iPhone Scratches Normal, Apple Lightning Cables Are Chipped

In the past few days, people have been complaining about iPhone 5 scratches all over the web. While it is true that the new iPhone is more susceptible to scratches, it is not something that Apple will recall the device for (unlike what some experts have suggested). In fact, Apple’s Senior Marketing VP Phil Schiller has responded to complaints about this issue:

Any aluminum product may scratch or chip with use, exposing its natural silver color… That is normal.

Mr. Schiller made this comment in response to an e-mail by a customer. As extreme tests have shown, the new iPhone is tougher than its previous edition in accidents. Let’s face it. We all would love to get a free iPhone 5 case from Apple. But that is not likely to happen at this point.

If you own an iPhone 5, you have noticed that it uses a proprietary new cable. Apple does make a ton of money out of selling all these different Lightning cables. This time around, you won’t be able to rely on cheap replacement cables to save money though. The new Lightning connector has some authentication chip that prevents third-party Lightning cables from working. That means you won’t be able to use unauthorized Apple accessories with your phone. This could be all about quality control of course.

The new Lightning cable is quite user friendly. You can use it on both sides. A chip included in the iPhone 5 could allow for the Lightning port to assign pins dynamically. These cables will cost you anywhere from $19.99 to $39.99 on Apple.com. We are going to have to get used to that as cheap alternatives will most likely not work this time around.