What happens to iPhone lightning cords?

In reply to SVreX (Forum Supporter) :

I don't think there's much communication between the laptop and phone sides of the house. You're right about the computers, but the phones have only had one of two connectors since the first iPod was introduced 20 years ago.

In reply to Keith Tanner :

That makes sense. 

mtn said:

In any case, for the past 3 years, I've taken a different approach to charging cables. I have an alert on Amazon for when 12-packs of their 4 inch cables go on sale. If you watch, you can get it for less than $30. Then, get some 6 and 10 foot USB Extension cords. The extension cords never fail. The lightning cables, eventually, do fail, but at that price it works out to a point that I am not upset by it. 

 

Sounds like a great way to completely nullify high speed charging unless they're really heavy duty cables.

Most of the USB extension cables I've seen are laughably small gauge wire. Even most of the regular charge data USB cables I come across are too thin to be very effective at 2 feet long let alone 6+.

Since making the switch to USB C, damn 4 maybe 5 years ago, I've gone through one cable. My tablet that still uses micro usb has gone through 6 or so cables in the same time. The big difference is my phone charges every day and my tablet maybe once a week.

RevRico said:

mtn said:

In any case, for the past 3 years, I've taken a different approach to charging cables. I have an alert on Amazon for when 12-packs of their 4 inch cables go on sale. If you watch, you can get it for less than $30. Then, get some 6 and 10 foot USB Extension cords. The extension cords never fail. The lightning cables, eventually, do fail, but at that price it works out to a point that I am not upset by it. 

 

Sounds like a great way to completely nullify high speed charging unless they're really heavy duty cables.

Most of the USB extension cables I've seen are laughably small gauge wire. Even most of the regular charge data USB cables I come across are too thin to be very effective at 2 feet long let alone 6+.

 

This one has been pretty good. Gauge is thicker than the charging cables. 

Right now the big problem with my "system" is that the 12 pack is over $100. I bought my last one about a year ago for $30. $2.50 per cable. 

In reply to Keith Tanner :

There was zero point where micro was a phenomenal choice. One side connector, slow, and weak tab thingy. Lightning was the better proprietary choice. Sony memory stick had their time to shine at one point too. 

I had a few cables fail in my cars recently. I think what happened is that I have my phone vertical, and the friction fit of the cable was losing its fight against gravity.  The connector was staying on the phone, but it just wasn't charging. Bought some new cables, and all is well again. That was the first time I noticed a cable fail at the connector first, but it had probably been in the car for a few years at that point, so I can't complain.

My wife is mean to cables. Happens a lot around these parts. And a thumbs up on the lint from the port fix, I was seconds away from spending a bunch of cash on a replacement when I happened to try that one time. Now cleaning that out is one of my boredom tasks 

Let me just put in a plug for MagSafe while we're here. I LOVE not having my computer crash to the floor just because I didn't notice a thin wire in the way. Love that. More so before SSD, but still relevant last month when I pieced back together my in-law's PC

SVreX (Forum Supporter) said:

Do they just stop working one day?  Do they communicate with each other using electronic pheromones and all go south together like a colony of ants?

I've had 3 cords start glitching in the last 2 days. All of them look undamaged (though they were used frequently)
 

I didn't know this was a wear item...

Two ipads and an iPhone and just like you, one afternoon, none of the Apple devices could be charged by any combinations of the 7-8 cords, 4 apple power taps/blocks, or other power source. 

The only successful way to charge them was with a car charger. 

IMO the devices had something change software wise that prevented them from seeing all but the car charger. No clue why. Device wizards at Apple denied everything. And of course the next morning everything is fixed, except there was 1 iPad big block that the iPad wouldn't charge with regardless of cord. 

Confusing