4 ms·

I do not buy electronics on amazon for this very reason.

reaperducer 7y ago
I do not buy electronics on amazon for this very reason. Ditto. Further, I do not buy lightning cables or iPhone chargers from anywhere but an Apple Store. This has been a good idea for years, even before this, when HN was all aflutter about fake chargers frying phones, or with embedded computers that tried to hack your phone.
- judge2020 7y ago
  Bought some a few months ago and my issue is the price premium. $20 for a 1 meter long lightning cable feels like highway robbery but I've never had an issue with them failing so it's worth it.
  - lisper 7y ago
    Think of it as $1 for the cable and $19 for the provenance guarantee.
- 4ntonius8lock 7y ago
  I've always used premium power cables just because of the possibility of shorts from cheap cables. I wonder what HN thinks of Anker cables? I've always loved them because they are rugged and well made. Though I know they are a Chinese company...
  - hiharryhere 7y ago
    I bought a pack of three Anker lightning cables because of the praise they got here on HN. Unfortunately all three weakened near the connector within a few months to the point where they only intermittently charge. Really disappointing.
    - 4ntonius8lock 7y ago
      Did... you buy on amazon? (shudders) I'd venture to say those aren't real Ankers. The ones I have are built like tanks. I personally abuse some of my lightning cables, pulling on them, stuffing in bags in a rush, etc. They've lasted years and look new. Note: I do buy the ones that come with nylon, not sure if that makes a difference.
- filoleg 7y ago
  They are overpriced, but Apple cables have never failed me where others have, so for the peace of mind it is really worth it to me. A couple of anecdotes below. A few months ago, I had a stock Lenovo laptop charger failing. I thought something was up with the physical port on the laptop, because the power button was blinking when I was plugging it in, but even after an hour of being plugged in, it still refused to turn on. As a last ditch attempt I tried my work-provided MBP cable, and it turned on after a minute. However, since it was a work laptop and not a personal one, it could've been that whoever used the laptop before abused the cable endlessly, so I attributed it to that. Most recently, it happened with a personal device of mine, Oculus Quest. After a month of use, it refused to charge at all using the provided cable. I tried plugging it in a bajillion different ways, nothing worked. I thought it was a headset issue, because I used the cable very gently and only at home, and people reported that problem occurring and that resetting the headset might help. Obviously, it didn't resolve the issue in my scenario. Plugged it into my personal MBP cable, it started charging immediately.
buildbuildbuild 7y ago
My opinion is that the Amazon threat vector is overblown. This cable is better suited for inside attackers (friends & family) or for highly targeted attacks. Amazon reviewers would quickly notice terminal windows pop up on their screens or keystrokes happening at inopportune times, assuming a more advanced exploit isn’t used. (many of these attacks simply try to spawn a terminal window and type commands, a very noisy approach) Scary device regardless, I just think the Amazon vector is overhyped. If you are a high value target, pay close attention to your supply chain and how you receive packages.
- okmokmz 7y ago
  >Amazon reviewers would quickly notice terminal windows pop up on their screens or keystrokes happening at inopportune times Back in the day sure, but with the way amazon works now I don't think this would be the case. I stopped purchasing items from amazon because one of the things they do is lump "like" or "same" items and reviews together, the only problem is sometimes the items are actually completely different. I've bough electronics, components, cables, and other items from amazon before and then received a similar item but from a completely different brand, manufacturer, seller, etc. When I went back to look at reviews they are all lumped under one page of amazon so you can't get details about a particular product. You can order a cable on a page that's called "apple lightning cable" with reviews for legitimate products but then receive a cheap lightning cable from china with no way to leave a review for that particular product. One way I've found of identifying pages like this is by examining pictures that people upload in reviews, and many times you'll find a variety of products being reviewed/received.

I do not buy electronics on amazon for this very reason. Ditto. Further, I do not buy lightning cables or iPhone chargers from anywhere but an Apple Store. This has been a good idea for years, even before this, when HN was all aflutter about fake chargers frying phones, or with embedded computers that tried to hack your phone.

judge2020 7y ago
Bought some a few months ago and my issue is the price premium. $20 for a 1 meter long lightning cable feels like highway robbery but I've never had an issue with them failing so it's worth it.
- lisper 7y ago
  Think of it as $1 for the cable and $19 for the provenance guarantee.
4ntonius8lock 7y ago
I've always used premium power cables just because of the possibility of shorts from cheap cables. I wonder what HN thinks of Anker cables? I've always loved them because they are rugged and well made. Though I know they are a Chinese company...
- hiharryhere 7y ago
  I bought a pack of three Anker lightning cables because of the praise they got here on HN. Unfortunately all three weakened near the connector within a few months to the point where they only intermittently charge. Really disappointing.
  - 4ntonius8lock 7y ago
    Did... you buy on amazon? (shudders) I'd venture to say those aren't real Ankers. The ones I have are built like tanks. I personally abuse some of my lightning cables, pulling on them, stuffing in bags in a rush, etc. They've lasted years and look new. Note: I do buy the ones that come with nylon, not sure if that makes a difference.
filoleg 7y ago
They are overpriced, but Apple cables have never failed me where others have, so for the peace of mind it is really worth it to me. A couple of anecdotes below. A few months ago, I had a stock Lenovo laptop charger failing. I thought something was up with the physical port on the laptop, because the power button was blinking when I was plugging it in, but even after an hour of being plugged in, it still refused to turn on. As a last ditch attempt I tried my work-provided MBP cable, and it turned on after a minute. However, since it was a work laptop and not a personal one, it could've been that whoever used the laptop before abused the cable endlessly, so I attributed it to that. Most recently, it happened with a personal device of mine, Oculus Quest. After a month of use, it refused to charge at all using the provided cable. I tried plugging it in a bajillion different ways, nothing worked. I thought it was a headset issue, because I used the cable very gently and only at home, and people reported that problem occurring and that resetting the headset might help. Obviously, it didn't resolve the issue in my scenario. Plugged it into my personal MBP cable, it started charging immediately.

buildbuildbuild 7y ago

My opinion is that the Amazon threat vector is overblown. This cable is better suited for inside attackers (friends & family) or for highly targeted attacks. Amazon reviewers would quickly notice terminal windows pop up on their screens or keystrokes happening at inopportune times, assuming a more advanced exploit isn’t used. (many of these attacks simply try to spawn a terminal window and type commands, a very noisy approach) Scary device regardless, I just think the Amazon vector is overhyped. If you are a high value target, pay close attention to your supply chain and how you receive packages.

okmokmz 7y ago
>Amazon reviewers would quickly notice terminal windows pop up on their screens or keystrokes happening at inopportune times Back in the day sure, but with the way amazon works now I don't think this would be the case. I stopped purchasing items from amazon because one of the things they do is lump "like" or "same" items and reviews together, the only problem is sometimes the items are actually completely different. I've bough electronics, components, cables, and other items from amazon before and then received a similar item but from a completely different brand, manufacturer, seller, etc. When I went back to look at reviews they are all lumped under one page of amazon so you can't get details about a particular product. You can order a cable on a page that's called "apple lightning cable" with reviews for legitimate products but then receive a cheap lightning cable from china with no way to leave a review for that particular product. One way I've found of identifying pages like this is by examining pictures that people upload in reviews, and many times you'll find a variety of products being reviewed/received.