I need a cable longer than the cable that came with both devices. I first got my iPhone right before I went on tour in Europe in January of 2013. I used it more or less as a still/video camera while I was there, and I would use it with the wifi in hotels so I could use Skype to call home. When driving with my band from city to city I would take a lot of photos, but the battery life was so poor, even in Airplane mode, that I would have to keep it plugged in on a long ride. The short 3" cable made using the phone to photograph very difficult. Also, while travelling, I often had to leave my phone on the floor to charge because it would not reach any table in the hotel with the chord being so short.
The same is true for my iPad, which I purchased in Germany on that same tour. After market cables from reputable companies used to work....until the IOS 7 updates. As a long-time musician, producer, and guitarist, I am very careful with cables, and I also look for quality. It is not about how cheap a cable is, because I would gladly pay $100 for something that is high quality and that also suits my needs. I look at it in the same way as I do a guitar cable.
Apple cables in general are not the most sturdy. I have had to replace the cable on my Macbook Pro because they wear at the end of the connector...much in the same way the cables for the iPhone/iPad wear out right before the lightening connector no matter how careful you are not to bend them there, or put any stress on them when you position the device on a table. This is less so with my Macbook Air, which with the new design of the cables seems to work much better and last much longer.
Both the iPhone and the iPad should have cables as long as those that are offered for computers, especially the iPad, because it is used like a laptop. The iPad cable is about 39" long, while my Macbook Air cable is about 67".
The Belkin cable which I purchased, is 4' long. It was not cheap, and it is very well-made. All of the cables I purchased before the IOS 7 update are now useless, but this one worked well...until the IOS 8.1.1 update. I began to receive messages that the cable may not be supported when I installed the first IOS 8 update, but the problem worsened with the IOS 8.1.1 update. The cable charges, but I have ro continually unplug it and then plug it back in for it to work. So...overnight, the device may not charge at all. This means that the devil is in the updates, so to speak, and the device is being programmed to reject the cable.
I understand that there is some sort of chip in the lightening connector, and what I suppose is that the cheaper uncertified cables do not work because they have not paid Apple to use this technology. However, from what I can ascertain, the cables produced by Belkin are certified. Belkin is not a fly-by-night company. They certainly can pay Apple for use of this technology, and they have a solid reputation. I think that the answer is plain and simple: Apple wants you to buy their cables, and it makes a cheap cable that does not last long so that you will have to replace them, and when you do, it will have to come from them. You fork out a lot of cash for these devices, but they stick you with lousy cables and few options. Somehow, I think that Steve Jobs would be rolling in his grave.
