I browsed Amazon for weeks teetering between about 3 different sellers for my replacement dock cables for charging/syncing my iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, and 160Gig iPod Classic. I found these cables to be the least expensive of the ones with predominately "good" reviews. There were a few people who said they got the "real thing" when they ordered the cables as "OEM Apple cables", a few people who said the cables were good but not "OEM Apple" quality, and finally there were a few who said to "stay away from these cables" because they tore up easily. I figured I'd chance it and order them. I am VERY PLEASED that I did. I ordered the cables 3/29/11 and was given a forecasted delivery date of 4/4 to 4/7/11. I received the cables today (4/1/11). VERY SPEEDY SHIPPING!!!! The cables were sent via USPS in a small brown envelope that was coated inside with bubble wrap. The cables were coiled up, much as anyone would coil a dock connector cable for storage with plastic wraps that were similar to the style wraps for the cables that come with all new Apple products. I was curious but kind of dreading opening the package because I just knew these cables would not fit my iPhone 4 with the bumper like just nearly every other "after market" cable I've seen. I was PLEASANTLY SURPRISED when I saw the design of these cables. They are as close to being "OEM Apple" cables as I've ever seen without actually being "Apple cables". They fit snugly in all of my iDevices, charge the 4, 3GS, and Classic with NO ISSUES. I tested the sync speed of the cable and found it rivals the speed of the newest "Apple cable" that was included with my iPhone 4 purchase back in July 2010. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THESE CABLES!!!! If you're an iPhone 4 owner who uses a bumper, GET THESE CABLES!!! THEY WORK!!! I've also taken "comparison" pictures and posted them to the "user pictures" on this item's display. Hope my review is helpful and thanks to everyone who writes these reviews and to everyone who reads them. Together we can help each other make sure we get what we pay for!
Brandon (Shreveport, LA)
***(More to come on their durability after I've used them a couple of months)*** OEM Apple iPhone iPod Dock Connector USB Charging Cable
I compared the cable I received with my original iPhone 4 and 3 cables. I cannot tell any differences other than a slightly different feel of the rubber/plastic material along the cable length, which by the way also differs between my genuine Apple iphone 4 and 3 cables. Another reviewer posted pictures on Amazon in which the cable in question appeared to have a slightly wider or larger connectors, but mine are identical in size, and appearance.
I am very happy with this purchase and will purchase several more.
ADDENDUM April 20, 2011
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After my initial great experience with the cable (that I ordered from Amazon's merchant Cellular 5 Star), I ordered 3 more cables, and did not realize that the "default" merchant had changed to Importer520. I just received these 3 cables and they look similar to genuine Apple cables at quick glance, but on closer inspection, they all had surface blemishes and slight irregularities. They also had a suspicious looking "Designed by Apple in California Assembled in China" stamped on the cable length.
The cable from Cellular 5 Star was of very good quality that I could NOT distinguish from genuine Apple cables, but the ones from Importer520 are inferior.
I have contacted Importer520 to see if I can get a refund, but their stated return policy states that they will not refund shipping costs, which when I ordered was almost all the purchase price.
Got the charger in the mail today and I was afraid that I was going to get a ripped off wannabe real cord. Most people say that it is the authentic cord but it really isn't. This one is basically the OEM Apple cord, though in the picture it shows that the usb part of the cord is round, the cord I received in the mail was square, possibly like the old ones but it's the real thing. It does the job, charges my ipod touch just fine, and it isn't a rip off, well worth the money!
This is a knock-off that looks very similar to the real Apple USB Charging cable. However, it is just a fake. The cord itself is a shade thinner than the current Apple USB cable and the quality of the coating on the wire is cheap. If you look at it side by side with a genuine cable you can tell that the plastic is also of much cheaper quality. If you need just an extra charging cord this is not a bad solution but it doesn't do the job any better than some cheaper knock-offs. However, it does look very similar to the genuine product, so if you really care about how it looks you can pay a little more for this one.
I already had many cheap knock-offs and wanted a genuine cable which would not ruin my iPhone/ iPad 2 with repeated usage, so I sent this one back for a refund. Return was free through Amazon as the cable really wasn't the genuine product as per the description. - Sync Cables - Iphone - Usb'
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