Apple’s iPhone smartphones and iPad tablets are phenomenal—almost indispensable—devices. Apple’s products have an Achilles heel, though, and that weakness may cost you a bundle: the Lightning cable. The Lightning cable is required to charge Apple’s latest mobile devices, but the cables are expensive and fall apart easily—amounting to a hefty hidden surcharge on the cost of owning and using an iPhone or iPad.
You can activate an iPhone or iPad over the air, and you can configure the device to sync with a Windows or Mac PC wirelessly. There’s no alternative, however, for recharging the device. There are other charging options out there-like alarm clock radios or desktop docks that have a built-in Lightning connector, but the vast majority of charging gadgets require that you use one of the USB to Lightning cables—like the one that comes with the iPhone and iPad.
The problem is that the cable doesn’t last. It cracks and frays where the base of the Lightning connector meets the flexible cable. I have tremendous respect for Apple quality and attention to detail, so I would be inclined to chalk up the experience as a fluke. However, we have a lot of Apple devices in my house—six iPhones, and two iPads—and not one of the eight Lightning cables that came with those devices has survived.
The replacement cable from Apple costs $19. That seems a tad steep for a 3-foot section of wire—especially one that I already know is going to fall apart. I found cheaper alternatives from Amazon, including Amazon’s own Amazon Basics brand cables. I’ve had other vendors—like Lightning Rabbit—send me cables to test out. They all have issues and none of them have worked long term.
First of all, we have found that many of the third-party Lightning connectors are larger or fatter than the original Apple Lightning cable. I’m anti case (I even just removed the SlipStopper case I had conceded to using because the screen protector was scratched up and the backing had become discolored), but my wife and kids have cases on their iPhones and iPads and some of those Lightning cables simply don’t fit with the case on. Regardless of how each cable does or doesn’t work with various cases, so far every single Lightning cable we have used in this house—whether from Apple, Amazon, Lightning Rabbit, or any other vendor—has failed in some way within a couple months.
Some of the third-party Lightning cables are significantly cheaper than the replacement cable from Apple. Spending less isn’t a benefit, though, if you get what you pay for and just end up having to replace the cable sooner. So far I have found that the Amazon Basics brand seems to offer the best balance of cost and quality or longevity.
I would gladly pay more, however, for a cable that will actually last. The $19 for the Apple cable would be reasonable if it could survive a couple years—or even just more than a couple months—without cracking and fraying. Since I have yet to find a cable that is significantly sturdier than the next, though, I’ve reconciled myself to just frequently buying Amazon Basics Lightning cables in bulk and accepting that a monthly Lightning cable surcharge is just part of the cost of ownership if I want to use an iPhone or iPad.
I recognize that this is very much a first world problem. It is a problem nevertheless. Something as small and simple as a 3-foot piece of wire with a Lightning connector on the end shouldn’t cost so much, and something that is an absolute necessity for the expensive mobile device to function shouldn’t be so poorly constructed that it has to be replaced every other month.
I expect better quality control from Apple.
