazecookie said:
I work in Apple retail myself. And registered here just to call out your comment.
Click to expand...

I am an Apple customer myself. And logged in here just to call out your comment.

If you actually work in retail, you will know they don't just "stop working". They wire comes loose under the wire housing near the lightning connector.
Click to expand...

As the OP said: they just "stop working"! As a customer I don't care whether that's because the very obvious "the wire comes loose", the "chip has exploded" or whatever technical reason!

For me "they just stopped working" - and that's all I care about! That, plus that Apple will immediately apologise and replace the cable - pronto!

I expect a cable to last forever (and expensive one as the lightning ones for sure)!

This is for one of two reason. Either the cable is mishandled by tugging the cable to remove it from an iDevice, rather than using the white nib to remove it.
Click to expand...

Fair enough...

Or, when people are storing the cables, they are not cable tying them correctly (if at all), and the cable is receiving too much strain. Typical example is just stuffing a cable into a handbag.
Click to expand...

What?! I expect to be able to "stuff a cable into my handbag" as much as I want and how I want it!

So you admit - as an apparent Apple employee - that your Lightning cables were not designed to last during "normal daily operations" such as "stuffing the cable away"?!

I tell you what: I "stuffed cables into my handbag" - well, pockets, tiny little drawers, you name it - and they never "stopped working"!

And now you come and tell us to "manage our cables better"! WTF!
 
Gaspode67

Gaspode67

macrumors regular
Jul 30, 2008
170
137
Oxon, UK
The USB photo is definitely bogus. It's a standard Type A plug stripped down. The proposed USB type C plug is approx the same size as the existing Micro-USB you'll find on all phones (par the iPhone) nowadays.
 
matrix07

matrix07

macrumors G3
Jun 24, 2010
8,226
4,891
yoyo5280 said:
Working in Apple retail, the most common complaint (many many times a day) is that the Lightning cables have stopped working. They don't last for most people, myself included, and you are very lucky.
Click to expand...

Mine from original iPad mini still works fine, as good as new. And I bought it the day it was launched. I even use the iPad while charging. ???
 
Last edited:
M

MeFromHere

macrumors 6502
Oct 11, 2012
468
16
Piggie said:
The name always made me laugh.

Lightening.

It ran at only USB2 speed didn't it when we had already moved onto USB3 when it came out.
Click to expand...

Nothing about the Lightning connector is limited to USB 2 speed. Lightning is capable of passing other, faster protocols. It would be trivially easy, for example, to pass USB 3.0 signals over Lightning.

It hardly matters for current iOS devices, since the flash storage in them is about the same speed as USB 2.0. When the flash gets faster, Lightning will get faster also.
 
mw360

mw360

macrumors 68020
Aug 15, 2010
2,032
2,395
Bones13 said:
I agree, the USB standard port does not have room for flipping the plug over. My point being that the jack and the plug standards would both have to change to allow plugging the thing in right side up and upside down. Kinda like they did with the. lightning plug/jack.
Click to expand...

I don't understand why Apple patented something which is impossible.

Apple Patent said:
reversible or dual orientation USB plug connectors for mating with standard USB receptacle connectors
Click to expand...
 
N

numlock

macrumors 68000
Mar 13, 2006
1,590
88
Moonjumper said:
All it would take is a longer cable to overcome this. It doesn't seem a difficult problem, so where are they? Please Apple.
Click to expand...

apple and cable length. the cord on the mighty mouse was brutal especially when used on an ibook
 
J

jolux

macrumors regular
Aug 9, 2014
171
1
I heavily abuse my Lightning cable. I hung a 16oz hammer from the cord to see how strong the connection was and it took it in stride. I frequently yank it out by the cable. It still looks like brand new.
 
D

dilbert99

macrumors 68020
Jul 23, 2012
2,193
1,829
bushido said:
same, hate them. two of mine are already an exposed dangerous mess (they still work but i am just waiting for the day i get electrocuted). meanwhile the old ones from my iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 are still working perfectly without any exposed wires.

also i am very "anal" about those kind of things, like the cable of my macbook pro and the iPad still have the plastic on it.

2nlzbcl.jpg
Click to expand...

I wouldn't worry about getting electrocuted from a lightning cable.

What do you do to your cables, do all of them go like that or is it just one? A single bad one I could understand, lots of bad ones and I get the impression it's not the cable. I've got around 20 30pin/lightning/macbook/earphone cables and never had a problem with any of them
 
mw360

mw360

macrumors 68020
Aug 15, 2010
2,032
2,395
Gaspode67 said:
The USB photo is definitely bogus. It's a standard Type A plug stripped down. The proposed USB type C plug is approx the same size as the existing Micro-USB you'll find on all phones (par the iPhone) nowadays.
Click to expand...

The article does not claim the photo shows a Type C type connector.
 
E

ElTorro

macrumors 6502
Jan 23, 2013
273
2
mazecookie said:
I work in Apple retail myself. And registered here just to call out your comment.

If you actually work in retail, you will know they don't just "stop working". They wire comes loose under the wire housing near the lightning connector.

This is for one of two reason. Either the cable is mishandled by tugging the cable to remove it from an iDevice, rather than using the white nib to remove it.

Or, when people are storing the cables, they are not cable tying them correctly (if at all), and the cable is receiving too much strain. Typical example is just stuffing a cable into a handbag.

If you genuinely work at an Apple store, and you're also having lightning cable issues, I would maybe book yourself in for an appointment at the bar and speak to one of your colleagues (because you obviously haven't already) and get yourself educated to manage your cables better. I would be very surprised if you are having lightning cable issues and you work at an Apple store.

Also, saying "very, very lucky" almost proves to me you don't work at an Apple store, of the tens of millions of lightning cables that are in the wild, and the portion that comes back into your store, i would say you have to be extremely, extremely unlucky to have an issue. Let alone an employee.
Click to expand...

Now this is the type of condescending answer we are all too familiar with from you geniuses. Please explain, why Apple is not designing their cables (very expensive cables, I might add), to withstand typical use cases? Since when is it required to tie up a charging cable for transportation?
 
M

mirko.meschini

macrumors regular
Feb 13, 2011
116
5
Italy
I don't know why USB needs a new connector for both sides use. Do you remember the osx install stick bundled with first gen macbookair? that can be inserted in both sides but on one side there are no pins. If you put pins on both sides its a reversible USB connector compatible with all old ports...
 
Rogifan

Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,124
31,156
I had a pair of $100 Klipsch headphones that shorted out on me after 6 months. I figured out the problem: every day I would wrap the cord a certain way and stick it in my laptop bag not realizing the strain it was putting on the cord near the ear piece. I got a new pair, didn't wrap the cord that way anymore and I've had no problems. I treat me lightening cables the same way and so far they're holding up.
 
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