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Comment by PascLeRasc | Hacker News Reader

I don't know what it is, but I've never broken a single Lightning cable since I got my first iPhone in 2016. I still have 2 new-in-box cables from upgrades. But a few weeks ago I was picking up a friend and when she got in my car she said "Why do you have the Apple cable? They're so fragile" and immediately tore the strain relief plugging her phone in.

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I had never broken a lightning cable or a macbook charging cable (original magsafe or magsafe2) in maybe a decade of use, but as soon as my kids started using iDevices I've had to switch to buying extra-super-durable ones because Apple's don't stand a chance in the hands of a 7 year old. The Amazon Basics lightning cables with the braided external cover and solid metal housing at the ends seem pretty bomb-proof so far. The housing + strain relief is kind of absurdly long but it's very very sturdy. Anker stuff also seems quite solid.

Edit: I think a lot of people just naturally don't pay much attention to what they're doing to their cables. I used to work at a company where I was pretty much the only one whose MBP power cable wasn't visibly fraying at the ends, and I'm still using the same one 5 years later.

Wait so you dont tie your iPhone cable around a tree and swing on it while your phone is charging! Shocker. I'm in the same boat at you, not a single Apple cable failure in 10 years of using Apple products.

I’ve had two apple cables fail over the past five years despite being mostly just plugged into the charging ports of a powered (anker, hah!) usb hub on my desk. The cable I keep in my bag for when I’m not home is an anker one.

In Denmark most apartment building have a bin for recycling electronics.

I like to open the one on my building, and have a peek to see if there's something interesting. I like repairing (often just resetting) discarded electronics and donating them to people who need them.

Anyway, I find loads of broken Apple cables, but very few plain USB cables.

Do you move the cables often? Do you stuff them in bags for travel? Do your phones get knocked off tables often by cats/kids?

I am guessing usage patterns will explain the difference.

I do all those things. From past discussions I gather the trick is using the phone while charging causes the problem. I tend not to and haven't had issues.

I have noticed with both lightning and macbook chargers that high current draw (and associated heat) while the cable is bent seems to be associated with the cable degrading.

Not using the phone while charging negates this, as does having the cable flat on a table when using the macbook (as opposed to using and charging with the macbook on your lap, where the cable rops down immediately).

Ah! That's the first explanation that sounds plausible (outside of the wear and tear of using it while plugged in).

I think some people are just more meticulous with their stuff than others. I mean by this that it could be considered as going out of their way to make sure there are no tight bends, not pulling on cables, not shoving the cable in a purse whichever way you can, etc. My original iphone cable I bought more than 3 years ago still has its rounded shape as when it was new.

This, combined with poor quality products explains the difference in my opinion.

The only cable that frayed on me was a MagSafe 2, next to the computer connector. The cable is ridiculously thin. It was the adapter for my 15 MBP. In comparison, I'm still using the original adapter of my 2008 MBP and apart from being scratched and dirty, it's still as good as new, cable and all.

What I think happens often is that the cable will be under some kind of rotational stress. I've noticed I have a tendency to always turn the phone the same way, so the cable has a tendency to turn around its axis. It's something I see especially often on corded office phones. Also, cables are often at very tight angles close to the connector, so there beign next to no relief ends up tearing the housing.

I've also seen many people pull on the cable instead of the connector to uplug it. That can't be to good for longevity either.

Same. I should note that I'm a generally thoughtful person and am careful with my electronics. I don't have kids. My cats don't eat cables.

That said, I travel plenty, and I shove cables into my bag like anyone else. I can't think of a single cable for a single product (Apple or non-Apple) that I've destroyed. Some peoples' cables look like they get slammed in a car door twice a day every day.

I don't know what it is about certain people — I also have never broken a single cable ever in 14+ years of using Apple stuff.

Never broken an Apple cable (Laptop, Phone, iPad, etc) in 10+ years either. I grew up as a small child regularly pulling out / pushing in the power cable on a ZX Spectrum, which was a really fragile cable. I guess I learnt a lot of respect for handling cables fairly quickly at a young age from that.

anecdotally it seems to be a combination of using the phone while plugged in and it bends sitting against you/the table/etc (or pulling it tight).. and not plugging and removing the cable by the connector but pulling on the cable.

this is me and i replace these regularly

Same. I really have no idea how people break these cables.

My kids taught me how to break them. Before the kids had iPads our family hadn't broken any, now... it's a weekly thing. Children are professionals at destruction.

Think positive as parent - sigh they are innovative. Destroy and then invent later. Just not in that phase.

I've damaged two magsafe connectors in the last two years. The rubbery plastic protection near the charge point (with the orange/green LED) splits. Then it's super easy to make worse since the split ends catch on things. Like https://i.imgur.com/l2uS8pv.jpg.

I'm pretty sure it's from heat damage from the power. Not mechanical strain. The heat slowly weakens the rubber material to the point of failure.

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