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Apple’s new USB-C iPhone cables and dongles are predictably expensive
(www.theverge.com)
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this post was submitted on 13 Sep 2023
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I love a lot of Apple’s products, but their wires are easily the worst of the worst. They’re expensive and made to fall apart after like 6 months.
I’m still using the cable that came with the 5s. What are you doing with the cables?
The main predictor of cable wear is whether people are using the phone while the cable is attached.
If you just leave it to charge they will last for u years. If you continue to use them while they are charging, life span of the cable is measured in weeks.
Why would that make a difference?
The material on the cable gets bent and twisted more while you’re using the phone. The wire is warmer while current is running through it (even if not immediately perceptible) and the material Apple uses (which they switched to for environmental reasons) is more brittle as it warms up. Combine the flexing and twisting with the heated state and the cable is more prone to breaking.
But even if you're not using it, the power adapter will still push the same wattage, no? I mean, why wouldn't it?
Correct, but using it, or not, the cable heats up. It’s only when using it that the cable is put under additional strains and stresses. Often times people rest the cable on their palm, bending it at odd angles, not intentionally but absentmindedly. These are stresses on the cable that wouldn’t exist if it were simply sitting and charging. The usage doesn’t draw more power, it just increases the likelihood of miss handling the cable. Now, if a cable is built out of materials that are less biodegradable, or contains certain chemicals that are bad for the environment, they are less likely to break down under similar circumstances. It’s kind of a catch 22. You can make cables that do not contain harmful chemicals, but breakdown easily, or you can make cables that don’t break down easily, but potentially contain harmful chemicals. The real issue is, no matter what, e-waste is being created with disposable cables.
I don’t use my phone while plugged in (mostly because my battery life and usage habits don’t require it), and actually don’t typically plug in at all because I charge wirelessly overnight. But I do have an every pack-in lightning cable I’ve received with an iPhone since they started using lightning, and none of them are broken.
Have you ever bent a paperclip back and forth until it broke? Same concept.
Is that specific to the lightning or also the usb-c?
It’s specific to cables, and matter in general. More motion is more strain is more wear.
Fair enough!
I've had several fall apart from usual wear and tear. If you roll them up, pack them, run them on things, pull them in and out of bags/pockets etc they wear down pretty quickly compared to even mid range aftermarket cables. I have some nice baided cables Ive had for 10+ years. I can't imagine and apple one lasting that. Unless it just sits plugged into an outlet all the time, any cable last forever like that.
Connecting to my car’s head unit.
Gotta love the Macbook charger cables that wear down to exposed wires after a few years of normal use. Some will even give you a small sparky lightshow reminding you it's time to be a consumer again!
I currently have an iPhone cable that is frayed at the neck of the iPhone connection end. It’s from repeated bending from completely normal use. I had to stop using it because it was actually making my iPhone hot and was having sluggish connection issues. This is now the 3rd cable to do this and that includes MacBook cables too.
Apple intentionally makes them cheap because they’re such an easy moneymaker for them. I have tons of old cables from other devices that have never had this issue, so I know this isn’t some isolated thing and I’m somehow the stupid one in the scenario. Their cables are terrible.
When I had a MacBook Pro with the 1st generation Magsafe, I went through 2 legit Apple chargers and 3 off brand ones in the 9 years I had the laptop. One of the off brand chargers even exploded! Well, a capacitor inside it exploded, but it was designed well enough that it didn't damage anything else or catch fire.
I've only ever had that one laptop, and I was using it in college so I was constantly plugging and unplugging it, so I have no idea how abnormal that cable use is.
Magsafe is super cool, and it definitely saved my computer from certain death several times, but damn it sucked buying those expensive chargers. It would've been nice just to buy the cable, not the whole damn charger.
I now use a USB-C to magsafe 1 adapter on my Mid 2012 MBP, free to replace the cable and charger at any time. Currently using a 65W PD brick and a nice long 10ft/3m cable 😁
The magsafe connector has saved my ass a bunch of times too LOL, my previous barrel jack laptop was yanked off tables more than a few times. Uni lectures were the worst as multiple people wouldn't see the charger on the floor and trip on it 🥲
My 2011 MacBook Pro is on her original charger… I don’t know how you all take such poor care of your stuff.
Same. I’m still using my original lightning cable (USB-A and all) and it looks almost new other than some staining from use.
Same! I DO tape and heat-shrink the ends of my lightning cables now, though… after one of my cats decided my extra long one looked absolutely delicious.
Well, my secret is just to not have cats. Lol
It's the people who tightly wind their cords up every time they put it in the bag. I always just loosely put the charger in my bag to minimize stress on the ends of the cords.
My 14” MacBook Pro has a braided MagSafe cable. It took way too long but they did finally fix that problem.