Originally Posted by
Aileron
Thank you all for these great replies.
Today I found out that Apple has put some kind of chip or sensor in the Lightning cables to force you to buy their brand name (and higher priced) versions instead of the cheaper ones at CVS, Walgreens, etc.
Dell laptops (and maybe others, too) used to have circuitry in their chargers that would identify themselves to the computer. If it wasn't a Dell charger, it would often refuse to work properly.
Some of the third-party chargers claimed to be "compatible" (meaning they would identify themselves correctly to the laptop) but often didn't; you then had a worthless brick.
Not sure if many/any other laptops do the same, but it looks like Apple is playing that game, too, with iPhones.