The stock one stinks.

The power cable which comes with the iPod could hardly be more chintzy. It has a hard to grasp connector at the iPod end and the little ears you press to disconnect it are …. missing. No more captive connectors from Apple, it seems.

To add insult to injury, the cable is a miserable 3 feet long. Hey, Apple, I understand profit margins as well as the next guy, but I also do not particularly enjoy a kick in the crotch after blowing $650 on one of your products.

Anyway, the answer is both simple and inexpensive:

It comes from Cables-to-Go via Amazon, is five feet long, uses far sturdier cable, has a properly designed captive connector which works and the other end can be plugged into your computer or into the iPad’s power transformer, which is the fastest way to recharge it. Finally, the ‘up’ side is ribbed so you don’t have to search for that microscopic logo Apple imprints on the poor stock design. It works as well with the iPhone as with the iPad. And at $9, what’s not to like?

Disclosure: AAPL long stock position has appreciated 27.5 32gB iPads since iPad Day, 4/3/2010, of which I have blown 2.0