Amazon and Monoprice Offering Certified, Low Cost Lightning-to-USB Cables

[RolyPolyBird]

Originally Posted by noiseordinance

Damn, at first I read this as a thunderbolt to USB cable. I was gonna say, I can finally make use of these worthless thunderbolt ports on my rMBP at last!

I also thought it is Lightning to USB.. what is it then?

Why would people need such a cable?

edit: Got it now lol.. too tired and didn't understand what is going on... I couldn't get it around my head why anybody would want a thunderbolt>usb cord.

[rbrian]

Originally Posted by tann

Are these available in the UK yet?

Yes - but at the time of typing there's only one left, so you'd better be quick!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/AmazonBasics...iphone+5+cable

[Fatalbert]

That's still too expensive. I'd just buy the real ones. The fakes are only worth it at $5 or less IMO.

[tann]

Originally Posted by rbrian

Yes - but at the time of typing there's only one left, so you'd better be quick!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/AmazonBasics...iphone+5+cable

Thanks a lot! I'll keep it in the wish list for now...!

[SPUY767]

I'm leery of monoprice. Our warehouse manager bought dozens of mic cables with xlr ends, and one in five has a ground fault.

[Earendil]

Originally Posted by JarScott

Isn't this something Apple would want to stop from happening? Don't they WANT people to pay £25 for an official cable?

Originally Posted by dkersten

Well its about time. Just goes to show the ridiculous profit margins Apple still makes on the new cables

Apple doesn't care. Higher price is a tax on people that don't know any better. Anyone who looks at the price of the cable and goes "damn, that's expensive" will find an alternate option, and Apple is okay with that. Anyone that tosses it in their basket without a second thought is exactly who Apple (and any company) would love to exact a little more money from. Apple can afford to do this as a company because selling cables is not their business model, just like selling RAM

"Ad Ons" that aren't part of the business model are always sold for above market price by a company based on the convenience factor of purchasing it alongside the primary item. I'm not a business major so I don't know if this is business 101, but it seems like it should/could be.

[Boatboy24]

WooHoo! Finally!

[macsrcool1234]

I've had every iPhone from the 3G to i5 as well as 2 iPads and used ebay knockoff cables and chargers for every one of them. No problems ever.

These aren't cheap enough to make them worth it. If you are worried about the cables ruining your phone (has this ever happened?), might as well as go for an Apple official one.

[iSayuSay]

Originally Posted by santaliqueur

A $20 cable will somehow empty your wallet out? Get a job.

Yes .. All those overpriced little cables/plugs/adapters/cases Apple sells will eventually makes you spend A LOT more than you should.

[Thunderhawks]

Originally Posted by iSayuSay

Yes .. All those overpriced little cables/plugs/adapters/cases Apple sells will eventually makes you spend A LOT more than you should.

Funny how people buy a $ 300 - $ 800 idevice and are upset about 5 dollars
price differences.

Then they drink some Starbucks coffee and don't worry that they can buy any size coffee at McDonalds for 1 dollar.

Let's not act as if we buy a new cable and adapter every day.

[irDigital0l]

Apple should have made their offical lightning cables $35 cause clearly some in this thread want to spend more money.

[Squilly]

Originally Posted by japanime

You really don't believe the most of the cheap knockoffs aren't coming out of the back door of the same factory that makes the officially branded stuff? In other words, the same exact cable, minus the logo?

Absolutely not. Look at Beats. They're counterfeited right over your shoulder. Granted, true Beats still have awful sound quality for the price, but there's a noticeable difference between them and counterfeit Beats.

[dwellsMBP]

Judging by the connectors on both ends, the Monoprice cables apear to just be rebrands of the existing Chinese cables floating around eBay for $3 to $4 a pop, which is severely disappointing. I'm sure much of the price was getting the MFi certification, which I suspect isn't a certification at all and just a licensing fee. Probably leery of being sued since I guess technically the cables would be in violation of the DMCA otherwise.

Disappointing, really. I'm hoping someone makes a proper Lightning to 30 pin adapter, though, one that does analog audio output with a decent built-in DAC. I haven't been able to get any conclusive answers as to how the DAC in the Apple adapter sounds and frankly I don't want to support the purchase of something that ought to be included.

[walterg74]

Originally Posted by jca24

Most likely not for long. The cheap chi-com crap will burn you!

Right, cause cales just "stop working"...

Even if it lasts say six months, I can buy cables for YEARS before I reach what apple charges for ONE cable.. It's always been a blatant rip-off, and everyone knows it.

[iSayuSay]

Originally Posted by Thunderhawks

Funny how people buy a $ 300 - $ 800 idevice and are upset about 5 dollars
price differences.

Then they drink some Starbucks coffee and don't worry that they can buy any size coffee at McDonalds for 1 dollar.

Let's not act as if we buy a new cable and adapter every day.

Except for most cases it's not just $5 more. It's 2 or 3 times more for something that can be gotten for much less and works the same.

I bought a USB wall adapter for $3 and it charges my iPhone just fine for almost 2 years. Maybe less shiny yes, but it just works as $19.99 Apple branded plugs

And I don't buy it everyday either. So .. Yeah

[Eriamjh1138@DAN]

If poorly built, wires will break from flexing. I've had some cheapies die on me. But they are so heap, I can get 4 or 5 for the ost of 1 apple cable. They are worth it.

Bring on the cheap cables.

[cateye]

Of my 4 Apple-official 30 pin cables that came with older iPods and iOS devices, 3 have failed. The ~$2 Monoprice versions I bought a while back are all going strong -- no breaks in the insulation whatsoever, good as new.

So yeah: Not buying a laughably overpriced $19 Apple Lightning cable when I need extras for my iP5. No way, no how. Glad to see official alternatives exist.

[cameronjpu]

Originally Posted by walterg74

Right, cause cales just "stop working"...

Even if it lasts say six months, I can buy cables for YEARS before I reach what apple charges for ONE cable.. It's always been a blatant rip-off, and everyone knows it.

Tell that to the three cheap knock-offs I got on Amazon that "just stopped working" when used only for charging my iPhone 5.



Just because it hasn't happened to you doesn't mean that it doesn't happen.

[andsoitgoes]

As someone who has bought a slew of knock off cables over the last 3 years, I can say without a doubt that cheap cables are truly cheap in quality as well as price.

I do not have a single knock off cable that lives up to the quality of one that's even slightly more expensive.

I have a graveyard of cheap and broken generic cables. They break earlier and more consistently at the bend points, they consistently charge more slowly and with more strange errors when combined with equal quality power bricks.

There have been umpteen tests showing how inconsistent the power readings are on knockoff apple PSUs

But the most frustrating issue is an inability to properly connect and stay connected. I bought some slightly higher quality generic cables, but experienced many issues where they would not stay charging in the devices requiring me to unplug/plug them back in to restart the charging process. Plus, there is ZERO smoothness when plugging the lightning connector in.

Of the 4 various knock off cables that I've had for the last few months:

2 lose charge at some point 60% of the time
All of them are much weaker and less sturdy around the USB/lightning ends
All of them have difficulty when inserting them. The smooth click in and out with a MFI cable doesn't exist on the cheap cables.
None of the 30 pin to lightning adapters can pass audio, and are very poor in quality.

Are apples cables overpriced? Sure. But are the cables from Monoprice? No. I believe with the steps they have to go through and the quality and warranty they provide, the extra cost over a $6 focalprice cable is WELL worth the money. And don't even think about bringing up cable costs around or under a few dollars. There's no way those use even low end components, let alone the thicker wiring and higher quality chips in the system.

I've yet to have any serious issues, but I've spent more replacing the cheap quality cables time and time and time again than if I'd just out down the money on proper MFI registered products.

Now off I go to snag some GOOD cables that don't cost a fortune.

----------

Originally Posted by walterg74

Right, cause cales just "stop working"...

Even if it lasts say six months, I can buy cables for YEARS before I reach what apple charges for ONE cable.. It's always been a blatant rip-off, and everyone knows it.

Yes. They do. Often. I had a big pile of "X" cables that stopped working.

And using cheap wall plugs can end up causing weird responses when trying to operate an iPhone while they're plugged in.

Say a generic cable costs $6. I have yet to have one that lasts more than 6 months with how often they're used. Many of them die within the first few months due to the poor quality connectors and wiring throughout. So say the first lasts you 3 months, the 2nd 6 and the 3rd 4... 13 months and you've spent $18, not including the insane wait times if you didn't order then all at once. Versus spending what, $19 from apple? Or $13 from monoprice.

Now that monoprice is here with $13 cables, it makes no sense buying cheap, non warrantied cables from the discount sellers out there. One cable, fill warranty wins out in the end. Here if it dies, you have a trusted and excellent quality seller to follow up with. I've used monoprice for cheap cables now going on 7 years, and I'll trust them for years going forward.

[Bchagey]

Originally Posted by balamw

Since these are certified cables, they probably still make money on them.

B

That's correct. The distribution company I work for has their lightning cables available too and Apple gets paid from it.

[didiee]

Can someone tell me what's so different about the slimfit?

[Brien]

Originally Posted by didiee

Can someone tell me what's so different about the slimfit?

Connector heads are smaller.

[BvizioN]

Originally Posted by japanime

You really don't believe the most of the cheap knockoffs aren't coming out of the back door of the same factory that makes the officially branded stuff? In other words, the same exact cable, minus the logo?

I don't. One that i bought got broken in the first attempt to charge the phone. Another one lasted 4 weeks. So no... personally I don't believe on myths.

[mw360]

"a savings"

Where has this come from and how can it be destroyed?

[abz1981]

Originally Posted by JarScott

Isn't this something Apple would want to stop from happening? Don't they WANT people to pay £25 for an official cable?

Where are you getting the price £25 from. Apple website sells the cable at £15 and it's cheaper from stores like O2 with the priority moment discount they do.