If you've ever had an iPhone Lightning cable in your car, you already know how fragile they are. Apple may now have a solution that could also protect any kind of cable. Apple is never going to say that Lightning cables have a death wish, but it has come close in a newly revealed patent application that is really about fixing the problem. "Cable with Variable Stiffness," does not mention Lightning once, nor does it say anything approaching the word "frayed." "It is well known that bending of the cable near the termination point may cause unwanted strain on the wire connections, which may lead to cable failure," it admits. "Accordingly, it is common to provide a strain relief sleeve made of a stiff material around the end region of the cable."