Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Lightning sucks
- Thread starter MacPC
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
The people suggesting that others need to take care of their cables clearly don't travel much. Travel is murder on gear. I am meticulous with my stuff and I find that Apple cables wear prematurely compared to my other gear. Granted, they also get more use.
I dont have a lightning cable but my iPod Mini cables still work perfectly fine and I use them to charge my iPhone.
Yup. They're crazy for thinking that something that gets more use more frequently would wear out faster...
I travel plenty. It's not "murder" on cables unless you are careless with them. Traveling doesn't mean you have to yank out cables, or abuse them... Apple cables hold up just as well as any other cable. Apple cables tend to get a LOT of use since they power multiple devices usually, but that still doesn't negate abuse. Using something a lot is different than torturing it.
Again, there are no issues with Apple cables. If you get a defect on a random one, they'll replace it. No big deal.
IF it has teeth marks or other obvious signs of ABUSE, not so much...
The cable that came with my iPod Mini is 2005 still works fine. The cable from my iPhone 4 had some issues because I kept rolling my desk chair over it and the plastic was coming off but got it replaced with ease. Haven't had any issues with the new one. (although none of these are lightning cables lol)
Rolling up your cables frequently and putting them in a pack where they get jostled around with other stuff WILL send them to an early grave.
Part of the problem with Apple cables is the stiffness. My old Samsung dumb phone never had this problem after 3 years of daily use. Some quality Shure headphones are known for their cable cracking problems due to their stiffness.
Last edited:
Apples cables from the pre iPhone days were much better quality. My old nano cable is holding strong even though the cable that came with my iPhone last year is long gone. I abuse that old cable a lot more too
I have one cable that's been plugged into a dock and literally hasn't been touched for 3 years. I took a look at it recently, and even that was starting to split at the edge. So it's not just about continuous bending and kinking. It is made of very cheap materials (I think the recyclable materials are worse quality... makes you wonder if it really helps the environment if you have to replace the cables so frequently)
I'm not clear why so many people have problems with cables. I have had the same cables for years, and they are in perfect condition.
I might suggest that folks need to treat the cables with some care. When rolling them up for storage, roll them gently and carefully. When unplugging from a device, grip the plug itself, don'y pull on the cord. Take care not to bend at the connection point between the plug and the cord...and so on.
These suggestions do not take any special effort, and if the cables are treated with some care, they should last a very long time, as mine do.
I just re-read this post, and it sounds kind of snotty...sorry about that!
That was not my intention. It was just to suggest that a little care will help keep cables in good shape.
I was about to say that one of the main reasons I see for damaged cables is people yanking the cord rather than gripping the actual plug.
Good advice!
Thanks...not exactly rocket science!
It's amazing to me that folks don't take simple and easy precautions, but if they did in all areas, spammers would go out of business, as well as cable manufacturers.
Umm, it's made by apple. Makes no difference that its being manufactured thousands of miles away by another company.
I think its because people are careless and don't understand that any electrical flex will deteriorate if treated badly. I've broken a couple of iPod cables through being rough with them but if you treat them sensibly you'll have no problem. If people kink their cables there is nobody else to blame except themselves IMO.
Agree, I see this happening on a lot of L cables.
I find the L cable less durable then 30 pins.
2 weeks after the new iPhone 5s and iPad's came out, all of the cables for display units (non Apple stores) where broken (meanwhile the months older iPad 2 displays still worked on worn out 30 pin)
Apple DESIGNED the cable, specified the materials, contracted out the made and QC control.
As I said above, every Frys, Best Buy, Sams club, or other store that displays new L connector iStuff (iPod included), the cable is broken.
The brake happens at the end of the stress relief, which is clearly too stiff to do the job it was meant to.
Meanwhile the 30 pin connectors looked like ****, but worked fine (except one case).
Even Apple store L cables look pretty worn.
Their IS a problem with the cable design, it is simply not as durable as the 30 pin. Too much flexing on the cable, it breaks (not necessary related to pulling out by cord)
NOTE: YES, stores are hard on display items, but the cables to brake quickly compared to others.
Is it Ford's fault if you scratch your car?
Just handle it better, pull from the connector, not the cord.
Just handle it better, pull from the connector, not the cord.
Prove it!
It appears to be "bog standard" PVC covered screened cable. They are not ideally meant to be twisted, kinked and submitted to tension (i.e. mainly for static installation). However, provided the cables are not mistreated as has been described above and, ad nauseam, in other "cable fraying" threads, PVC covered material is more than adequate.
It's happening again. Of all the fancy stuff Apple put in to the iPhone, Apple never seem to know how to make a sturdy cable, the lightning cable on my iPhone5 starting to go. they is a kink at the junction between the cable and the lightning plug. Now the iPhone can only be charged when I put it in certain way. Bad connection. This happen with my iPhone4 with the old cable, with my friend's iPhone using the old cable. Does this happen to any of you? I am definitely not going to pay Apple another $20.00 for this poor workmanship!
Dude just go get a replacement from Apple.
I'm all for a company standing behind their product, especially when you're paying a premium like you are with Apple products. But where does this "it should be free" mindset come from? You aren't the only one here to bring it up, either. Why should it be free? Apple folks, in large numbers I've noticed, are an odd group. They'll pay a premium for a device, then always expect repairs/costs to be covered at no charge to them, regardless of the situation. It's strange. Maybe Apple has been too nice to too many of you for far too long. I don't know.
When you buy a premium car repairs are covered .... Everything, oil changes, tires, brakes, engine .... All of it. Part of buying premium items is paying for premium customer support and warranties upfront. I would rather pay a premium for quality items that I hope never break but if they do they are covered.
I am far from an apple nut and take good care of al my things and if its something I can fix I will do it myself. However if an item doesn't last it's "lifetime" (this varies for different items and come with different warranties).
I am not saying anything should be free I am just saying people and companies need to stand behind their products quality, name, and Image.
Why Apple doesn't do a decent job of strain-relieving is an ongoing mystery. Their cables break where the soft insulation enters the hard tube. Most of the time the break is visible, but sometimes the break is internal and results in an electrical short that can be dangerous.
Manifestly bad design, and they keep doing it, and not just with iDevice cables: Mac notebook power supply cables have the same problem. It even precipitated a recall, IIRC.
Add the fact that the cable is not replaceable on Mac notebook power supplies... when the cable starts to break at that weak spot, the whole brick needs to be replaced. That's wasteful as hell.
It's one of the few areas where I've been consistently disappointed in Apple for many years. I've even written Tim Cook about it, FWIW.