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Anyone else's dock connector that came with the iPhone 4 tearing up?

Jessica Lares

Jessica Lares

macrumors G3
Original poster
Oct 31, 2009
9,612
1,062
Near Dallas, Texas, USA
At least I have about 3 others I can use, but I wanted to point out how different the new dock connector cable is.

X50xI.jpg


I do abuse my cables a bit, but none of them have broken with the same amount of use, they just simply stopped working. The new one is starting to wrinkle up and is pretty thick compared to the previous version.
 
Jessica Lares said:
At least I have about 3 others I can use, but I wanted to point out how different the new dock connector cable is.

X50xI.jpg


I do abuse my cables a bit, but none of them have broken with the same amount of use, they just simply stopped working. The new one is starting to wrinkle up and is pretty thick compared to the previous version.
Click to expand...

Yup. Mine's actually fairing much worse then yours. The rubber itself started to tear up a bit.
 
YES I hate the new design, they are so fragile, I do not abuse my cords, I have tons of the old design which are years old and have no signs of wear. I am surprised this hasnt gotten as much coverage this is a large issue.
 
TheShinyMac said:
YES I hate the new design, they are so fragile, I do not abuse my cords, I have tons of the old design which are years old and have no signs of wear. I am surprised this hasnt gotten as much coverage this is a large issue.
Click to expand...

The older models don't fit on my phone with the bumper on at the same time.
 


This one is from my 3GS so i expect the one from my i4 to look like this in a month. Most of my other 3rd party cables look fine though.
 
None of my normal cables are like this. The one that stays in my truck gets treated like absolute **** and it's not much worse than any of these. My old MacBook charger, however, got annihilated somehow.
 
my 3GS cable did similar, not nearly as much but I only had it 5 months and mostly charged in the car.

on the other hand i've used my ip4 cable twice so its as new but my 3G cable, thats what, 2 years old now? its in my office drawer and as good as new!

I MUCH prefer the design on the 3G cable, seems much stronger.
 
Are you guys yanking on the wires? I have accumulated quite a few connectors over the years, never had a single tear.
 
I swear the 'cable' bit of the cable feels different to the 3GS. Like more rough.
Mines still fine, but I have had my MBP power cord melt and have wires stick out. Ouch.
 
I think some of the people in here could destroy a brick if given the chance. None of my cables look like this. Simply grab the connector by the ends like you're suppose to when you plug it in. Grab the connector by the ends when you unplug it. This is how you use the connector. If you are grabbing wires and yanking them out and leaving your cords laying around where the dog can play with them then yes they will look like the ones in your pictures in no time.
 
iHeartapple2 said:
I think some of the people in here could destroy a brick if given the chance. None of my cables look like this. Simply grab the connector by the ends like you're suppose to when you plug it in. Grab the connector by the ends when you unplug it. This is how you use the connector. If you are grabbing wires and yanking them out and leaving your cords laying around where the dog can play with them then yes they will look like the ones in your pictures in no time.
Click to expand...

We are doing that, and now that you mention it...

The original iPod connectors had those things you could press on the side to release. These do not.

The iPhone 4 version, it's VERY hard to pull it out, like it fits WAY too snug.
 
Ann P said:
Are you guys yanking on the wires? I have accumulated quite a few connectors over the years, never had a single tear.
Click to expand...

It's the new connectors that are the problem.

The old ones are made of a hard / semi-hard plastic and last a long time.

The new ones are made of soft rubber that's very thin and just rips with any moderate amount of use.
 
iHeartapple2 said:
I think some of the people in here could destroy a brick if given the chance. None of my cables look like this. Simply grab the connector by the ends like you're suppose to when you plug it in. Grab the connector by the ends when you unplug it. This is how you use the connector. If you are grabbing wires and yanking them out and leaving your cords laying around where the dog can play with them then yes they will look like the ones in your pictures in no time.
Click to expand...

And your point is?
 
wirelessmacuser said:
And your point is?
Click to expand...

He's just saying that we all need to take better care of our stuff. My dad tells me that all the time, yet he was the one who let coffee spill all over my MacBook Pro one time - It was in a bag thankfully.

But yeah, it's definately a flaw in the new design, you can feel/see it. Hopefully they'll see the problem and come up with new ones for the next model.
 
My newer cables are all coming apart. I am not abusing them when I plug and unplug the cables. The stress occurs while am using the device while it is plugged in. The new design is very poor.

While at the Apple store purchasing my phone, I noticed about half the iPhones/pods/pads on display had a small piece of white electrical tape at the dock connector part of the cable.
 
Every single iPhone wire I've owned has done this, they're all in very bad shape. I'm certain it's a design flaw because I treat my wires very well. I even have one at my bedside for charging my phone. It's only touched to plug in my phone at night and remove it in the morning, but it's still destroyed somehow. I think it's because the rubber somehow twists and tears very easily.
 
My iPhone 4 cable is just fine, my 3GS cable is kind of messed up, looks like some of the ones in the picture, I also unplugged that one by yanking on the cable not holding the connecter like you are supposed to.

Solution: Stop abusing your cables and treat them as intended.
 
The sleeve on these cables is PVC (not rubber) and is not very malleable. It is not meant to be bent, twisted or tightly wound. This treatment is sure to fatigue the sleeve with the illustrated results.

The rules for ensuring a long life are - Never pull on the cable - hold the plug when removing/inserting. Avoid bending the cable where it enters the plug and never wind the cable around anything. Cable sleeves should never crack as described, if they do, it's simply a sign of misuse.
 
Every accesory that came with your iPhone has a 1 year warranty. Apple will replace these cables for you at no cost. I have had to do this twice so far. Just trying to help.
 
My cable became ripped to shreads too. This was after the 1 year mark. A good solution: serial super-gluing (as new rips occur).

Most Apple cables, this one included, are designed to look pretty, not be durable. Apple probably makles millions on selling new cables.
 
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