What Finally Killed AirPower • Hacker News Board

Re: What Finally Killed AirPower

#161

Post by pcl » Sat, Mar 30, 2019, 8:35 AM UTC

xenospn wrote: post #107

tedivm wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're just going to remove local syncing and stick with cloud based solutions.

Doesn't really work when you're developing locally, tho. Can you imagine loading binaries from the cloud into your phone every single time?

I wirelessly deploy from Xcode regularly. It’s slower than cable-based deploys, but not much, and the convenience is worth it for me.

(Apple’s wireless deploys replace the cable, but I assume they do not happen over the cloud — both devices are on the same local network. I haven’t checked the network traffic, but I’d be surprised if the broader internet is involved.)

Re: What Finally Killed AirPower

#162

Post by eitland » Sat, Mar 30, 2019, 8:42 AM UTC

nicois wrote: post #143

accatyyc wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The things that kill smartphone batteries today are age and power cycles. It doesn’t matter if you charge from 0% to 100% in one go or from 90% to 100% ten times. Both add up to one power cycle. To keep your battery fresh for as long as possible, always keep the phone connected to a charger. No battery cycles. It will get worse after a few years anyway.

The sole reason I rooted my pixel 2 was to install a simple app which disables charging when I reach 80%. I get all the wins of not killing the battery by constantly saturating it, together with being able to leave it plugged in whenever I am at at my desk. I so wish manufacturers would offer this option, for those primarily deskbound who do not relish ungluing their battery after a year

I think it is a built in (but configurable) option on newer Sony models.

Edit: they call it Qnovo Adaptive Charging and they get another minus from me [0] for making it impossible to select text on tye page by long-pressing it.

[0]: they got a huge minus from me back when they added "sponsored links" to my flagship Z3 or what it was.

Re: What Finally Killed AirPower

#163

Post by shawnz » Sat, Mar 30, 2019, 8:45 AM UTC

accatyyc wrote: post #128

teraflop wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It doesn’t matter if you charge from 0% to 100% in one go or from 90% to 100% ten times. This isn't really true, as far as I know. If you avoid fully charging or deeply discharging a lithium-ion battery, the wear per unit of energy extracted is smaller. There are some statistics quoted here ( https://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_prolong_l... ) showing that if you, say, halve the amount of energy you r…

Thanks for the links! Also, I want to add that what I wrote above is only regarding smartphones. I don’t know how much stress/extra heat etc that EV batteries are subject to, but I imagine they drain/charge at more intense rates relatively.

The principle applies for smartphone batteries too. Full discharges will degrade your battery significantly faster.

Re: What Finally Killed AirPower

#164

Post by Tempest1981 » Sat, Mar 30, 2019, 8:48 AM UTC

OriginalPenguin wrote: post #79

sneak wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The amount of money Apple makes from selling replacement cables due to fatigue due to inadequate (in their opinion “ugly”) strain relief is negligible. Please stop spreading this inaccurate meme. Apple makes money because they sell metric shitloads of $1200 phones and $600 watches and, increasingly, software and services for them. Not cables.

Apple sold 2.2 billion iPhones and 360 million iPads before they stopped reporting numbers. Assume for every phone or iPad they sell, they average one extra cable (for work, for the car, because it breaks, whatever..) Apple charges $19 for an extra cable. Assume it costs them $2 to make the cable (and it probably costs much less). That's 43.5 billion right there. Which even for Apple is not small potatoes. Especially…

The authentication chip inside each cable drives up the price, I suspect:

https://www.extremetech.com/electronics/136947-apples-mega-c...

And the video dongles do transcoding, IIRC. https://panic.com/blog/the-lightning-digital-av-adapter-surp...

Re: What Finally Killed AirPower

#165

Post by beojan » Sat, Mar 30, 2019, 8:49 AM UTC

rimliu wrote: post #114

sp332 wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Last I checked, I only had one opposable thumb per hand. I need that to hold my phone, so how would I grab the cable? With my teeth?

It’s not super convenient, but I do it this way: press the phone to the ball of my palm with the middle, ring and little finger and use the thumb and the index finger to pull the cable out. The trickiest part is the positioning of the phone in the palm, because that pulling motion has a very limited range.

And unless your phone has the charging port at the top, you're now holding it upside down.

Re: What Finally Killed AirPower

#166

Post by benj111 » Sat, Mar 30, 2019, 8:58 AM UTC

durability wrote: post #147

benj111 wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your argument could equally apply to some kind of dock/cradle. With the added advantage of it being propped up into a better reading position, and the possibility of a wired data connection. They never seem to have taken off though. My only guess is because it would only fit one phone/ trap a manufacturer into a form factor.

The difference is with a sock I need to consciously put it in and take it out. Getting a text message with the phone at an angle so I can read it doesn’t matter to me because I still need to pick it up and carefully line it back down to respond. Yes it takes less than a second but you know what’s even more effortless? A wireless charging mat that I can just set my phone onto. Not sure what’s so hard to understand abo…

If we are splitting hairs over 'a second' and 'effortless' (when effortless still means you've got to make sure it's nicely lined up, if we're talking about actual products here), then surely some kind of in trouser charger is even better. Why should I spend seconds rifling through my pocket, to find my phone to charge it?

With a dock you can see if the message is even worth responding to. I don't need to respond to that text from my bank, and I don't have to waste multiple seconds picking my phone up to discover that.

A charging mat goes on a flat surface that ends up attracting clutter. A dock with phone in doesn't, so when my phone does beep, I don't have to go rifling under paperwork to find it.

So to me a charging mat doesn't seem like the obvious slam dunk you seem to think it is.

Re: What Finally Killed AirPower

#167

Post by oblio » Sat, Mar 30, 2019, 9:09 AM UTC

rexf wrote: post #153

azinman2 wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many people are not like you. I personally don’t plug in at my desk even though a cable is there, as it’s one more thing to do. It’s also then tethered, meaning I have an extra step if I want to walk away and bring my phone with me. It’s also tethered meaning I have a loose cable now dangling in my way, which aside from functional issues is also ugly to look at. I know many who almost never charge their phones, essen…

> I know many who almost never charge their phones, essentially always living at 5%. That's amazing since I'm the opposite. I always try to be near or at 100% (both phone & laptop) while I'm at my desk.

That's called (mild) OCD and ordinary people don't suffer from it. Don't feel bad, I do the same, it seems to be a common trait in IT (anyone writing code kind of has to have it...).

Re: What Finally Killed AirPower

#168

Post by botto » Sat, Mar 30, 2019, 9:11 AM UTC

bestnameever wrote: post #98

etatoby wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It should have a positive effect, because you're avoiding larger charges and keeping your battery at optimal levels.

i've found what I believe to be the heat generated by wireless chargers to have a negative effect on my battery longevity. Personally, I avoid them now after being a huge advocate from them. The reality is, Battery life on phones have improved to the point that I also rarely need to charge my phone anymore other than what I'm about to go to sleep anyway.

Yes, this is a reason I avoided wireless as well, but Samsung have a wireless charger with a fan in it which pumps the heat out. I've used it over a year and never felt my phone even being warm when charging.

It's the EP-NG930

Re: What Finally Killed AirPower

#169

Post by Asooka » Sat, Mar 30, 2019, 9:13 AM UTC

NeedMoreTea wrote: post #139

_bxg1 wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It takes something easy and makes it effortless . Like AirPods, this has a surprising number of implications that you really don't think about until you try it. If I'm just setting my phone down on my desk and it's at 50%, and my cable is right there, I may not bother to plug it in. Especially if I might get up again in 5 or 10 minutes. But if I can just set it down in a particular place and regain a couple percentag…

This is what I never understood, even slightly. Why not just give an iPod / iPhone dock without all the wireless bullshit? I prefer a dock as it holds phone at a handy angle, syncs, and doesn't have the myriad of drawbacks of bluetooth. Smartphone battery life is so shit, on every model, that I always plug my phone in. Even if the cable / socket is only going to be around for minutes. So no saving here. In the days o…

I don't use Apple products, but I do use a wireless charger for my Samsung phone. The reason is that I keep it in a rather beefy protector case and fiddling with the charging port flap is annoying, which would also impede it working with any kind of dock, and I'm not about to carry a naked phone - I can't trust myself not to drop it.

Re: What Finally Killed AirPower

#170

Post by mcny » Sat, Mar 30, 2019, 9:16 AM UTC

bestnameever wrote: post #158

mcny wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

» The reality is, Battery life on phones have improved to the point that I also rarely need to charge my phone anymore other than what I'm about to go to sleep anyway. On the Android side, batteries have gotten bigger with phones but more importantly the OS is getting better at battery management. With lineage 16 (Android pie), I can choose to enable battery saver at 75% battery. I'm still on a Nexus 6. What has chan…

>What has changed in battery technology recently? I have no idea. I imagine most of the improvements in battery life stem from them being able to fit larger batteries in smaller packages along with hardware and software optimizations as well as improvements in cell reception. It could also be my usage. I listen to a lot of music during the day and perhaps the larger batteries are just able to accommodate me longer th…

» I loved my Nexus 6 but I doubt I could still be using it still today so I am impressed. Can I ask what your reasons are for not having upgraded it? I generally upgrade my phones bc of the battery but this time I hope to just get it swapped out in a year or two.

My main excuse is I got it a year after it was launched on a black Friday sake so I want it to last one more year.

On top of that I got to use a Samsung Galaxy s7e for almost a year in 2017.

Mainly, it was probably that I didn't want to spend the money. I can make the excuse that I an saving money toward a new desktop computer but I've been giving myself that excuse since before ryzen launched so I know it is just an excuse in telling myself.

My main use apps at the moment k9 mail, Google voice, slide for Reddit, and Mozilla Firefox. The camera on the Nexus 6 is horrible for current year. Perhaps I'll finally get a new phone this year. Perhaps if xiaomi releases the poco phone F2? 4Ah battery sounds nice.