Sleev - Protect your wires from damage

[PeterFW]

Funny, I've used Apple cables since I got my first iPod in like 2003, and none of my cables have ever failed. 

My guess would be, that you are not the target group.
When you charge your device you plug it in and let it sit on the bench till it is fully charged and then disconnect it, right?

But now, think of the brainless smartphone zombies.
They plug the device in and keep playing with it, putting constant strain of the stress relief of the cable.
On top that, they keep the charger with them at all times because they are afraid to run out of battery in the pub.
Just think how it would be if they were unable to instragram the fancy cocktail they just ordered.

At least those are the people who i hear complaining about the cable quality.

[vikasbly44]

Dear....
    you can protect to your sleev wire from damage...
and thiswire already hasthe followin functionality.....
there is minimal chemical reaction between copper and concrete, and the sleeve is meant to protect the area where the ground wires exit the concrete, assuming you seal it up with silicone. Is there any reference material discussing ground wire installation methods in concrete. This is not technically for a Ufer ground, but it is meant to keep all metallic objects at the same potential, including rebar.

[BradC]

Of course many phones have wireless charging now and on Android you can run an FTP server for transferring, so there is no need to ever actually plug your phone in. Naturally Apple will never allow that, because then they couldn't screw you with expensive cables.

Err, Apple has had complete wireless management for _years_. You need to plug your phone/pad/pod into iTunes exactly _once_ to authenticate it, then you can do everything wirelessly. No screwing around with ftp, wired/wireless it works exactly the same..

As a data point, I've had 2 30 pin cables fail, but both of those were (freakin expensive) 3rd party cables. None of my Apple cables have failed.

[suicidaleggroll]

Apple cables are insanely expensive

Of course many phones have wireless charging now and on Android you can run an FTP server for transferring, so there is no need to ever actually plug your phone in. Naturally Apple will never allow that, because then they couldn't screw you with expensive cables.

Yes it's more expensive than a micro USB, but c'mon...the device comes with one, and they work through all models, all generations, iPhone, iPad, iPod, iWhatever.  How many do you really need to buy over the next, say, 5-10 years? 1? 2?  At $17 each it's not that bad, you're just being hyperbolic.

Frankly, I'm happy to spend $15 more one time (or two times, or zero times if you're fine with just having one cable) if it means I don't have to deal with micro USB for the next five years, micro USB is horrible.

[mux]

What's wrong with µUSB? It's mechanically very well-designed, it's awesomely compatible with everything, handles power just fine, you can mix&match brands without issue... I mean, if we're comparing all this to Apple's 30-pin and thunderbolt: micro-usb is just objectively better except maybe for design aesthetic? Which I still find very questionable in regards to the 30-pin.

The biggest issue I can see is that micro-usb is an open market, so you're bound to have bad examples here and there. But overall.... pretty good.

[BradC]

What's wrong with µUSB? It's mechanically very well-designed, it's awesomely compatible with everything, handles power just fine, you can mix&match brands without issue..

Which is all well and good if all you ever want is USB and low power...

[BradC]

So you are forced to install some of the worst crapware ever written, just to transfer a few files? Even if you can do it wirelessly after the the first time, you still need iTunes to actually copy the files and you still need to plug in just to charge your device.

No, not really. There are alternatives on a number of operating systems.

[PeterFW]

Which is all well and good if all you ever want is USB and low power...

The connector is designed for USB, the next best i could find is rated a 1,8A.
Why would you ever want to use a connector that is designed to transmit USB signal for something different.
Even at 1A current, nearly all devices designed to use this connector will charge in a acceptable time.

The µUSB connector is just fine, you seem to have some irrational hate towards it...

[suicidaleggroll]

What's wrong with µUSB? It's mechanically very well-designed, it's awesomely compatible with everything, handles power just fine, you can mix&match brands without issue...

Adoption has nothing to do with whether or not it's a good connector, so compatibility with various brands is irrelevant.  I'm talking about the connector itself, it's shit.  Orientation is difficult to figure out (try doing it in the dark), the sharp corners means you can't connect it unless the alignment is perfect, and after ~100 mating cycles the retention is gone and you need to replace the cable.  That's pathetic.  I despise using µUSB on my devices that require it, and would happily pay 5x the price to get a connector with none of those problems, which it just so happens the Lightning connector is exactly that.

[Balaur]

Even at 1A current, nearly all devices designed to use this connector will charge in a acceptable time.

I beg to differ. My Nexus 10 has a 9Ah battery. 1A may not charge it fully overnight.

[suicidaleggroll]

Er, no... My old iPod 3rd gen doesn't charge off USB at all, only Firewire.  Then they changed to an compatible Lightning connector.

Heaven forbid they change the connector TWICE in 11 years to keep up with the times.  How many times has Samsung, Motorola, etc. changed the connector on their phones, mp3 players, etc.?

More over even different versions of the 30 pin connector were not compatible. My friend got a really expensive dock for his iPod a few years back. Then he got an iPhone, and despite the connector being the same it wouldn't work with the dock at all. The connector has analogue audio, but even that wouldn't function, let along the controls. This was a licensed, approved product from some big manufacturer (I forget which, they were a big name), not some cheap rubbish, and less than a year old.

I can't say I've experienced the same.  All of the 3rd party accessories I purchased for my iPod 4th gen (click wheel) worked with everything up through the iPhone 4S without issue.  All of the ones that were USB-based have continued to work with the Lightning connector as well (DACs and the like).

[Monkeh]

Orientation is difficult to figure out (try doing it in the dark)

I can feel the 'up' marker..

after ~100 mating cycles the retention is gone and you need to replace the cable.  That's pathetic.

I've been using the same cables to charge my devices for four years. The phone goes on every night. Still holds well.

[PeterFW]

I beg to differ. My Nexus 10 has a 9Ah battery. 1A may not charge it fully overnight.

I can not see were this makes my statement not true, read again what i wrote...
And in addition, a Nexus 10 does not need the µUSB connector.

[Corporate666]

What's wrong with µUSB? It's mechanically very well-designed, it's awesomely compatible with everything, handles power just fine, you can mix&match brands without issue...

Adoption has nothing to do with whether or not it's a good connector, so compatibility with various brands is irrelevant.  I'm talking about the connector itself, it's shit.  Orientation is difficult to figure out (try doing it in the dark), the sharp corners means you can't connect it unless the alignment is perfect, and after ~100 mating cycles the retention is gone and you need to replace the cable.  That's pathetic.  I despise using µUSB on my devices that require it, and would happily pay 5x the price to get a connector with none of those problems, which it just so happens the Lightning connector is exactly that.

I agree that the orientation of micro/mini/standard USB is a pain in the pass, but the idea that with micro you get 100 cycles before the retention is gone?  That's just nonsense.  My Galaxy phone uses a micro connector and I plug it in at least twice a day (at night and at work) and have since I got it in September of 2012 and it locks perfectly fine.  And many times I've picked up the phone while it's connected and forgotten and wrenched on the cable, or had it fall off the desk or nightstand onto the wood floor.

The newest implementation of USB has a orientation free connector - IIRC.  That's really the only problem with the connector now I'd say... should have been orientation neutral from the get-go.  An example of engineers being out of touch with what the market wants and doing what is "technically better".

[suicidaleggroll]

the idea that with micro you get 100 cycles before the retention is gone?  That's just nonsense.

That's been my experience.  6 months to a year of daily or semi-weekly use and the retention is down significantly, to the point where the cable falls out if I bump the device with my elbow and move it an inch while it's charging.

Orientation-free would be a huge improvement.  Add to that some rounded corners and edges so that it aligns itself like a funnel when you go to plug it in, rather than catching and refusing to mate, and it won't be so terrible.

[Monkeh]

the idea that with micro you get 100 cycles before the retention is gone?  That's just nonsense.

That's been my experience.  6 months to a year of daily or semi-weekly use and the retention is down significantly, to the point where the cable falls out if I bump the device with my elbow and move it an inch while it's charging.

Two years of daily use, still solid. Odd.

Perhaps you should buy well built devices?

[PeterFW]

Two years of daily use, still solid. Odd.

Perhaps you should buy well built devices?

The cable sold with my phone "broke" after 3,5 years of daily use.
Thats well over 1260 cycles...

[Corporate666]

the idea that with micro you get 100 cycles before the retention is gone?  That's just nonsense.

That's been my experience.  6 months to a year of daily or semi-weekly use and the retention is down significantly, to the point where the cable falls out if I bump the device with my elbow and move it an inch while it's charging.

Orientation-free would be a huge improvement.  Add to that some rounded corners and edges so that it aligns itself like a funnel when you go to plug it in, rather than catching and refusing to mate, and it won't be so terrible.

I agree that orientation free is a big step forward.. I'm not sure if you've seen the latest USB-C connector?

http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/09/reversible-tiny-faster-hands-on-with-the-usb-type-c-plug/

Not sure when it will start showing up in the wild.  One thing is clear... love or hate Apple, they don't often do really stupid things in terms of usability like many others do.  I don't know who didn't think "orientation free would be better" when they were coming up with micro USB.  It's not like every person ever in the world hadn't dealt with some level of frustration at the polarity needs of type-A and type-B. 

On the 100 cycles thing... I'd guess it was a shitty cable.  I have the original cable from my phone at home and got one of the Amazon branded ones for work... both have hundreds if not >1000 cycles on them and click and hold nicely.

[miguelvp]

Blackberry Bold 9900 from 2011, plug it everyday at least once and the connector and original cable lock just fine. I also hook it to my PC at least once or twice a week to transfer data with the same data cable I use to charge it.

[BradC]

[
The µUSB connector is just fine, you seem to have some irrational hate towards it...

Pardon? I _never_ said a bad word against the µUSB connector. I simply pointed out that the connectors people are moaning about (the Apple 30 pin and the new Lightning) are not just there to be arbitrarily different or complex, but they are used for far more than just power and usb. If you only want low power and/or usb then the USB standard connectors are fine. 2.1A into the USB connector is pushing the friendship, and I've yet to see one do component video or HDMI.

I think you best check who you're replying to before launching off like that.

[mux]

What's wrong with µUSB? It's mechanically very well-designed, it's awesomely compatible with everything, handles power just fine, you can mix&match brands without issue...

Adoption has nothing to do with whether or not it's a good connector, so compatibility with various brands is irrelevant.  I'm talking about the connector itself, it's shit.  Orientation is difficult to figure out (try doing it in the dark), the sharp corners means you can't connect it unless the alignment is perfect, and after ~100 mating cycles the retention is gone and you need to replace the cable.  That's pathetic.  I despise using µUSB on my devices that require it, and would happily pay 5x the price to get a connector with none of those problems, which it just so happens the Lightning connector is exactly that.

I'm not saying adoption proves the well-designedness, I'm flat out saying the engineering on it is very good. I don't recognize your problems with it at all, even orientation is no problem for me with any of my devices. A good quality connector (on most reasonable brand mobile hardware) will last a lifetime. I'm designing all my own products with µUSB and have had much fewer problems on the technical side as well. This is definitely a step up from basically all combined power/data connectors of the past.

That being said, USB 3.x micro-C will improve on the orientation as well as power delivery issues.

Every small connector, including custom jobs like Apple's connectors, will have issues in some way or another. Cheap knockoffs will have looser tolerances, bad board design will cause connectors to rip off, badly designed cables will twist and break. The fact that Apple's products are generally at least midrange in build quality doesn't mean fundamentally that their connector design is better, only that their manufacturing tolerances are up to spec.

[GreyWoolfe]

The community here should have a contest of which technologies they can repackage and sell.

The trouble with that, is that the application they've come up with is exactly what the product was for in the first place. I might just as well repackage and sell a pencil as a device for writing shopping lists; it would be no more or less original.

And I can repackage bamboo skewers made for Shish Kabobs as non conducting circuit tracing tools.  Skycraft here in central FL sells the same thing for quite a bit cheaper.  I have some here that I insulate long phillips screwdrivers with.  I don't use them on mains power, low voltage DC only.

[janoc]

Two years of daily use, still solid. Odd.

Perhaps you should buy well built devices?

You mean like the Asus built Google Nexus 7 tablet I have? The cable is literally falling out of the connector with a slightest movement, using the original cable that shipped with it 2 years ago. Pretty much 6 months and the connectors were worn out and the device was getting only light use, spending most of its time plugged in charging.

My HTC Desire HD phone had the same problem after a few months too. Changing cable helps only for a short while, until the retention latches wear out and/or the connector in the phone stretches/bends even more from the constant use.

It is a mechanically piss-poor weakly designed connector, period. Add to that the usual gripes about how difficult is it to insert the cable in it, especially in the dark or where you cannot see it well. I have never had a mini USB or a standard sized USB connector wear out, but with micro USB it is starting to look like a planned obsolescence already.

[Monkeh]

Two years of daily use, still solid. Odd.

Perhaps you should buy well built devices?

You mean like the Asus built Google Nexus 7 tablet I have? The cable is literally falling out of the connector with a slightest movement, using the original cable that shipped with it 2 years ago. Pretty much 6 months and the connectors were worn out and the device was getting only light use, spending most of its time plugged in charging.

My HTC Desire HD phone had the same problem after a few months too. Changing cable helps only for a short while, until the retention latches wear out and/or the connector in the phone stretches/bends even more from the constant use.

It is a mechanically piss-poor weakly designed connector, period. Add to that the usual gripes about how difficult is it to insert the cable in it, especially in the dark or where you cannot see it well. I have never had a mini USB or a standard sized USB connector wear out, but with micro USB it is starting to look like a planned obsolescence already.

Asus are not a high end brand, no matter their marketing, and HTC fell out of favour, wonder why.

Multiple Samsung phones down the road, many years of abuse.. tight USB sockets still.

[tom66]

I have had both a Samsung Galaxy S2 and S4 with USB problems. The S2 required the port to be cleaned every 2-3 months or it would go into Car Mode occasionally (I'm guessing it's sensing some resistance between lines.) The S4 refused to sync or charge properly unless the cable was bent inwards, so I sent that one back.