Dieter Bohn, The Verge:

Earlier this year, Apple began a “voluntary exchange program” for USB-C cables that were designed alongside the original MacBook. And now it appears the company is silently updating that cable with a new, better version that still has the exact same model number. According to K, the new cable comes in a rectangular box (don’t buy one in a square box) and is the “best ‘charge’ cable I’ve ever seen.” (It also turns out that Apple is using different cables in its stores than it’s shipping to customers.)

But I’m not going to get into the minutiae of Apple’s exchange program nor the specs of its cables and chargers: the Google+ community is doing a fine job of that. Instead, I just want to point out how much fun it is to watch an experienced engineer essentially do forensic analysis on consumer products. It’s fun even though I know that all this work is only necessary because so many of those products are legitimately dangerous to plug into your devices. Even the simplest thing — delivering a charge over a wire — turns out to be insanely complicated and filled with corporate politics.

If diving into a bunch of Google+ pages isn’t your idea of a fun distraction, can I interest you in a USB-C Reddit thread? Perhaps a spreadsheet of tested, safe USB-C cables? How about an Android Common Compatibility Document that Android Police found? It detailing Google’s “STRONGLY RECOMMENDED” suggestion that USB-C Android devices adhere to the standard and don’t mess with pin-outs or voltages. That doesn’t sound like fun to you?