One more reason why knock-off chargers are a terrible idea

There are plenty of cheap third party accessories for iPhone, iPad and MacBooks, and while there is nothing wrong in going for a third party option for audio accessories, stands, and covers, there is plenty that can go wrong with any cheap knock-off accessory that requires a live feed of electricity to run, or worse... power your device.

Charging mechanisms for small electronics are a tricky business, and to illustrate this point, let’s think about how long a typical tablet like an iPad can last. The original 12 inch Apple iPad Pro requires a 12W power adapter, which keeps your iPad Pro charged for up to 10 hours, from full.

The iPad Pro’s display and internals are designed with energy efficiency in mind, but also productivity, which means that the battery inside an iPad Pro needs to be more than adequate, within an ultra-thin package.

The iPad Pro’s 12W charger is designed specifically for Apple’s professional line of tablets, and its internals include several redundancies that prevent accidental short circuits, and other fire and shock hazards that may occur from overcharging, or undercharging a device, not to mention the serious damage that a defective charger can do to your device.

Most recently, the owner of a brand new Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone posted photos of the handset, on social media website Baidu, showing just how bad things can go when using a third party USB Type-C charger.

The phone was left charging overnight, which is a common occurrence, and a completely harmless practice when using a genuine, certified charger. Unfortunately for “Mr. Ni 666666”, the charging cable used with his phone was anything but genuine, and caused the battery of the handset to explode and burst into flames in the middle of the night.

Had the device been left unattended for an extended period of time, or were the owner a little too sound asleep, things could have been a lot worse.

When it comes to Apple accessories, quality and safety are top priorities, and the tech developed to keep devices powered safely, is built into a price that is worth paying, since the tradeoff can be life-threatening.

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