Why does Apple describe the quality problem of data cable as an environmental protection problem?

Throughout the technology industry, Apple is one of the few companies that can give consideration to product design, quality and environmental protection. However, when a product wants to balance these three factors well, there are bound to be some compromises. For example, the original data cable of iPhone is a good example. Its design is simple and beautiful, far exceeding most Android data cables in aesthetics, but there may be some problems in durability.

To know the cause of the damage, we must first understand its internal structure. IPhone data cable is divided into aluminum foil shielding layer, metal shielding layer, national standard four-color wire and strong tensile protection wire. The national standard four-color line is naturally used for charging and transmitting data; The aluminum foil shielding layer plays an insulating role, which ensures the safety of iPhone when charging. As the name implies, the strong tensile protection line is to increase the tensile strength of the data line; In addition, Apple added a layer of metal mesh around the wire, which further strengthened the toughness of the data cable.

The key point is this layer of metal mesh, which will wrap the whole data line until the rubber ring is protected. However, because the four wires are welded at different positions of the data line interface, the metal mesh can no longer wrap the wires after they are separated. Therefore, the joint position has become the most "fragile" place of the data cable. If we often pull the wire when plugging and unplugging the data cable, the joint position is prone to bulge or even break.

Generally speaking, the most easily damaged part of the data cable and earphone cable of most digital products is the joint position, because it is easy to bend. In order to solve this problem, most manufacturers will adopt some stress-relieving designs, such as cone-shaped or seven-bend and eight-winding groove design at the joint, which can well disperse the stress at the joint. In order to pursue a minimalist design, Apple adopted a protective rubber ring design at the joint. Although it looks beautiful, it can't disperse the pressure well, so too much joint bending is prone to skin explosion.

In addition, an important reason why the iPhone data cable is not durable is the material problem. For environmental reasons, Apple uses halogen-free TPE cable on the data cable. Compared with PVC wire with high versatility, TPE raw materials are safe and non-toxic, and will not cause irritation to human skin, which has obvious advantages in safety and environmental protection. But TPE wire is very light and soft, so it can't be compared with PVC wire in strength and durability.