I've had great success with Anker. I first found them with wirecutter reviews when I was looking for a good way to charge 100 iPads (use them for poll based sign in books for election day). I've bought several of their products and even ordered 100 battery banks recently.
After a lot searching, even testing multiple devices, I finially found the Satechi USB C Hub. It's an absolute must have for anyone who owns a MacBook 12. Not only is it cheaper than Apple's mediocre hub but contains absolute everything you could possibly need.
If I needed all that crap, I'd have got a MacBook Pro. Or an Air. If I wanted to use it as my only laptop on the go or at home I'd get a dock.
The last thing I want is a device with that kind of leverage attached to a bunch of cable and run a risk however slight of twisting the connector off. It if was Mag-Safed somehow that might be a different story.
With all the reports of people's electronics getting fried from cheapo cables and charges, I just shake my head in disbelief that people want to take a chance and save a few bucks to use questionable hardware from sketchy chinese companies to charge their pricey iPhone or Macbook. For me, the peace of mind far outweighs the headaches I'll have if I fry something.
Yeah, because the quality of Apple cables is just so high....
A: Powerbook Ti after nearly 9 years of use B: MBPR after 18 months use C: MBPR after 14 months use
Been happy with the Amazon Basics Lightning cables. I've ordered them from 4" to 6' and they work just fine and are inexepensive.
This just tells me that you missed pretty much the entire point of the article. You're buying cables primarily because they are "inexpensive," and you know nothing about their specs or who made them. They "work fine" (so far) and that's good enough for you.
This is the exact attitude and behaviour the article warns against.
This just tells me that you make some assumptions and like someone said, missed the point of the article.
First, there's no way for most of us to test the cables. We rely on the experience of early adopters to see who earns a reputation as a reputable manufacturers/source. There's nothing to indicate to me that mike1 didn't read any Amazon reviews regarding the quality of the cable. You knew this, how?
Second, the point of the article is to "pay attention to the quality of your USB cables". It goes on to say that price doesn't dictate quality.
As far as Lightning cables go, an iPhone or iPad is probably at greater risk of damage from a poor quality power adapter than the cable itself.
Exactly what advice are we to take away from this article? The author says to be careful when buying cheap cables, but then goes on to say that a more expensive cable failed while a less expensive one tested good. And he tested more than 100 cables and only one failed. Seems like bad cables really aren't too much of a concern.
I don't see where you got that info about one-in-one hundred, but as stated that's not correct.
The article says that a bad cable that was wired incorrectly cooked a Pixel. That's one. But Leung tested several Type A-to-USB-C cables and found several that failed from just the lack of a 56Ω current limiting resistor. The resistor is necessary to keep a USB-C device from cooking a Type A AC adapter.
A damaged adapter is a lot cheaper than a laptop but there's a real fire potential that could occur in a malfunctioning or poorly constructed adapter. I wish the AI article would have talked about that as well.
There are other reasons that cables fail to meet the USB-C spec. The one that inspired this AI article was just the first in his experience to actually kill a laptop.
"The cables themselves are passive — save a resistor here and there — and aside from the quality of the plastic, there's very little to differentiate a cheap one from an expensive one."
Lightning cables have few chips in them.
Two different topics. The paragraph about cables being passive was in reference to USB-C cables not lightning. The next paragraph remarked that Apple lightning cables are more expensive than third party offerings. I think everyone here knows that lightning cables and HDMI adaptors have chips.
I've learned my lesson: no more cheap ebay cables or adapters from China. All the ones I bought have failed. Crap QC. Thankfully it didn't cost me a device.
I've learned my lesson: no more cheap ebay cables or adapters from China. All the ones I bought have failed. Crap QC. Thankfully it didn't cost me a device.
Highly unlikely! Seems like a big exaggeration unless you've only bought one or two and have chosen to use the word "all" instead of "both".
Between my friends and family, we have easily bought well over a hundred cables/adapters from China over the past few years - and sure - we've had a few failures - but well under 5%. The fact that you claim to have experienced a 100% failure rate indicates to me that you really haven't bought very many, you are lying or you have the worst luck in the world.
The problem with the comments on this article is that people are generalizing about China and cheaply made. It's absolutely true that there is some cheaply made crap coming out of China - but it's equally true that their is also some well made equipment being manufactured in China that is a heck of a lot less expensive than buying from Apple, Monster or the "reputable brands" people are recommending. DJI is a Chinese company and make a very good quality drone. Monoprice is stocked with mostly "made in China" products and they are my go-to source for all things electronic and I have been VERY pleased with the quality, price and reliability of their merchandise.
But as the article tries to tell us - research the product you are about to purchase. Don't rely on the price (or the brand name). Read the reviews of those that have purchased before you. Were they happy with their purchase? If so - odds are that it worked - and that you will be happy too. Read some of the negative reviews too - see what kind of problems people are reporting - could they apply to you? I recommend ignoring the 10 best reviews and the 10 worst. Often they are plants from shills - or just people with unrealistic expectations that are impossible to please.
I never buy cables, adapters, etc from any other brand than Apple for all my Apple products. Really have a no clue why the heck people would buy cheapo inferior cables or from other brands. I even use Apple HDMI cables for all my audio and video equipments, instead of wireworld, monsters, etc.
I never buy cables, adapters, etc from any other brand than Apple for all my Apple products. Really have a no clue why the heck people would buy cheapo inferior cables or from other brands. I even use Apple HDMI cables for all my audio and video equipments, instead of wireworld, monsters, etc.
I think it's funny that you think that is something to brag about!
As an Apple shareholder, I guess I should say thank you. Uneducated consumers such as yourself help Apple maintain their lofty margins even though there arr often superior alternatives available for much less money!
It's true, for instance, that Apple's $19 Lightning cable doesn't perform $13 better than the $6 version available from Monoprice -- by the by an excellent vendor -- but it's still important to consider the source before going for cut-rate cables.
... NOTE: Of those Leung tested, Anker's products consistently rated well. You can find USB-C cables and adapters, along with many more Anker power products, at the company's Amazon store.
This is why Apple has the MFi program - so you can tell that a third-party cable has passed a battery of quality tests and has earned Apple's approval.
Both Monoprice and Anker (and many other inexpensive brands) are MFi certified.
The same goes for USB - there are industry standards that must be passed for USB certification. A cable can't legally bear a USB logo if it doesn't pass certification tests.
Sure, you can get really cheap uncertified cables, but given the fact that certified cabled from third-party vendors are already pretty cheap, that is foolish. But you don't have to pay Apple's very high prices in order to be safe.
This just tells me that you missed pretty much the entire point of the article. You're buying cables primarily because they are "inexpensive," and you know nothing about their specs or who made them. They "work fine" (so far) and that's good enough for you.
This is the exact attitude and behaviour the article warns against.
So you believe the MFi program is meaningless? The whole point of it is that if you buy a certified cable, you do know the specs and that they passed Apple-approved testing procedures.
Yeah, because the quality of Apple cables is just so high....
A: Powerbook Ti after nearly 9 years of use B: MBPR after 18 months use C: MBPR after 14 months use
A: Those PowerBook DC Power Connectors were one of the worst power cables I ever used. I fried three pucks, and two bricks from frayed wires and connectors. If your point was that Apple used to make quality cables, I'm here to tell you that's just not the case. B: & C: As for the Mag-Safe connectors, I have yet to have one fray. The only Mag-safe connector was my original 2007 Black MacBook which had the internal shorting problem that actually caught fire. Other than that particular flare-up, I've never had a MagSafe connector fail on any of my MacBooks.
Comments
The last thing I want is a device with that kind of leverage attached to a bunch of cable and run a risk however slight of twisting the connector off. It if was Mag-Safed somehow that might be a different story.
Buying reputable brand cables is a good start. Taking care of them is a good second step. Step three: there is no Step Three.
A: Powerbook Ti after nearly 9 years of use
B: MBPR after 18 months use
C: MBPR after 14 months use
First, there's no way for most of us to test the cables. We rely on the experience of early adopters to see who earns a reputation as a reputable manufacturers/source. There's nothing to indicate to me that mike1 didn't read any Amazon reviews regarding the quality of the cable. You knew this, how?
Second, the point of the article is to "pay attention to the quality of your USB cables". It goes on to say that price doesn't dictate quality.
As far as Lightning cables go, an iPhone or iPad is probably at greater risk of damage from a poor quality power adapter than the cable itself.
I don't see where you got that info about one-in-one hundred, but as stated that's not correct.
The article says that a bad cable that was wired incorrectly cooked a Pixel. That's one. But Leung tested several Type A-to-USB-C cables and found several that failed from just the lack of a 56Ω current limiting resistor. The resistor is necessary to keep a USB-C device from cooking a Type A AC adapter.
A damaged adapter is a lot cheaper than a laptop but there's a real fire potential that could occur in a malfunctioning or poorly constructed adapter. I wish the AI article would have talked about that as well.
There are other reasons that cables fail to meet the USB-C spec. The one that inspired this AI article was just the first in his experience to actually kill a laptop.
Between my friends and family, we have easily bought well over a hundred cables/adapters from China over the past few years - and sure - we've had a few failures - but well under 5%. The fact that you claim to have experienced a 100% failure rate indicates to me that you really haven't bought very many, you are lying or you have the worst luck in the world.
The problem with the comments on this article is that people are generalizing about China and cheaply made. It's absolutely true that there is some cheaply made crap coming out of China - but it's equally true that their is also some well made equipment being manufactured in China that is a heck of a lot less expensive than buying from Apple, Monster or the "reputable brands" people are recommending. DJI is a Chinese company and make a very good quality drone. Monoprice is stocked with mostly "made in China" products and they are my go-to source for all things electronic and I have been VERY pleased with the quality, price and reliability of their merchandise.
But as the article tries to tell us - research the product you are about to purchase. Don't rely on the price (or the brand name). Read the reviews of those that have purchased before you. Were they happy with their purchase? If so - odds are that it worked - and that you will be happy too. Read some of the negative reviews too - see what kind of problems people are reporting - could they apply to you? I recommend ignoring the 10 best reviews and the 10 worst. Often they are plants from shills - or just people with unrealistic expectations that are impossible to please.
As an Apple shareholder, I guess I should say thank you. Uneducated consumers such as yourself help Apple maintain their lofty margins even though there arr often superior alternatives available for much less money!
This is why Apple has the MFi program - so you can tell that a third-party cable has passed a battery of quality tests and has earned Apple's approval.
Both Monoprice and Anker (and many other inexpensive brands) are MFi certified.
The same goes for USB - there are industry standards that must be passed for USB certification. A cable can't legally bear a USB logo if it doesn't pass certification tests.
Sure, you can get really cheap uncertified cables, but given the fact that certified cabled from third-party vendors are already pretty cheap, that is foolish. But you don't have to pay Apple's very high prices in order to be safe.
So you believe the MFi program is meaningless? The whole point of it is that if you buy a certified cable, you do know the specs and that they passed Apple-approved testing procedures.
A: Those PowerBook DC Power Connectors were one of the worst power cables I ever used. I fried three pucks, and two bricks from frayed wires and connectors. If your point was that Apple used to make quality cables, I'm here to tell you that's just not the case.
B: & C: As for the Mag-Safe connectors, I have yet to have one fray. The only Mag-safe connector was my original 2007 Black MacBook which had the internal shorting problem that actually caught fire. Other than that particular flare-up, I've never had a MagSafe connector fail on any of my MacBooks.