[eternityforest]

Apple has beautiful squircle curves the rest of us can't have unless we want expensive CAD tools and extra JS files, but they also have plenty of sharp transitions. Look at their cables, that have no strain relief, being a bad influence on every other cable for a decade.

It's basically just Bauhaus design but with a few nice soft features, it's gonna be a bit uncomfortable, it's gonna be expensive, it might compromise functionality, all to create a sense of precision, authenticity, and high-endness.

[crazygringo]

What are you talking about, every Apple USB and Lightning cable I've ever had has had strain relief on both ends.

There's the main plug in a plastic housing, and then there's an extra-thick rubber part about a centimeter long which is the strain relief wrapped around the cable, and then the rest of the cable itself. Clearly visible in any product photograph close-up.

[pja]

Yes & it doesn’t work very well. Or at least it didn‘t,

Apple has been notorious for sacrificing good strain relief on their cables in pursuit of aesthetics for years. Possibly things have improved now that Ive has left, but there was a period a few years ago when everyone I knew with a Macbook had wrapped the power cable in electrical tape because the cable housing had failed just above the (useless) strain relief sleeve you describe.

[Gigachad]

I think it was less the strain relief and more the rubber they used. It would go gummy and fall apart after a few years. I absolutely remember around 2013 everyones MacBook charger would fail like this.

But they have changed the design a lot since then so I no longer think this is an issue. The brick is now usb c so you can swap the cable without needing an expensive brick, and the MagSafe cables they now include are braided instead of rubber.

[newaccount74]

The USB-C charging cable from the 2020 M1 Macbook still has the issue of straining just after the strain relief. It's not a good cable. The only good thing about it is that is a standard cable and you can replace it with a more reliable one.

Whether the cables with the braided sleeve are better is something that remains to be seen.

[dutchCourage]

I had the same with my previous MBP, I had the machine for ten years and had to purchase two new power bricks along the way. Thankfully the new cables are nicely braided and replaceable without buying an entire new brick.

[Waterluvian]

My apple cables are consistently the first to wear out. I must be using them wrong.

[dividedbyzero]

It's always weird to read things like that because I definitely mistreat my cables, and I've had lots die, but my Apple ones hold up very well. I have just one Lighthing cable that recently broke and that one was from 2013 IIRC so I guess that's ok. Everything else seems to hold up about as well as expensive Anker cables, if not better, including Macbook chargers going back to 2005 or so. I'm in the EU though, maybe the cables I get are different in some way?

[rumori]

All my Apple cables have fallen apart, granted it took them 3-5 years, but still. Never had so many issues with any other brand. And it’s something I see with everybody I know. I’m in central Europe.

[jsjohnst]

> It's always weird to read things like that because I definitely mistreat my cables, and I've had lots die, but my Apple ones hold up very well.

Just wanted to say, you aren’t alone. I don’t do anything special with mine, I’m sure I mistreat them as much as the next person, but like never have the kind of damage I’ve seen others have or complain about.

[ip26]

Different folks mistreat in different ways. I’m struck by the number of people who will yank their laptop to move the power brick, for example, which is of course the worst case scenario for cable strain relief and leads to premature socket failure in the laptop.

[kalleboo]

I wonder if temperature is a factor and heat degrades the plastic in Apple's cables faster. I live in Asia where summers are hot and humid, and on the Intel MacBooks my MagSafe plug would always be super hot due to the high power draw when working. Once your cable gets a kink and slight damage, the resistance increases and it gets even warmer and you end up in a cable death spiral.

[gruez]

On the other hand all my cables are just fine, apple cables included. It's probably not due to lack of use; I use them nearly every day for years now.

[kalleboo]

They used to have a more flexible strain relief https://i.imgur.com/yAywo.jpg

Over time their strain relief has gotten shorter or longer https://cdn0.tnwcdn.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2012/03...

So a lot of people's memories about Apple's strain relief may come from one of their darker periods when they were super short, stiff and useless.

In my personal experience their previous laptop MagSafe had absolutely useless strain relief and mine would always start going bad within 6-12 months. https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/13878908/2...

The current braided MagSafe cables actually have zero visible strain relief but seem like they're simply stronger, mine has held up well so far.

[seltzered_]

Every Apple Lightning cable I own has a tear around the cable housing just outside of the strain relief.

There's guides on how to workaround it using things like Sugru or tape, but still frustrating.

[eternityforest]

Ok, maybe I should have said very minimal and near ineffective strain relief. A cheap braided USB-C generally has 2 or 3 times the length and thickness.