I ordered this item sometime in 2010. In my experience it works as well as the OEM Apple cord. I have a bunch of Apple cords & this around the house & in my car, etc. & this one works so well like the OEM ones that I honestly don't know which ones are which anymore :D I bought this a few years ago for ~$3 & I see that it now sells for ~$1 with free shipping. What?! A buck?! That's it?! Wow. IMO & from my experience with this product it's a solid buy. I would recommend this product to a friend or family member.