I know I've mentioned it before, but my old phone still works fine. It's the Toyota Hilux of mobile phones, reliable to the point of ridiculousness. It's seven years old, six of which it was (ab)used; I even kept it my my breast pocket in the military, no plastic bags or anything, all the time, and that includes crawling in the woods and falling on tree stumps. The bloody thing just won't die, and it can still go six or seven days on one charge if I don't use it much. It's still got the original battery, even. One of the very few electronic devices that even I couldn't break no matter what.

You can (as you said, it's USB), it's just not a great idea for two reasons: 1) The Apple charger is 10-12W, and will support a hefty current draw. It charges fast. 2) You at least know it's made with some quality control... (now I say this only with the latest news with counterfeit ones passing lethal voltages through... you can definitely get third-party ones or other branded ones that are quality products too).

I just think $19 is a decent price for something that's trustworthy.

As for the cable, 30-pin isn't an awesome design *right now* but it was great back when the iPod came out. It had audio and video outputs, Firewire charging/syncing - and didn't need to be changed when USB charging/syncing took over.

They are everywhere though. Get them at the dollar store or Monoprice.com (first-party ones are too expensive). Get a ten foot one for under $7.

Lightning is a little different... it's still superior in this application to USB 3 for a few reasons, if not cost & availability... it supports higher current for charging, is reversible, and the pins can be dynamically reassigned. That's pretty cool. Monoprice has them too for just a few bucks more.

Who are you advise to me on whether I "need' to have my iPad connected to the mains when I'm in bed ? Honestly, that is one of the most arrogant replies I have heard on the internet. Wow, what an arrogant, presumptuous little tit you are !

I WANT to use my iPad while I'm in bed - in fact I use it MOSTLY while I'm in bed - and I will continue to do so whether or not that's okay with you ! Don't give me advice on when and where I ought to using it. Where and when do you use yours ? Would I even have DREAMT of asking you such a presumptuous question, even though I am older than you (I'm guessing) ? Wow, you really are a bit a pushy little so-and-so !





Apple chargers are EXTORTIONATELY priced for what they are, but even worse than that they are CRIMINALLY FLIMSY. There needs to be a law which will protect people against this kind of exploitation : you buy a (very good) device for a certain (pretty expensive) price : that ought to be the end of it. You should not thereafter have to pay "maintenance". It should not be like running a car or maintaining a house : these are ideas which occurred later on to greedy, criminal types in the age of rampant commercialism, like flies being attracted to a piece of shit.

Um... please, I haven't advised you either way at all, it was meant as a question. It's not up to me to tell you how to use your iPad, and I apologise if it sounded that way. I merely tried to offer my own thoughts, which is how discussions usually go (in my experience).

Yikes, I think this fella doesn't want suggestions or advice, he just wants to hate on the world.

Don't be surprised if you lose some rep for that.

Oh God that really means something doesn't it ? Rep on the INTERNET : your reputation in the opinion of people who have never met you and are never likely to meet you ? Wow, I'm going to be UTTERLY GUTTED if I lose some "rep" tonight - might even have to commit suicide if I don't get enough "rep" tonight. Live on the internet !

Why did you even write that stuff ? Were you just tying to make yourself look clever ?

Rational response please : is it okay for Apple to ban all non-Apple chargers and effectively make it possible only to use Apple chargers, even though they are SHIT and TOO EXPENSIVE ?

If you think it IS okay, do you class yourself as a human being ?

How do you rationalise its being okay to sell people stuff outright and then to make them have to rent it back from them thereafter ? (Or perhaps you would use different words ?)

I am not a neo-Nazi, I am not a terrorist of any kind. I am not a Muslim either, nor am I a Christian. But how and why has almost every single person on earth been brainwashed into believing that it is "okay" to swindle people on a daily basis, as if this were just behaviour ?

I do not want this kind of thinking in my country (England).

So is it okay for Apple to :

1. Monopolise their chargers (no-one is either legally or effectively even PHYSICALLY able to oppose them) ?

Is this okay by you ?

2. Charge whatever they want to for said chargers ?
3. Make them in such a way that they are bound to need replacing after a few weeks or (at most) months ?

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