In a nutshell buying this product is a gamble, but it worked out alright for me.First, look at most of the 5-star reviews, and then ignore them. A lot of the reviews don't seem to be written by folks who actually bought this product. Right off the bat, that's sketchy.
Second, look at the other reviews on here that say the cable fits poorly. This is true for me as well, but I don't have to force mine to the point where I'm concerned about damaging my iPhone. It's just a bit snug compared to the fit of the genuine Apple connector.
Third, look at the reviews that say this cable doesn't charge or sync at all. My cable, on the other hand, works perfectly in that regard. No matter which orientation I plug my cable in, it charges and syncs exactly as I'd expect it to. So, what this indicates is that quality control on this product is shoddy at best. Before you purchase, make sure that it will be possible to return this product if you receive a dud.
The Lightning connector on this cable looks cheap; it is NOT the same as the picture featured on the product page, which is an image of the genuine cable and not the one that you will receive in the mail. It looks like a piece of black circuit board with exposed gold contacts... not the clean, metal-encased connector on the genuine Apple cable. Look at the image I posted to the product gallery to see what I'm talking about. I'm sure this will translate to a much higher failure rate over the long term, though it doesn't feel flimsy enough that I'd be worried about snapping the connector in half accidentally or anything.
Finally when I purchased this product on Amazon, the picture of the item posted by the seller clearly indicated "2 Pc x Lightning Cable." For the price at the time of purchase ($4.99 for two cables plus $3.99 shipping), I thought it would be tough to go wrong, even considering the risk that the cable(s) wouldn't work, and in spite of the lack of reliable reviews available at the time. However, the day before shipping, the seller sent an email (written in poor English) indicating that this had been a mistake; that I would only be getting one cable. They have since updated their product images. I'm not accusing anyone of bait and switch here, but I did purchase this product under false pretenses (though in fairness, the seller did give me the opportunity to cancel the order, and I passed on that opportunity).
Would I purchase this cable again from this seller? Now that I know what I'm getting, probably. But the reviews on here (from verified Amazon purchases, this time) that say the product does not work at all would give me pause. Add to that the fact that the product featured in the seller's photo is not the product you will actually receive... you begin to suspect something fishy is going on. If an extra $10 (after shipping) is worth it to you to avoid any chance of receiving a lemon or having an otherwise sketchy shopping experience, I would certainly recommend purchasing a genuine cable from Apple. In this case, the old adage is true: you get what you pay for. And what you're paying for here is clearly an inferior product... but it gets the job done.
UPDATE: the seller recently contacted me offering $3 compensation, not for the incorrect product photos or erroneous product description, but rather in exchange for erasing this negative review. Please also note that the seller has removed the photo of the product that I posted showing that the connector is clearly different than the one shown in the vendor's own photo. This strikes me as dishonest, and is no way to conduct business. I will be reposting the photo as soon as I get a chance. I recommend you take your business to other vendors.
Like many iPhone users, I was a little annoyed with the Lightning cable, a nice new way for Apple to gouge customers. Having cables dating back to my first iPod back in 2003, I've built up a nice collection of cables... One for the office, one for the car, one for Mac Pro, one for the laptop, Apple decided to finally make a cable upgrade that offers little benefit over standards like mini or Micro USB, and isn't USB 3.0. Consider me unimpressed. This cable is a nice way to purchase another cable without having to pay Apple prices ($20-30 for a cable? Really?). It works just the same, charges just the same, and acts just the same.
Almost every negative review are from people who haven't bought the cable or complaining about price, which it appears must have dropped in price recently. It works. Buy it. Save money. It syncs. It charges.
/edit I realize being "annoyed with the Lightning cable" does require some justification: See comments for details. Other than that, weeks later, cable works fine.
Buy Generic 8-Pin Lightning to USB cable Now
I tried to save some money by not paying Apple something ridiculous like $30 a cable but unfortunately, there's no such thing as a free lightning cable. First of all, the lightning connector is not even the right size, it's slightly too thick which means you have to pretty much force it into the port and when you want to remove it you have to apply a lot of force to pull it out. This alone sketched me out in the first place because I'm worried about damaging the connections in the phone. Second of all, it just doesnt work. I tried it with a USB car charger in my car, to the apple wall adapter, to a backup batter, and to a computer. It DOES NOT WORK. I will still try to find another option besides buying from Apple but do not buy this product, its just making a donation to the scam artists who are trying to pass this off as a legitimate product. Right now I hate Amazon for making me give it one star, it deserves negative a million.Read Best Reviews of Generic 8-Pin Lightning to USB cable Here
Original entry: Every time I connect it, the phone displays a msg that charging is not allowed with this device. Spend a few more dollars for the Apple one.Added 11/7/12: I found that sometimes it charges and other times no. If I connect it in my truck to a USB adapter it will charge, connected too my iMac it will sync but not charge. Using a wall charger it will not charge. Very odd but the seller is going to replace it so I will add to this after comparing the two.
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For the Apple puristic, steer clear! If you're like me and you think buying two or three new cables for your new iPhone 5 at $20 a pop is ridiculous, these cables are just the ticket. I bought two of them and they both sync and charge on both sides of the lightning plug without any issue whatsoever. They look very Apple-like but when compared with a true OEM cable, there are some discernible differences. For starters the cable protector is made of some kind of rubbery compound as opposed to plastic and the casing for the lightning connector is longer (not wider or taller) than OEM cables. If your Apple cable can fit into your iPhone with a case on, these cables can as well. The build quality is certainly less than Apple's cables as evidenced by a couple chips on one side of lightning connector on one of the two cables I bought but it still worked fine. The lightning connector is more snug in the iPhone than Apple's cables but not alarmingly so.Excellent cables for the price!! Certainly recommended.
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