Real or Fake? Lightning to USB-C Cables for Previous iMacs Shown in 'Unreleased' Colors

Apple enthusiast @StellaFudge today shared photos of USB-C to Lightning cables in six "unreleased" colors, including what appears to be teal, blue, purple, yellow, red, and orange. He said Apple allegedly planned to include the cables with Apple silicon Macs, but the cables have never been released in these exact shades.

iMac Cables StellaFudgeImage Credit: @StellaFudge

"They're darker, more vibrant, and the normally white plastic has a matching color tint," he said.

Given the cables have a Lightning connector, that means they would have been included with iMac models with the M1 chip or M3 chip, if they are authentic. The latest iMac with the M4 chip comes with a USB-C to USB-C cable for use with the new USB-C Magic accessories.

The wording of the social media post makes it sound like these cables were designed by Apple, and ultimately never released, but there is a possibility that they could be knockoff cables created by a third party. A similar photo of colorful USB-C cables surfaced last year, but the rumor that they would be included with iPhone 15 models proved to be inaccurate. It is possible that those cables were counterfeit too, but we cannot say for sure.

Apple has included color-matching cables with the iMac since the M1 model launched in 2021, but they have brighter, pastel colors.

Considering that Apple never released these deeper-colored cables, at best, or they are knockoffs, at worst, their existence does not really mean too much in the end. However, it's a fun look at something that might have been.

@StellaFudge has also shared various unreleased Apple Watch bands in the past.

Related Roundup: iMac
Buyer's Guide: iMac (Buy Now)
Related Forum: iMac

Popular Stories

iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive a New Perk

Thursday March 20, 2025 12:01 am PDT by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple has a new perk for you, at no additional cost. The new perk is the ability to create invitations in the Apple Invites app for the iPhone, which launched in the App Store last month. In the Apple Invites app, iCloud+ subscribers can create invitations for any occasion, such as birthday parties, graduations, baby showers, and more. Anyone ...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock

iOS 19 Coming in June With These New Features

Thursday March 20, 2025 2:04 pm PDT by
While the first iOS 19 beta is still more than two months away, there are already plenty of rumors about the upcoming software update. Below, we recap the key iOS 19 rumors so far. visionOS-Like Design In January, the YouTube channel Front Page Tech revealed a redesigned Camera app that is allegedly planned for iOS 19. According to Front Page Tech host Jon Prosser, the Camera app...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro teal 1

Apple Says iPhone Driver's Licenses Coming to These 8 U.S. States, But Rollout Remains Slow

Wednesday March 19, 2025 6:55 am PDT by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Unfortunately, this feature continues to roll out very slowly. It has been three and a half years since Apple first announced the...
Windows Vista

Apple Might Be Having Its Windows Vista Moment, Says Analyst

Thursday March 20, 2025 6:52 am PDT by
Is Apple experiencing a "Vista-like drift into systemically poor execution?" That was a question posed by well-known technology analyst Benedict Evans, in a recent blog post covering Apple's innovation and execution, or seemingly lack thereof as of late. He is referring to Microsoft's Windows Vista operating system, which was widely criticized when it launched in 2007 due to software bugs,...
iPhone 17 Pro Render Front Page Tech

Latest iPhone 17 Pro Dummies Highlight Apple's New Part-Glass Design

Thursday March 20, 2025 5:27 am PDT by
Seasoned leaker Sonny Dickson has shared more dummy models of Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 series, with the latest lot revealing a noticeable shift in Apple's iPhone Pro model design that goes beyond the much-talked-about new rear camera bar. Dickson points out that the iPhone 17 Pro dummy models feature an outlined area on the back, beginning just below the camera module and extending to the...
iOS 18

Top 5 New Features Coming in iOS 18.4

Friday March 21, 2025 3:26 pm PDT by
We're not getting new Siri Apple Intelligence features in iOS 18.4 as expected, but the upcoming update does have quite a few new additions that will be worth upgrading for. We've rounded up the five best features to look forward to, and if you're not running the beta, you can expect to get access to these in early April. Priority Notifications If you have an iPhone or iPad that supports...
airtag orange

Apple's Next Product is Likely an AirTag 2 With These New Features

Thursday March 20, 2025 2:30 pm PDT by
Following the introduction of the iPhone 16e, new iPads and Macs, and some new accessories over the past month, what will Apple's next product announcement be? Based on rumors, a second-generation AirTag item tracker is likely next up. Last year, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported that a new AirTag would be released around the middle of 2025. More recently, a leaker known as Kosutami claimed...
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Launch Now Just Months Away: Here's What We Know

Tuesday March 18, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as excellent for...
iPhone 17 Air Fanned Feature

First iPhone 17 Air Case Has Camera Bar, Camera Control Button Cutouts

Wednesday March 19, 2025 5:29 am PDT by
Serial leaker Sonny Dickson today shared an image of what he claims is a first look at a third-party case for Apple's iPhone 17 Air. "If you didn’t know an Air was coming, you'd swear it was a Google Pixel case," he said. Case manufacturers often obtain design specifications of upcoming iPhone models before their release by collaborating with Apple through official partnerships or...

Top Rated Comments

FSMBP Avatar
20 weeks ago
This is why I come to this site...good old fashioned Macintosh Rumors!

For the record about those cables: they're real and they're spectacular.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
tomtad Avatar
20 weeks ago
Can we ban the word colourways

Thanks
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
decafjava Avatar
20 weeks ago
Another Frieren ('https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frieren') fan I see. Regarding the cables I like the colours!
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
coffeemilktea Avatar
20 weeks ago
Now that Apple isn't putting Apple stickers in the box, can we get Frieren stickers instead? ?

Anyways, the rumor about the cables is pretty awesome if true.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SeaFox Avatar
20 weeks ago

Another Frieren ('https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frieren') fan I see. Regarding the cables I like the colours!
They're autumn colors, like the kind you see on long journeys to speak to the spirits of dead comrades (with only occasional pauses to do magic and replenish snacks).
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Stella_Fudge Avatar
20 weeks ago
In case anyone's curious, here's each of them individually

Every single one of them has a 2-D datamatrix etched onto the USB-C connector, which has its serial number and a couple of other pieces of info like the type of configuration that it is and other internal lingo that the notes how far in the development process it is. Some of them also had a sticker that was attached to the backside of the cardboard retainer piece which also has its matching serial number as a scannable datamatrix. Pretty standard stuff for prototypes. I've attached a couple more images of other prototypes that have similar markings, and if anyone's interested I can show you more from ones I personally have kicking around at home.

I'm also not really sure why they decided to tint to the plastic a little bit on each of them, white tip for plastic has been their thing since forever, and on some of them are kind of looks off. The yellow one for example just looks like it's aged in the sun for like 20 years.

Genuinely though I am absolutely in love with the colors overall. Even though I have like 16 of these cables, I only plan on keeping one of each colour so I'm gonna get rid of 10 of them in the near future.

If somebody is interested I can also post comparison of what each production colour looks like relative to each of these colours since I do have the full set of coloured release iMac lightning cable as well. I plan on getting myself a full set of USB-C coloured cables for the upcoming iMac as well. They kind of look like they're available to buy in Chinese gray market places now but I have doubts about how real those specific ones were.



some other Proto accessory examples for reference. Little cable style accessories will usually have data matrix somewhere, which has its serial number more often than not, and sometimes other bits of info. A cool insight into how the sausage is made I guess



Attachment Image

Attachment Image

Attachment Image

Attachment Image

Attachment Image

Attachment Image

Attachment Image

Attachment Image

Attachment Image
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)