Power cables question

[Glennster]

I read an article over the wknd that was dealing with avoiding purchasing certain iPhone and iPad 3rd party power cables & plugs as some have been known to fry the device or even catch fire.

My question is: other than buying directly from Apple are there actually safe brands out there?

 

[dukeblue219]

For starters, anything with the Made for iPhone logo should be fine, and there are a million "reputable" brands that aren't Apple. The cables in particular don't deal with very high power relative to other household appliances. Cheap chargers with no branding can be a risk, sure, but if you stick with well-reviewed products on Amazon and use your judgement it's not a problem. Using a charger you found on the street that looks wet would be bad. Using a free charger from a conference might be a bad idea (for several reasons). But an Anker charger from Amazon is no more dangerous than a malfunctioning Apple-branded product.

What products did this article speak of? Just a generic "watch out for cheapo chargers" type of piece?

 

[willmtaylor]

I read an article over the wknd that was dealing with avoiding purchasing certain iPhone and iPad 3rd party power cables & plugs as some have been known to fry the device or even catch fire.

My question is: other than buying directly from Apple are there actually safe brands out there?

I always just make sure they're Apple MFi certified.

 

[Glennster]

For starters, anything with the Made for iPhone logo should be fine, and there are a million "reputable" brands that aren't Apple. The cables in particular don't deal with very high power relative to other household appliances. Cheap chargers with no branding can be a risk, sure, but if you stick with well-reviewed products on Amazon and use your judgement it's not a problem. Using a charger you found on the street that looks wet would be bad. Using a free charger from a conference might be a bad idea (for several reasons). But an Anker charger from Amazon is no more dangerous than a malfunctioning Apple-branded product.

What products did this article speak of? Just a generic "watch out for cheapo chargers" type of piece?

Mainly items sold at gas stations and dollar stores.

 

[Apple fanboy]

Mainly items sold at gas stations and dollar stores.

I use the Anker brand cables and have found them to be good. Just look for MFI certification when ordering.