So my new to me ipad 4 has turned up without a plug, I will be seeking a partial refund from the ebay seller but meanwhile. The lightning wire being sold on the apple site has hundreds of reviews saying it’s dire and breaks after a month. http://store.apple.com/uk/product/MD818ZM/A/lightning-to-usb-cable-1m

so what choices? ideally one from a physical store so I can pop in tomorrow and purchase. Looking at this from curries (http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing-accessories/accessories-and-bags/apple-accessories/iwantit-iln1c13x-usb-to-lightening-sync-and-charge-cable-20948671-pdt.html)

but the web is awash with tales of non genuine cables bringing the error ‘cable won’t work’ up on the ipad. And if I do go ahead and buy that wire from curries does it have to be used with a genuine apple mains plug?

any real world experiences or advice please?
ta

I have the genuine apple leads and they don’t break after a month of normal use, they are quite thing though so I could see how they would break if stretched or pulled.

I’ve had a couple of fake ones as well and apart from producing the error on the screen they’ve charged the phone fine. Both I had have been from different manufacturers and one was a quite expensive Griffin one but it still broke within two months.

I’ve swapped to just accepting that the Apple leads are the best ones to have.

My iPad Air one has been fine since Xmas. I do take care with electronics though. My iPhone 3GS still looks like new.

I have a Griffin iPhone charger and lead as a spare that floats in the bottom of my work bag. That’s been fine for 2 years.

The only downside to the apple kit is the price. It’s no more or less indestructible if you abuse it than any other make.

Zero issues with the apple leads here, apart from the price.

My 99p import one however detached itself in the port, needing a bit of plier wor to extract. Was fine for 6 months before that though.

Don’t buy really cheap cables, the Lightning connector has a chip in it, so while a cheap one might charge, it’ll probably not carry data. I’ve got a bunch of 30-pin ones, going back five or more years, most of them, and only one has the white outer split at the dock end. Been like it for several years, still in regular use. I keep meaning to put some fast-set epoxy or hot glue on it to secure it.
If you want something a bit more substantial, then get one of these: http://www.easterncollective.com/product/lighting-zombie-collective-cable/
They do a whole range, up to 6′ long, and different connectors, and they’re beautifully made, like proper old-skool radio leads.
Not cheap, but let’s face it, you’re going to want it to keep working for years, not weeks.
Thinking about it, I’ll bet part of the problem is that people just grab the wire and pull, rather than hold the actual plug and pull that, thus causing the wire inside to fracture, and the cable break away from the connector. Handled properly, they’ll last donks.