The Latest in IT Security

Apple is often criticized for selling its chargers at a high profit margin, especially when you can easily find an incredibly cheap version on eBay. Well, it turns out there’s a reason these counterfeiters can make such cheap chargers. Engineer Ken Shirriff tore down an Apple-branded iPad charger and a counterfeit version, and he found that the counterfeit version skimps on power quality, construction, and safety. The counterfeit charger, which advertised itself as a 10W charger, was in fact just a 5W charger. Shirriff explains how chargers work in incredible detail and accompanies his teardown with pictures that show the generally lower-quality production value of the counterfeit charger. The counterfeit charger has fewer parts, less insulation around the parts, and parts that are “visibly crooked