*Warning* Cheap iPhone Chinese cables

[bluck]

Hey all just wanted to toss this out there give ya all a heads up. I recently ordered a few iPhone 5 cables off eBay from China because my original ones all split. Instead of paying $25 for a new one from the apple store I figured why not spend $5 and get 5 from China. I mean they are just cables after all right?

Whenever I used the cable I would always get the error saying this cable is not certified and may not work with this device. I never thought to much of it because it would always charge. Well after about a month of using them I unplugged my iPad from my MacBook and as soon as I did the whole unit shut down. I couldn't get it to turn on and even with the charger connected I couldn't see the green light. I did a quick google and figured out removing the battery and putting it back in may fix it. I didn't have the tiny screwdriver to do that so I went to the apple store and explained my problem. They took the unit to the back and were able to power it on with the above mentioned solution.

The tech then did a diagnostic on my unit and found out the hard drive is experiencing failure and the link is broken between the bracket and the hard drive. He said it would be about a $50 fix if that doesn't work I'll need to get a new hard drive.

Case in point. Do not ####en use those cheap ass cables from ####en China. I hope I can save someone else having to go through the mess I just did. Pay the $20 and get a certified cable.

Cheers,

Bluck

[ken0042]

My wife's iphone was also cooked when using a cheap cable. The phone got super hot, and then refused to charge after that

Fortunately Apple replaced the iPhone under warranty.

Now I'm even leary about buying these cables:
http://www.primecables.com/p-328659-...and-ipod-white

Does that count, seeing as they say the cables are ceritified?

[bluck]

Originally Posted by ken0042

My wife's iphone was also cooked when using a cheap cable. The phone got super hot, and then refused to charge after that

Fortunately Apple replaced the iPhone under warranty.

Now I'm even leary about buying these cables:
http://www.primecables.com/p-328659-...and-ipod-white

Does that count, seeing as they say the cables are ceritified?

Honestly I'm not sure I would even risk it. I was really scared my Mac was toast and I'd have to spend $1200 on a new one. $20 for peace of mind is well worth it to me now.

[Inglewood Jack]

Why are Apple products in particular so sensitive to non-official cables? I've used dozens of garage surplus no name USB cables with phones and a million other accessories over the years without incident. I know that's not evidence that nothing will ever go wrong, but where are the news articles and warnings about charging your android with cheap cables and risk it exploding?

[RedMileDJ]

ios7 has a built in feature that recognizes none official or non licensed cables.

Buy official cables or Dexim or PureGear when it comes to after market cables.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by bluck

Honestly I'm not sure I would even risk it. I was really scared my Mac was toast and I'd have to spend $1200 on a new one. $20 for peace of mind is well worth it to me now.

Yeah, my biggest thing is that I like having the longer cable. As far as I know, Apple doesn't make one longer than 3 feet.

I did notice that site has ceritified as well as non-certified cables. I'm just curious what goes into becoming "certified."

[bluck]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Yeah, my biggest thing is that I like having the longer cable. As far as I know, Apple doesn't make one longer than 3 feet.

I did notice that site has ceritified as well as non-certified cables. I'm just curious what goes into becoming "certified."

They sell 2 meter cables and I think I may have seen a 3 Meter one as well while I was there.

[sureLoss]

Were these the new lightning connector or the old 30 pin cables?

The reason I ask is that the 30 pin cables are pretty straight forward to create, but the lightning connector is a whole different level of complexity for manufacturers.

edit: duh you said iphone 5 so it was lightning

[sureLoss]

Originally Posted by Inglewood Jack

Why are Apple products in particular so sensitive to non-official cables? I've used dozens of garage surplus no name USB cables with phones and a million other accessories over the years without incident. I know that's not evidence that nothing will ever go wrong, but where are the news articles and warnings about charging your android with cheap cables and risk it exploding?

From iPhone 5 and 4th generation iPad onwards (some of the ipods too, but I forget which ones), use Apple's proprietary Lightning connectors.

Lightning connectors require a processor in the cable which detects what the cable is connected to, which way the cable is plugged in, etc and routes electrical signals and power properly to the correct pins.

The problem is Apple never released the tech specs for exactly how to make the cables with the processors. Apple wants licensing fees for Lightning products. Most (if not all) of the Lightning cables coming from unauthorized 3rd parties are reversed engineered from Apple cables, meaning they may not have gotten all the details right and the wrong signals/power may be sent to the wrong things.

[bluejays]

I bought the monoprice cables about 3 weeks ago and they work just fine so far. Liking the black cables.

[corporatejay]

Originally Posted by fleury

I bought the monoprice cables about 3 weeks ago and they work just fine so far. Liking the black cables.

The monoprice cables are certified.

[Russic]

I bought the Chinese cables and my dock connector has mysteriously gone screwy. It's tough to say that cables actually caused the problem, but the timing is suspicious enough that I'll probably stop buying them.

[KTrain]

I received a $75 gift certificate for Christmas last year and spent the entire thing on on lightning cables. The saddest gift ever but it's nice having one in each car and an extra in the office.

[Hack&Lube]

From an electrical engineer; why the fake chargers are so cheap and also why they are so bad:



That said, I agree that Apple chargers certainly are priced at a premium and some 3rd parties do build quality chargers and sell at lower cost if you can find them.

[Diemenz]

Originally Posted by ken0042

Yeah, my biggest thing is that I like having the longer cable. As far as I know, Apple doesn't make one longer than 3 feet.

I did notice that site has certified as well as non-certified cables. I'm just curious what goes into becoming "certified."

Certified just means that the company has paid apple for the MFI (Made for iphone/ipod/ipad) logo on the packaging and the licensing of using this logo. In addition the cables have to meet the minimum specification set out by apple for strength and build quality.

[bluck]

Did some more research... Lots of fires have been caused by using these cheap chargers as well as the possibility of a death by electrification. Best to stay away