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Lightning Cable is Terrible

I bet the dog chew on it.


Dunno why nothing ever exciting happen to me, my devices are so boring. ;)
 
Alright guys I tried to get a good shot of the burn area, it's very odd honestly.
5lbgd5.jpg

120r1g8.jpg
 
Hobbers said:
I've gone through two lightning cables for my iphone 5 since launch day, and tonight my second one actually short circuited and started smoking while charging my phone. In my opinion, this is the worst accessory/product I've ever owned. I hate the lightning connector with a burning passion.
Click to expand...

I have 8 Lightning cables and have not had a problem with any of them. You might just have bad luck.
 
Hobbers said:
Alright guys I tried to get a good shot of the burn area, it's very odd honestly.
Click to expand...

I had a lightning cable do the bunching up on me in the same spot that yours has done. Just took it into Apple and they swapped it. The genius I spoke to said he had seen maybe a handful come back like that. I followed it up with a call to Apple CS to compliment on the service I received in the swap process and was told that the rep I was speaking to had dealt with a few cables like that. Not a large enough percentage to warrant a freakout but enough that they have taken notice.
 
The cable used by Apple in its leads is the standard variety (Apple don't manufacture cable!) which has a PVC sleeve. PVC is not particularly flexible and, if submitted to continuous bending or flexing, can fracture. For this reason, when the relevant plugs are inserted/removed from their appliance, the cable should only be held by the plug. In addition, bending of the cable adjacent to the plug should be avoided as this creates stress on the cable sleeve.

The photos submitted by the OP clearly illustrate the above faults. The cable has obviously been bent close to the plug which has resulted in the fracture of the cable.

Providing cables are only held by their plugs and the actual cable is not twisted, the leads should last a lifetime. I'm still using cables supplied with my first iPod, many moons ago.
 
grafftillidie said:
I had a lightning cable do the bunching up on me in the same spot that yours has done. Just took it into Apple and they swapped it. The genius I spoke to said he had seen maybe a handful come back like that. I followed it up with a call to Apple CS to compliment on the service I received in the swap process and was told that the rep I was speaking to had dealt with a few cables like that. Not a large enough percentage to warrant a freakout but enough that they have taken notice.
Click to expand...

I want to be clear that it wasn't bunching up. It looks like that from the plastic expanding when it had sparked and started smoking.
 
I just confirmed earlier today that one of my 3 cables won't give a charge. Either iphone or Mini and neither the apple wall wart or 3rd party wall wart.

But another lightning cable works fine with any those combinations.


Haven't determined yet if it will communicate with the computer.

The magic smoke remains in the cable.
 
It looks like you manhandled where the wire goes into the lightning end and that might have done something.
 
RichardC300 said:
It looks like you manhandled where the wire goes into the lightning end and that might have done something.
Click to expand...

But I didn't. As I stated previously it looks like that from the spark and smoking that came from the wiring inside the plastic outer sleeve. The hole is from the spark burning through the sleeve, not from bending or stretching.
 
I think theses cable are trash too, I'm getting the bunched up effect on mine, and its never handled roughly! I feel like at any moment its going pack up on me.

It wouldn't bother me so much if a new legit one could be had for a fiver, but £15 for a single cable:eek:

I'm contemplating taking it in to Apple to try and get a replacement, I'mean at the end of the day, I guess you could argue the sync cable is a fundamental part of the iPhone, without it the phone's useless.
 
I had 2 lightning cables go bad on me too. The one that came with my iPhone 5 and oddly enough then one that came with my iPad mini as well. I had them both replaced and bought 2 more (apple official) that I use exclusively when I'm traveling and haven't had any issues whatsoever with any of those 4.

It's not always user error, sometimes you just get defective equipment, happened to me.
 
I've had loads of customers at work come back with lighting leads which are faulty never had it before its strange they all seem to baulk just below the lighting head like in the photo above
 
Hobbers said:
I've gone through two lightning cables for my iphone 5 since launch day, and tonight my second one actually short circuited and started smoking while charging my phone. In my opinion, this is the worst accessory/product I've ever owned. I hate the lightning connector with a burning passion.
Click to expand...

Might want to check your electrical wiring. I've been through several cables (not because they were defective, but phone returns. I haven't had a single problem. I love the non-directional plug.
 
No problems here:) i have 4 of these cables:
2 apple ones
1 amazon basic
1 650 studios one which feel like they will break eventually.


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk 2
 
Hobbers said:
I've gone through two lightning cables for my iphone 5 since launch day, and tonight my second one actually short circuited and started smoking while charging my phone. In my opinion, this is the worst accessory/product I've ever owned. I hate the lightning connector with a burning passion.
Click to expand...

Really? I have 3 for my ipad and iPhone and have had no issues. Are they apple OEM lightning cables? Or cheap knock offs you bought online somewhere?
 
i have no problems with mine. the only logical explanation is that you had a lemon. its bound to happen with every product, we all know that. but yeah sucks that you have to get another one now. :( personally i like it since i dont have to worry about which side is which.
 
Hobbers said:
I've gone through two lightning cables for my iphone 5 since launch day, and tonight my second one actually short circuited and started smoking while charging my phone. In my opinion, this is the worst accessory/product I've ever owned. I hate the lightning connector with a burning passion.
Click to expand...

Maybe you're a gorilla hands?
 
Mine's been okay so far, but I know three people who've had their official ones die already. They seem to have an even higher failure rate than the 30 pin cables.
 
strange. i don't have any issue with my lightning cable, never even heard this issue from anyone before.
 
hyteckit said:
Are you buying fake ones online?

I bought one online. When I received it, I suspected it was a fake Apple lightning cable. Looks like the real thing, but the picture on the box looks kinda blurry and not as sharp as I expect from Apple. Thing fell apart in less than 1 hour of use.

Bought another directly from Amazon, and it works great. Picture on the box looks sharper.
Click to expand...

yep, seems like you're buying the fake ones.
i've never had this issue with my lightning cable.
 
My original cable that came with the iPhone 5 has bunched up like in above photos. It's also been randomly disconnecting and reconnecting rapidly, but I think that might be the surge protector going bad in combo with old wiring in the house.

I'm surprised with the bunching since my 30 pin that came with my 07 iPod classic is still in good shape. It even has the buttons on the side that you press to pull it out!
 
And dont you have warranty on the cables? In Portugal you have warranty onde anything you buy
 
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