Apple patent application suggests charging cables that may not fall out so easily

Apple’s charging cables are not exactly known for their durability. They often break out after a year or two and may even break down to the point that they will not charge your device at all. (I also noticed that they can turn an increasingly sour color yellow.) But Apple seems to be working on some ideas to make its cables more durable and file a patent application for a ‘Cable with Variable Stiffness’.

The patent, first reported by AppleInsider, describes a few different ideas for a cable that would not fall out so easily. The methods give different parts of the cable different levels of stiffness, while the cable remains uniformly thick. It would also be replaced by what Apple calls the ‘strain relief sleeve’ – the tight hood you’ll get at the ends of many cables.

The pull sheath can prevent the cable from breaking due to bending, which can be useful, as cables are often bent sharply near the ends to connect them. The thing is, the sleeves do not prevent the cables from unraveling anyway. Apple’s ideas in this patent vary the flexibility and stiffness over an entire cable, which will theoretically better protect against tearing, no matter where you bend it frequently, all without increasing the thickness (meaning you no longer have sleeves for relief of the voltage is not relieved).

Image: uspto.gov

This is a patent application only, and there is no guarantee that Apple will use this design in future cables. But the fact that Apple has submitted this application is a good sign that they are thinking about cable durability. Hopefully we see some improvements going on.