The plug can be inserted into the interface regardless of the front and back sides. Therefore, the original lightning data cable of iPhone 6 and iPad is very convenient to use. However, the data cable is easy to break, and the rubber near the plug is often cracked and the metal inside is exposed.
In fact, this cable damage is covered by Apple's warranty and can be replaced free of charge within a year from the date of purchase. For those of you who bought it on the iPhone 6 launch date, a year will soon come and the warranty period will soon come. The following describes the actual experience of the author, replacing the iPhone data line process.
Replacement method
First of all, please confirm whether it is within one year from the date of purchase. You can confirm the warranty period by entering IMEI (identification code) on Apple's homepage. The back of the iPhone is marked with IMEI, but the text is too small to read clearly. It is recommended to confirm according to the order of "Settings", "default" and "information" in the menu.
To confirm that you are within the warranty period, you can call Apple customer service and technical support hotline (0120-277-535). After the automatic voice response, the manual service can be connected. The time of manual service is 9:00-19:00 from Monday to Friday, and 9:00-17:00 on Saturday and Sunday.
In the past, as long as the data line was broken, the customer service would immediately propose a free replacement, but now if you don't take the initiative, there are also cases where the other party will not mention the free replacement. In this case, you can tell the customer service that "lightning data cable is broken, please replace the warranty for free". The other party will ask IMEI or email address, and then send an email soon.
After hanging up, click on the website in the email and enter the address and credit card information. Open the website, it looks like the page of purchasing data line, but it is actually a warranty program, so you can rest assured. The purpose of entering credit card information is to pay for replacement if it is not covered by the warranty.
In a few days, the express will send a new data line, and the damaged data line can be exchanged.
User dissatisfaction
The free replacement of data line is indeed a high-quality service that makes people sigh "worthy of Apple company", but some users express their dissatisfaction.
1. The cable is out of warranty when it's broken
Some users reported that the customer service explained on the phone that "if the rubber is cracked and the metal is exposed, you need to pay for replacement.". It's puzzling, "isn't it because it's cracked that we have to replace it?"? In addition, there is also a statement that "as long as apple judges that it is out of warranty, it will directly deduct fees from the credit card without the user's consent", which gives people an impression of being bossy.
2. The lack of durability has not improved
Since the era of wide 30 pin dock connector, the specification before lightning cable, apple data cable has been criticized for being easy to be damaged. When it comes to Apple products, its selling point should be to keep improving its quality. It's a pity that it has not been durable but has not improved its quality.
3. The price is too high
The price of the genuine lightning data line is 2310 yen (about 123 yuan) after tax. In contrast, the price of USB cable for Android products from large manufacturers is around 250 yen (about RMB 13). Lightning cable costs nearly ten times as much. There are also critical voices such as "ensuring profits with Apple's proprietary specifications and durability.".
Apply for replacement as soon as possible
The iPhone 6 will be available on September 19, 2014. The warranty period will come soon after the sale. It is recommended to confirm whether it can be replaced for free as soon as possible.
By the way, about the iPhone 6S, which will be on sale on September 9, there has been news about the universal USB 3.1 type-C with both front and back plug-in interfaces. However, there is no follow-up report. Hope to be able to not change a terminal to change a different data line, can only hope so.