Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2018/09/07/i-just-burnt-an-hour-looking-f.html
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There’s about a 1000 listed on Amazon, what took an hour? Is there more to this post than a referral link to Amazon?
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You don’t have any friends who save stuff like that in their junk boxes? I’m sure I’ve got one or two in my closet. In fact, I see I have one on my shelf here at the office.
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Well, does there need to be? Site needs income, people need cables, it’s all good.
Around here they have really low quality versions of those cables at the dollar store (cannot recommend!) and reasonably good ones at Walgreen’s pharmacy (higher priced than Jason’s Amazon ones).
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My granddaughter uses my old iPad2 for her youtube and simple apps. It only took a few seconds to find a cord when I needed one earlier this year. Not sure how you were searching?
Also, I went with the Amazon Basics one, which was priced well and comes with a nice guarantee against breakage from Amazon.
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I found my old Pod. I found an old cable. I plugged it up and “charged” it.
Yeah… nothing good came of such things.
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Something I’ve always wondered - why did the iPad/Pod connectors need 30 pins when they just ended up merging down to the 4 pins in USB (Vcc, ground, data+, data-)? Why (other than good old-fashioned proprietary greed) couldn’t these devices just use a standard USB?
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Try a Dollar Store type place. That’s where old tech ends up.
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Well, the 30-pin connectors originally supported firewire. But now they support USB 3.0, audio, and displayport video. Plus a few pins for high-current charging.
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As has been pointed out here previously, replacement cables are kind of a crapshoot. You never know if the cable manufacturer cheaped out on QC, and even reputable places can get burned by having their supply stream polluted with junkware.
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Is it a testimony to Apple that the actual electronics device has outlasted several inert cables or the fact their inert cables are pieces of crap. A USB cable should last many years, unless damaged.
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That iPad 2 remains a super useful device.
I also spent a good 90 minutes replacing the battery on my Mid-2011 MacBook Air today. It was lasting me less than 75min when trying to get out of the house and write. I dunno why but I love that machine more than any other laptop I’ve had. I refuse to let it go. I keep a 13" MBP Retina on my desk, but when I leave the house I always want to carry the tiny, light guy that runs a full version of OS X.
Until I unplugged and shoved the old MacPro 8Core into a corner, I’d plug the Firewire iPod into it to charge, too.
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Sheesh. The things some people blog about. Where was it? Under the couch I bet.
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My cable and junk box is now empty of these old cables. While @pesco lives geographically closest to me of any pal – even he will not drive the 6 miles of twisties to bring me an iPad cable.
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I’ve heard the argument from people invested in Apple technology that “Boo hoo hoo they’re always changing their cables! It’s just awful! I’m going to rage quit Apple!”
But truth be told: the 30-pin connector lasted 11 years in the market (edit: and even then, continues to remain an item you can buy at stores and online!). The USB to 30 pin cabling I had from my iPod days was compatible with my iPhone 10 years later.
Compare and contrast with every cellphone I had ever owned prior to buying an iPhone – each had its own weird proprietary multi-pin scheme with its own weird USB compatibility solution. Even among vendors – every Nokia phone back then was different and incompatible. Non Apple phones have finally settled on either the mini or micro USB jack format, but it took them awhile.
We needed an old-style cable recently for my wife’s iPad. We found one for an okay price at Best Buy, and I was surprised they had them.
I don’t see how we couldn’t find a single cable in the house though. At one point we had five Apple devices that used them, plus some spares.
I’m wondering if Apple hasn’t preinstalled nanobots in their cables that activate and make the cables crawl away after a certain number of years.
What I did recently discover is that my iPad Air, that uses the lightning cable, can no longer be charged through my iMac unless I upgrade the iOS on the iPad. I don’t want to upgrade it, Apple. I have apps that will stop working if I do. Remember? That thing you did?
Now when I try to connect it to charge a message keeps popping up on my iMac telling me it can’t connect unless I update the iOS, and the iPad says “Not Charging”.
Apple is one of the most passive aggressive companies I’ve ever owned products from.
I guess I should be grateful they don’t automatically update their OS regardless of what I might be doing or how inconvenient it may be at that time like another OS I could mention.
Still, take “no” for an answer, would you Apple? Don’t make me choose “Later.” Later is not when I plan on doing it. Never is.
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THIS!
AND THIS!
(I have only one like to give.)
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Oh that’s right, iPods were firewire only until the 4th gen, but then dropped support around when the iPod touch came out.
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One or two friends in your closet?
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What are you suggesting? That they still be using FireWire on today’s iDevices?
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