Apple to Begin Allowing Accessory Manufacturers to Include Lightning Ports Early Next Year

[doctor-don]

Sounds good.

Micro usb is terrible. I see so many broken ports, probably 50 for every one lightning port malfunction

My several micro USB cables and the devices into which they are plugged are all in the same shape / condition they were when I first used them - except for one plug that my shih-tzu decided to chew on once. I straightened that metal end, and it works fine.

Great. More ports for one of the worst connectors ever made. Think I'll send Apple a picture of our 20+ broken Lightning leads, including at least five Apple ones.

M.

He's right. I've had at least two certified Apple lightning connectors break under the head, and more non-apple ones fail than I can count.

Here's a pic I took a year ago of the one that came w/my iPhone 5.

Your blind allegiance to a corporation that doesn't even know you exist and wouldn't care even if it did is touching, though.

WHAT do these people do with their cables that causes them to break or come apart?

yep same issue here, its like the end of the wire tries to twist in the opposite way its supposed to and puts too much pressure on it

Try applying some Plumbers GOOP® around the plastic end of the connector and the cable itself so that it cannot be twisted in your ordinary usage. Keep the cement away from the plug itself.

We have 4 lightning port equipped iOS devices in our house, starting with the iPhone 5. Not a single damaged cable. Not a one.

Time to start caring for your stuff.

Exactly.

Well it's funny how you complain about th connector and then as evidence show a connector which is completely fine! (The cable is messed up, which has nothing to do with the connector. Apple clearly needs to strengthen the cable attached to the connector).

Funny how you attribute your inability to state things clearly to someone else's blind allegiance to a corporation.

What did someone do to the CABLE that caused it to separate? Did the family pet chew on it?

 

[rsocal]

I have the exact opposite issue with lightning vs 30 pin. I had replaced a ton of 30 pins but never have had an issue with lightning so far. I have 4(5, 5S, 6, one 3m from AppleCare), all still function.

I've yet to have any problems with my Lightning Connectors as well. And if my wife & daughter have not destroyed any yet, I'm confident they're pretty good.

 

[Kingmoak]

I think maybe Apple needs to start thinking very hard about dumping lightning and going to the new standard: symmetric USB.

I think Apple should release Lightning for all to use and make other manufactures dump USB-Micros and never try USB-c. ala Thunderbolt using DisplayPort.

USB-c has a max throughput of 10gbit/s. I think Lightning is max at USB 2.0 speed of 480mbit/s. Apple could probably hit 10gbits with lightning but it would be slowdown by the iPhone or the computer.

 

[Arran]

power to headphones .... hello 2hr battery life

The reverse - rechargeable headphones powering the phone - is not inconceivable.

Put solar cells on the headband and you may never need to charge either again.

 

[Accipiter]

WHAT do these people do with their cables that causes them to break or come apart?

In looking at all of those pictures, it looks very much like these people tend to pull their cables out by grasping the cable itself rather than the plug connector. When you pull on the cable, the sheath is stretched and will eventually break exactly like what's seen in those photos.

My father was an electrician while I was growing up, so I learned at a very early age that you never ever ever unplug something by pulling on the cable. You always grasp the plug itself. Thus, I have 5 or 6 official Apple lightning cables, and around a dozen official Apple 30-pin cables and every single one of them is still in perfect condition.

 

[marclondon]

In looking at all of those pictures, it looks very much like these people tend to pull their cables out by grasping the cable itself rather than the plug connector. When you pull on the cable, the sheath is stretched and will eventually break exactly like what's seen in those photos.

Indeed, although there is a fundamental weakness in the cable near to the connector such that just having it plugged in while you use a device can stress it.

I admit - my 20+ dead cables are mainly down to kids. But they also have things like Nintendo DSs - and the charging cables and ports work perfectly even after much battering.

If you read the reviews and ratings of Lightning on Apple's site you'll see it gets only 1 star. It's a very poor design not fit for the real world.

M.

 

[doelcm82]

In looking at all of those pictures, it looks very much like these people tend to pull their cables out by grasping the cable itself rather than the plug connector. When you pull on the cable, the sheath is stretched and will eventually break exactly like what's seen in those photos.

My father was an electrician while I was growing up, so I learned at a very early age that you never ever ever unplug something by pulling on the cable. You always grasp the plug itself. Thus, I have 5 or 6 official Apple lightning cables, and around a dozen official Apple 30-pin cables and every single one of them is still in perfect condition.

• Before removing or inserting an Apple branded lightning cable, you should thoroughly wash your hands, paying special attention to the fingertips. Even a tiny amount of oil on your fingertips will eventually cause the rubber sheath of the cable to disintegrate.
• After washing your hands, don a pair of soft cotton gloves. This provides extra protection from harmful oils.
• Immediately before touching the lightning cable, dispel any static electricity by touching an appropriately grounded object. Do not use the your grasping fingers to touch the ground, as they may transfer contaminates to the gloves and further compromise the cable.
• Grasp the hard plastic part of the connector (not the cable itself) firmly, but not so firm that it distorts the cable, and insert into the iOS device's lightning port at a precise perpendicular angle. It may help to have a friend, family member, or colleague hold a square against the iOS device. The helper should be sure to also dispel static electricity, but as long as the helper does not touch the cable itself, there is no need for him or her to wash hands or don gloves.
• Removing or inserting the cable should be done in dim light or preferably total darkness. Avoid exposing the cable to fluorescent lighting or direct sunlight, as ultraviolet rays will weaken the bonds that hold the rubber together.

If you follow these simple steps, you should get months and months of use from your Apple-branded lightning cable.

As an alternative, you can purchase a third party "Made for iOS" lightning cable and use it the way you used to use the Apple-branded cables. Third party cables with the "Made for iOS" label tend to be much more forgiving of everyday use, and they generally cost less than the Apple-branded cables. Store your Apple-branded cable in a cool, dry, dark place so that it will be available as a backup if you lose the third-party cable.

 

[MuppetGate]

WHAT do these people do with their cables that causes them to break or come apart?

My guess?

They disconnect them by the grabbing the cable and yanking, whereas most people will grip the connector and give it a gentle tug.

I've got four lightning cables and I've never seen anything like that, but then I don't have small children.

 

[lordofthereef]

I'm still waiting for the killer features that lightning ports are supposed to provide. When I criticised apple for dumping the 30-pin I got ripped into quite heavily on here. Seems like the only real benefit even going on three years later is a reversible connector.

----------

My guess?

They disconnect them by the grabbing the cable and yanking, whereas most people will grip the connector and give it a gentle tug.

I've got four lightning cables and I've never seen anything like that.

We have a cable in the car that not it's way out. We set our phones in a dock sideways and plug in for GPS. Gravity, over the two years we've had the cable, has started it fraying.

It's something about the way apple designs cables though. Sinilar things happened with their 30-pins for us. I figure if it lasts two years I guess it's ok. I know I get at least one new cable every year with my phone, so whatever. I wouldn't complain about better durability though.

 

[rGiskard]

Excellent news!

Now for the love of God will Apple please enable iPhone support for their own Lightning SD Card Reader?

 

[lordofthereef]

• Before removing or inserting an Apple branded lightning cable, you should thoroughly wash your hands, paying special attention to the fingertips. Even a tiny amount of oil on your fingertips will eventually cause the rubber sheath of the cable to disintegrate.
• After washing your hands, don a pair of soft cotton gloves. This provides extra protection from harmful oils.
• Immediately before touching the lightning cable, dispel any static electricity by touching an appropriately grounded object. Do not use the your grasping fingers to touch the ground, as they may transfer contaminates to the gloves and further compromise the cable.
• Grasp the hard plastic part of the connector (not the cable itself) firmly, but not so firm that it distorts the cable, and insert into the iOS device's lightning port at a precise perpendicular angle. It may help to have a friend, family member, or colleague hold a square against the iOS device. The helper should be sure to also dispel static electricity, but as long as the helper does not touch the cable itself, there is no need for him or her to wash hands or don gloves.
• Removing or inserting the cable should be done in dim light or preferably total darkness. Avoid exposing the cable to fluorescent lighting or direct sunlight, as ultraviolet rays will weaken the bonds that hold the rubber together.

If you follow these simple steps, you should get months and months of use from your Apple-branded lightning cable.

As an alternative, you can purchase a third party "Made for iOS" lightning cable and use it the way you used to use the Apple-branded cables. Third party cables with the "Made for iOS" label tend to be much more forgiving of everyday use, and they generally cost less than the Apple-branded cables. Store your Apple-branded cable in a cool, dry, dark place so that it will be available as a backup if you lose the third-party cable.

Thanks for the chuckle on a serious note, my only non apple cable I have is also fraying. It's used to charge the ipad and gets used the least. Kind of bummed. It's one of the six footers since the end table the iPad sits on is far from an outlet.

 

[ilfn143]

This would be nice for charging cases like Mophie. No more having to use a different cable for your case.

i have this one, works great.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00I13ETZU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[mistafro]

It's time to move on from the ancient 3.5mm jack and Apple is the only one with the balls to do it! I would happily support lighting headphones with enhanced sound. They could make an adapter for all those whiners that resist any change.

Thank you Apple for ditching the cd/dvd drive! They always made your devices sound cheap with all their noises. It's time for the jack to retire!

 

[rGiskard]

My guess?

They disconnect them by the grabbing the cable and yanking, whereas most people will grip the connector and give it a gentle tug.

I've got four lightning cables and I've never seen anything like that, but then I don't have small children.

I think that's it. The Lightning cable design is flawed in that the plug is too small and slippery, so people use the only place they can easily grip: the cord. It's another one of Ive's design failures in which no thought is given to how the user interacts with it.

I like the Griffen Lightning cables like the one below. It's hard to see in the photo, but the plug body is tapered to be thinner on the plug side and thicker on the cord side, making it easier to grasp and pull. The taper also permits a more robust construction while still fitting through cases and the like.

 

[numlock]

You raise a good point. The current cables can easily be torn up. I haven't myself but I know folks who were easily careless enough to bend and rip their cables within a few weeks

Apple needs to redesign them with assumption that users will be careless and treat them like crap

nah i think just treating its customer, the $20-30 price tag and the environment with respect is enough.

their cables get less than 2 stars on apples own site from over 2000 reviews.

 

[Arran]

I think that's it. The Lightning cable design is flawed in that the plug is too small and slippery, so people use the only place they can easily grip: the cord.

Excellent point. This cable was just as bad. Slippery aluminum plugs which jammed REALLY TIGHTLY into inaccesible RCA sockets on the back of your TV. Oh yeah, and really thin cables. Try removing that one without cursing!

It has to be one of Apple's worst designs ever. Admittedly, it looked nice.

 

[rGiskard]

It's time to move on from the ancient 3.5mm jack and Apple is the only one with the balls to do it! I would happily support lighting headphones with enhanced sound. They could make an adapter for all those whiners that resist any change.

Thank you Apple for ditching the cd/dvd drive! They always made your devices sound cheap with all their noises. It's time for the jack to retire!

Excellent idea! Then Apple could sell Lightning to 3.5mm Jack Adapters for $29.99 each so everyone with a good pair of headphones can still use iDevices. And when we buy new headphones, we can just pay an extra $99 for the models with Lightning connectors and the extra built-in DA converter.

If I were you I'd keep your idea a secret and go straight to Apple with it. Don't tell ANYONE lest they steal your idea and profit from it. Seriously, never mention it again.

 

[Iconoclysm]

Personally I'm excitedly expecting the new symmetric USB connector. I love standards and I think the new symmetric USB will take hold like wildfire. One of the main reasons I left Android and came to iOS was the current idiotic asymmetric microUSB connector, and the pure joy of lightning in comparison.

The Xperia Z3 gets around that awful connector to some extent by having a proprietary magnetic connector charging system, much like the magsafe thing on Apple laptops, so if I do jump ship soon back over to Android, I'll probably end up with a Z3 while waiting for the new symmetric USB system.

The lack of lightning female ports on accessories though has been a real PITA, and I think Apple may be too late here - by the time manufacturers start having the option of female lightning, the new symmetric USB will probably everywhere already.

I think maybe Apple needs to start thinking very hard about dumping lightning and going to the new standard: symmetric USB.

Image

I think you're vastly underestimating the amount of time it's going to take for the new USB to catch on. Even today I'm still running into BRAND NEW devices that use mini-USB.

 

[rGiskard]

Excellent point. This cable was just as bad. Slippery aluminum plugs which jammed REALLY TIGHTLY into inaccesible RCA sockets on the back of your TV. Oh yeah, and really thin cables. Try removing that one without cursing!

It has to be one of Apple's worst designs ever. Admittedly, it looked nice.

Wow, I'd never seen that one! Looks like Ive really does love slippery connectors. What a bizarre design fetish.

 

[Iconoclysm]

I'm still waiting for the killer features that lightning ports are supposed to provide. When I criticised apple for dumping the 30-pin I got ripped into quite heavily on here. Seems like the only real benefit even going on three years later is a reversible connector.

----------



We have a cable in the car that not it's way out. We set our phones in a dock sideways and plug in for GPS. Gravity, over the two years we've had the cable, has started it fraying.

It's something about the way apple designs cables though. Sinilar things happened with their 30-pins for us. I figure if it lasts two years I guess it's ok. I know I get at least one new cable every year with my phone, so whatever. I wouldn't complain about better durability though.

I don't believe it's gravity that's causing the issue with your cable but sunlight, air conditioning, and heating. One of them causes the cable to become stiff and then you're *********. The cables I use in my car literally fall apart but any of the ones in the house are perfectly fine.

 

[lordofthereef]

I don't believe it's gravity that's causing the issue with your cable but sunlight, air conditioning, and heating. One of them causes the cable to become stiff and then you're *********. The cables I use in my car literally fall apart but any of the ones in the house are perfectly fine.

Perhaps. It doesn't really sit in the sunlight except while in use though. My wife is a neat freak and she punches me if I ever leave my cable out; it is always neatly placed in the glove box when not in use lol.

I do have one other one that is plugged into my computer that is starting to "bend" at the same point where everyone is taking pics of fraying. I don't remember how old this cable is. I never use it.

 

[garylapointe]

How would a lightning connector powering headphones draw more power than the same headphones connected via a 3.5mm audio jack?

The same way headphones that need batteries require more power then headphones that do not need power. If they build in amps or active noise cancelation, it'll need power.

(IF lightning needs audio amplified or decoded, it'd need power too.)

Gary

 

[subjonas]

But you'd no longer be using the DAC and amplifier built into the iPhone. It seems to me you're just transferring the DAC/amplifier responsibilities from the iPhone to the headphones. Unless the headphones DAC/amp are far more power hungry than the iPhones, I can't see there being much difference in power consumption.

They are. That's why they sound better, which is why they make them.

 

[hausjam]

Amazon's 6ft lightning cable ftw. I don't even take apple's cables out of the box anymore. Too dainty, and way too short.

 

[RedBear]

I and many others would disagree with you. I did nothing to it.

Looked like this at first

(From a MacRumor's post)

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1765145/








Image

Here are more users.

Image

Image

But you're probably right. I'm just an idiot.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1765145/

I also had this happen. To a cable that I had babied since I bought it brand new a year before. Official Apple Lightning cable, new in box.

- Never placed under strain.
- Kept clean.
- Never chewed by a cat, rat, or any other life form.
- Never unduly bent or twisted.
- Never left in sunlight.
- Never frozen.
- Treated with great care.

One day I was about to go on a trip. Had the cable gently curled up, ready to be put into a ziploc bag with some other cables. Noticed that part of the plastic cable covering was flaking away, near the Lightning connector. With the lightest possible manipulation, all plastic from the Lightning connector to about three inches along the cable simply flaked off, almost turning to powder in the process.

It should be readily apparent to any reasonable person that Apple's obsession with wanting to have white, soft-feeling cables has led them to choose a plastic formulation that is incapable of withstanding normal daily usage and _normal_ human hand sweat from clean hands. After a while the plastic simply starts to disintegrate where it is handled most.

No other cable that I have ever used, including cables that I've handled many times for several years, has ever done this. So don't tell me that I have acidic sweat or something, because that's bull.

If you fail to believe anything I've said and still just want to blame everyone this happens to for causing it themselves through their own stupidity, well, congratulations, you are a certified Mindless Apple Worshipper.