3 ms·

The Lightning connector just seems so fragile to me. I haven't broken mine yet, but I have certainly seen a lot of broken ones on displays in stores. I can't

by heywire 12y ago

The Lightning connector just seems so fragile to me. I haven't broken mine yet, but I have certainly seen a lot of broken ones on displays in stores. I can't say I've ever broken a USB connector. That said, there is something to be said for a reversible connector that doesn't require 3 rotations to plug in :)

Bud 12y ago
Fragile? It's a solid piece of metal. You really have to try, hard, to break it. It's about as durable as it's possible for something of that size and complexity to be. By contrast, for instance, the design for the connectors for most USB "SuperSpeed" drives right now is incredibly awful. Fragile (both the port and connector designs), only plugs in one way, and it's quite hard to see what way that is without giving it a close look.
astrodust 12y ago
If you work in tech support you'll see USB ports mangled beyond recognition, people force-plugging them in backwards or worse, and a horrifying number of cables that have ends that have been pinched or bent. The Lightning connector by comparison is a solid piece and would have to be smashed in half to fail.
- andmarios 12y ago
  I don't believe you can force-plug a USB connector backwards unless you use a hammer and a clamp.
  - georgemcbay 12y ago
    Depends upon the design of the receptacle, but I've seen badly designed ones where the USB cord (on the USB A side to a PC/laptop/whatever) almost fits in the wrong way, and can easily imagine someone attempting to force it in from there.
  - astrodust 12y ago
    You have no idea: http://www.reddit.com/r/techsupportgore http://www.reddit.com/r/techsupportgore
ttflee 12y ago
Fragile contrasted with USB cables, perhaps. I have used several counterfeit lightning cables from Shenzhen, some of which just failed after about a month to half a year, the reason of which I guess was mechanical stress. The genuine Apple ones are still pretty solid and work fine, though. There may be some pretty tough requirements in the process of production or the materials.

by heywire 12y ago

Bud 12y ago

Fragile? It's a solid piece of metal. You really have to try, hard, to break it. It's about as durable as it's possible for something of that size and complexity to be. By contrast, for instance, the design for the connectors for most USB "SuperSpeed" drives right now is incredibly awful. Fragile (both the port and connector designs), only plugs in one way, and it's quite hard to see what way that is without giving it a close look.

astrodust 12y ago

If you work in tech support you'll see USB ports mangled beyond recognition, people force-plugging them in backwards or worse, and a horrifying number of cables that have ends that have been pinched or bent. The Lightning connector by comparison is a solid piece and would have to be smashed in half to fail.

andmarios 12y ago
I don't believe you can force-plug a USB connector backwards unless you use a hammer and a clamp.
- georgemcbay 12y ago
  Depends upon the design of the receptacle, but I've seen badly designed ones where the USB cord (on the USB A side to a PC/laptop/whatever) almost fits in the wrong way, and can easily imagine someone attempting to force it in from there.
- astrodust 12y ago
  You have no idea: http://www.reddit.com/r/techsupportgore http://www.reddit.com/r/techsupportgore

ttflee 12y ago

Fragile contrasted with USB cables, perhaps. I have used several counterfeit lightning cables from Shenzhen, some of which just failed after about a month to half a year, the reason of which I guess was mechanical stress. The genuine Apple ones are still pretty solid and work fine, though. There may be some pretty tough requirements in the process of production or the materials.