other than making Apple lots of money? Does it do anything that other cables can't? I quite aggravated that my cable has stopped working today, and I have about 15 various USB cables just sitting around that can't help me.
It's more for the design takes up less space to make new iphone/ipad models thinner and lighter. There are some reports that it makes it faster to recharge and sync but I don't think that's true.
The lightening cable under lab circumstances is substantially faster than USB, however as mentioned by JCman7 that doesn't necessarily translate to real world. If Lightening were embraced by industry it could potentially go places just like USB started slow and got faster, but Apple bet on a standard that so far has not caught on except in limited markets hence the increased cost.
Recently I kept buying new lightning cables because I thought they were giving out, turns out it was my charging slot on my iPod that was chock full of lint. Might not be the same case for you, but it's worth checking out.
It's a good point, you know Apple they try to be different and innovative sometimes it's not always a good thing lol. I've gone through a few cables myself they always break at the ends by the connector. The rubber enclosure is just junk and once the wires are bare they just start shredding apart. I buy mine from amazon basics now, they are cheaper last longer and you can buy longer ones.
Yeah, I buy 6' lightning cables from monoprice. They lat about 8 months and then the area near the connection starts falling apart. But I think I pay $12, which is probably far less than if I bought it from Apple.
I find it funny that people go through cables so fast. I don't take particular care of mine -I don't use them for strangling cats or anything and I still use ones that I used with iPods from years ago. The only time I replace them is I think that the ends get dirty and the device stops recognizing the cable. Anyways, my family manages to lose them a lot at friends, on trips, etc. so I replace them with Amazon Basics. Well made cables that come in a lot of different lengths which is nice and they last a long time.
A friend of mine sent me this link.... it explains it all. http://www.pocketables.com/2012/12/hardware-comparison-lightning-connector-vs-microusb-connector.html
Pluto, I DO TAKE CARE of mine.... that is what makes it frustrating. When I bought mine, there were very few reviews. And while people generally do like this cable there are numerous complaints about the actual connection. The good part is that monoprice guarantees cables for life, so I am getting one sent out for free. http://www.monoprice.com/Product?c_id=112&cp_id=11213&cs_id=1083101&p_id=10377&seq=1&format=2#reviewInfo
You might enjoy knowing that Apple has a one year limited warranty on products like their $20 lightning cable. If your device's cable fails within one year go to Genius Bar and they will replace it free. If you have to purchase an Apple cable accessory and it doesn't last a year, go to Genius Bar and they will likely replace it free. Those cables are horrible but Apple's customer service has really been solid in my case, I get "free" lightning cables more often than I buy them - it's a really easy to switch out - no grief from Apple and I like to think I'm doing my part in gently demanding better durability. The old USB cables weren't much better at longevity, the plastic tears on both.
Lightning Cable makes it harder for third parties to create knock off cables and does other things such as supplying iPads with more wattage than what a micro would be capable of.
