I never understood WTF people were talking about with the cables. I'd go 5+ years with various Apple cables without a single sign of fraying. Not even careful with them, would just wad them up in bags when moving around, that kind of thing.
... then my kids got older, and my wife move to Apple and started borrowing my cables. They all kill Apple cables in like 6 months flat. It's incredible.
[EDIT] As for how they do that, I'm not sure, but they constantly use them stretched too far from the outlet, so there's a ton of tension on the cable, and frequently arrange them such that they're bent a sharp 90+ degrees right next to the connector, often while also under tension. I never do either of those things. I assume those are the things that cause it.
Apple is incredibly inconsistent. The iphone cable quality was complete dogshit: https://i.imgur.com/t7Oajul.jpeg
On the other hand, the new macbook pro magsafe cable is probably the best quality cable I've ever owned.