@crashglasshouses I honestly don't believe the reason for this specific issue is planned obsolescence. I think it is about apple's insistence to use materials that feel "soft", their cables do feel different and I think that matters more to apple then their stability. If they had designed the cables to "die" after a certain time I think they would do that in a more intentional way. The connectors themselves are better made then most usb connectors from other products I have.