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

MacRumors · Aug 15, 2014

Apple may be shipping a new Lightning cable that features a reversible USB connector with forthcoming iOS devices, reports Chinese website Dianxinshouji.com (Google Translate, via Nowhereelse.fr).

The source shares a few photos of the new cables said to be from Apple supplier Foxconn, with the images showing a USB connector that is attached to the center of its metal casing. By comparison, the USB connector on Apple's current Lightning cable attach against the bottom of the metal housing's inner surface.

While it is unable to tell for sure whether these cables are legitimate or not, it is possible that Apple could ship new Lightning cables to match the forthcoming USB 3.1 cables that will soon come with newer smartphones. As revealed last week by the USB 3.0 Promoter Group, the USB 3.1 Type-C cable comes with reversible ends and will start shipping next year. An Apple patent for a reversible USB connector also surfaced last month, perhaps further indicating that the company will look to equip its newer devices with new Lightning cables at some point.

Furthermore, a report this past May from Mac Otakara claimed that Apple is preparing an upgraded Lightning cable to accommodate high-definition playback on Made for iPhone audio accessories, which may include a next-generation version of its In-Ear Headphones. Apple also introduced Lightning Cable MFi specifications for headphones in June, which could also be integrated with newer Lightning cables.

Apple is expected to launch the iPhone 6, next-generation Retina iPad mini and iPad Air 2 by the end of this year, as a new Lightning cable could technically be packaged with those devices.

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

recklesslife85 · Aug 15, 2014

All for a new lightning cable as the current ones are poorly made and rip apart after a few months.

maflynn · Aug 15, 2014

Cool, though the reversible USB connectors are long over due.

I have to say though I am a fan of the lightening connection, that was a great design

juanrp · Aug 15, 2014

Reversible USB connector.....yes please!

No more struggling in the dark at 2 AM after streaming a whole season of Orange is the new Black.

szw-mapple fan · Aug 15, 2014

Yes!

My ports are ready!

Piggie · Aug 15, 2014

maflynn said:
Cool, though the reversible USB connectors are long over due.

I have to say though I am a fan of the lightening connection, that was a great design, I hate to see that go

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.

DaveMcM76 · Aug 15, 2014

recklesslife85 said:
All for a new lightning cable as the current ones are poorly made and rip apart after a few months.

What on earth have you been doing with them? I'm still using the original lightning cable that came with my iPhone 5 getting on for 2 years ago and it's still in near perfect condition...

Brandon263 · Aug 15, 2014

Does anyone know what technical advantages using USB 3.1 offers over the USB 2.0 Apple currently ships its phones with? I mean besides the HD audio already mentioned. Will it charge faster? Transfer data faster?

recklesslife85 · Aug 15, 2014

DaveMcM76 said:
What on earth have you been doing with them? I'm still using the original lightning cable that came with my iPhone 5 getting on for 2 years ago and it's still in near perfect condition...

Nothing out of the ordinary. Just poorly made, same things happened to my brothers.

bushido · Aug 15, 2014

recklesslife85 said:
All for a new lightning cable as the current ones are poorly made and rip apart after a few months.

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.

Kebabselector · Aug 15, 2014

recklesslife85 said:
Nothing out of the ordinary. Just poorly made, same things happened to my brothers.

Mine have been fine, but if you attempt to use the iDevice whilst charging then they break quite easily (as my daughter has proven!) - fortunately I have lightning equipped devices still under warranty so I will continue to return the cables so long as they keep making them.

My old 30pin cable from my iPod Nano (3rd gen) is still fine. My Apple store have told me the lightning connector is the same construction as the old cables - so they should last just as long. Of course they do.

sammich · Aug 15, 2014

DaveMcM76 said:
What on earth have you been doing with them? I'm still using the original lightning cable that came with my iPhone 5 getting on for 2 years ago and it's still in near perfect condition...

My cable rarely leaves my desk or is bundled up and it's always placed freely on the desk. My cable unceremoniously started shredding itself near the lightning end (the part that sees the most flex). I noticed that it started bulging at the base of the stiffer sheath before the connector before it started falling apart. It's my suspicion then that too much of the outer plastic sheath is packed between the ends. In places where the cable was bent excessively, the inner part of the bend would be compressed more than a well put together cable, leading to failure.

I simply cut back the plastic to the metal shielding and removed back to where the cable was still intact (a few inches). It's been this way for about half a year and it's perfectly fine.

Moonjumper · Aug 15, 2014

Brandon263 said:
Does anyone know what technical advantages using USB 3.1 offers over the USB 2.0 Apple currently ships its phones with? I mean besides the HD audio already mentioned. Will it charge faster? Transfer data faster?

Up to 100W charging (potential to replace even laptop charging ports), so should enable faster charging. 10 Gbps data, which is faster, but iOS devices might not be able to take advantage of all of that due to storage speeds. Smaller, reversible connector.

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Kebabselector said:
Mine have been fine, but if you attempt to use the iDevice whilst charging then they break quite easily (as my daughter has proven!) - fortunately I have lightning equipped devices still under warranty so I will continue to return the cables so long as they keep making them.

My old 30pin cable from my iPod Nano (3rd gen) is still fine. My Apple store have told me the lightning connector is the same construction as the old cables - so they should last just as long. Of course they do.

All it would take is a longer cable to overcome this. It doesn't seem a difficult problem, so where are they? Please Apple.

yoyo5280 · Aug 15, 2014

DaveMcM76 said:
What on earth have you been doing with them? I'm still using the original lightning cable that came with my iPhone 5 getting on for 2 years ago and it's still in near perfect condition...

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.

japanime · Aug 15, 2014

recklesslife85 said:
All for a new lightning cable as the current ones are poorly made and rip apart after a few months.

recklesslife85 said:
Just poorly made, same things happened to my brothers.

The same thing happened to your brothers? They were poorly made and ripped apart?

blackcrayon · Aug 15, 2014

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.

Odd, I've also never killed a lightning cable - iPhone5, 5s, Ipad 4, iPad Air... Ive only seen some (probably knockoff) 30 pin cables separate at the 30 pin connector end.

Azzin · Aug 15, 2014

recklesslife85 said:
All for a new lightning cable as the current ones are poorly made and rip apart after a few months.

Except they don't.

evansls · Aug 15, 2014

Looks like the new iPhones are going to support speeds higher than 12 Mbit/s. The name "Lighting" will finally live up to its name! *Sigh* I can only wish! Would be a nice rumor, right? With the iPhone rumored to have IEEE 802.11ac it would be nice if the iPhone I/O could support 10 Gbit/s effectively putting it on par with Thunderbolt 1 with the new USB 3.1 standard just released last month.

recklesslife85 · Aug 15, 2014

Azzin said:
Except they don't.

Well mine do so how can you possible say they dont if they do. Apple cheap out on them, only thing they do it with.

Ted13 · Aug 15, 2014

DaveMcM76 said:
What on earth have you been doing with them? I'm still using the original lightning cable that came with my iPhone 5 getting on for 2 years ago and it's still in near perfect condition...

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.

dsburdette · Aug 15, 2014

recklesslife85 said:
All for a new lightning cable as the current ones are poorly made and rip apart after a few months.

Are you my wife? Because she beats the crap out of all her cables and shrugs her shoulders at me like she doesn't know how they got that way. I've got cables 10 years old that look like they're were recently unwrapped.

In summary, I take care of my stuff. Sheesh.

Julien · Aug 15, 2014

....so does this mean all Mac's are about to get a new Type-C connectors? Are will Type-C be added on a next model update status (more likely)? Ether way these cables will only be usable as you buy a new Mac (or a new USB 3.1 Type-C hub or adaptor).

TMay · Aug 15, 2014

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.

And, yet, 100's of millions of Lightning cables haven't failed.

How can that be?

Such is the nature of anecdotal evidence common on these threads.

In California, some 12 (probably even a few more) people were struck by lightning during storms in the last month. Nobody writes about the 38 million that weren't struck.

Cougarcat · Aug 15, 2014

Unless Apple makes the things more durable I doubt I will use their lightning cables again. I was sick of buying replacement cables so I bought a thicker AmazonBasics one, which has been great. As a bonus it's 6' so it's much easier to use while plugged in.

springsup · Aug 15, 2014

recklesslife85 said:
All for a new lightning cable as the current ones are poorly made and rip apart after a few months.

All of Apple's cables do that, because they design them without proper strain relief (they think it looks ugly, and it does, but it also doesn't turn brown and shred itself).

Lightning cables do this, Thunderbolt cables, MagSafe cables, 30-pin cables too. I have A MagSafe cable which is about a year old, replaced once already and is held together with tape (despite the high power being transferred). Meanwhile, I have an old-style 30-pin connector with the holding fins and an honest-to-goodness strain relief; I got it with my 5G iPod and it's still immaculate after nearly a decade of use (with other products).

I can't believe there hasn't been a class-action suit about this yet. Almost every Apple customer will experience it.

There was a redditor who worked at Apple saying that Engineering had repeatedly asked for strain reliefs on the cables but we're overruled by the Design department.

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

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