EU Passes Law to Switch iPhone to USB-C by End of 2024 • Hacker News Board

Re: EU Passes Law to Switch iPhone to USB-C by End of 2024

#281

Post by acheron » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 1:30 PM UTC

ceejayoz wrote: post #169

kypro wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Less waste after iPhone users all have to throw away their cables and buy new ones, presumably?

It's OK to make decisions with long-term beneficial impacts that may come with short-term negatives. I'd also wager the majority of iPhone users have USB-C cables already.

Why would they? I can guarantee my parents don't. I guess I got one last year when I got an Xbox controller to connect to the PC, but I don't want to use that one for my phone, it stays with the controller.

I guess if I'm going to replace my phone I should do it soon while I can still use my existing cables with the new one.

Re: EU Passes Law to Switch iPhone to USB-C by End of 2024

#282

Post by shawnz » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 1:30 PM UTC

Bud wrote: post #261

dom96 wrote: post #219

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> What are people gonna do with it other than charge their phones or transfer files? It would at least save me from carrying one power brick + usb cable. Steam Deck (USB C), Switch (USB C), MacBook Pro (USB C) and iPhone is the only odd one out. This does make a significant difference to what I can take with me on holiday.

That's just you, of course. For hundreds of millions of others, this cuts the other way: over a decade's worth of Lightning accessories and cables and docks are out there. Which is why the EU is just being dumb, here. They think they are accomplishing some amazing user-friendly enviro-friendly feat, but all they are really doing is making a lot of Lightning gear out there less useful. And all this to switch to a port…

How much time has to pass before the one-time cost of deprecating lightning is overtaken by the ongoing savings of having a single standard? Also consider that lightning would surely have eventually been deprecated one day even without this initiative.

Re: EU Passes Law to Switch iPhone to USB-C by End of 2024

#283

Post by acheron » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 1:30 PM UTC

moolcool wrote: post #227

_trackno5 wrote: post #49

Why do people think it is a good thing to have this enforced by law is beyond me. I don't see any win besides a minor convenience. A lightning cable weighs almost nothing and it's not a big deal to have one around. As to lightning port limitations, I question whether usb-c will give average iPhone users any other advantage other than charging their phone. What are people gonna do with it other than charge their phone…

> Why do people think it is a good thing to have this enforced by law is beyond me. Personally, I am happy to see that some governments still care about consumer protection.

Protecting me from using my existing cables? Gee, thanks.

Re: EU Passes Law to Switch iPhone to USB-C by End of 2024

#284

Post by Bud » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 1:30 PM UTC

meibo wrote: post #110

_trackno5 wrote: post #49

Why do people think it is a good thing to have this enforced by law is beyond me. I don't see any win besides a minor convenience. A lightning cable weighs almost nothing and it's not a big deal to have one around. As to lightning port limitations, I question whether usb-c will give average iPhone users any other advantage other than charging their phone. What are people gonna do with it other than charge their phone…

I will definitely switch to iPhone as soon as they come with USB-C. It feels like they're just not doing it out of spite - I already have 20 USB-C chargers and power banks for all of my hardware. If you've been in the Apple ecosystem for years, no, it probably won't matter to you and will probably annoy you more than what it's worth because you now need separate cables to charge your mouse and your phone.

Out of spite? What about it feeling out of spite to make this change for the tens of millions of users who have one or two or four sets of AirPods, and several wireless Apple keyboards and mice and trackpads, and various other gear, all of which uses Lightning?

Some people need to remember that it's not all about them.

And your USB-C chargers and power banks were and are perfectly capable of charging Lightning devices.

Re: EU Passes Law to Switch iPhone to USB-C by End of 2024

#285

Post by donatj » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 1:30 PM UTC

moffkalast wrote: post #274

donatj wrote: post #253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Transfer speed seems like a non-issue. Wi-Fi 6 is faster than the the internal SSDs read speed. There's no reason to even plug it in for data.

Plugging the phone into a laptop seems far easier than connecting both to a shared network and then trying to find the right IPs to connect to. Worse case you even have to make an access point which isn't a gui operation on most laptops.

I'm guessing you don't use Apple devices. AirDrop. Seamless adhoc direct connection. Easier than plugging in a cable.

Re: EU Passes Law to Switch iPhone to USB-C by End of 2024

#286

Post by rrwo » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 1:30 PM UTC

kypro wrote: post #34

I like USB-C and would even be in favour of the iPhone using USB-C, but I really dislike the idea that EU regulators would know what's better for consumers than consumer electronics companies and the consumers themselves. I do kind of get it though. It's probably better for a whole host of reasons if electronics all used the same cords, but I guess you could make that argument for a lot of things. There would be bene…

> I really dislike the idea that EU regulators would know what's better for consumers than consumer electronics companies and the consumers themselves

This isn't something created by faceless bureaucrats behind closed doors.

The "regulators" are the EU Parliament, who are elected by residents in the various countries. The issue has been talked about for a few years, and was voted on 603 to 13, that's over 96% (including abstentions).

Re: EU Passes Law to Switch iPhone to USB-C by End of 2024

#287

Post by jorvi » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 1:30 PM UTC

emaro wrote: post #218

I agree with the overall tone in the comments here: yay in general, but what a shame a law needs to specify a specific port for ~iPhones~ devices. I really like USB-C. It's sooo convenient to charge my notebook, my headphones, my phone, my everything with the same cable. However what bothers me since someone pointed it out to me: for phones, which are used all day in all kind of situations, lightning has a big andvan…

No post body was provided.

Re: EU Passes Law to Switch iPhone to USB-C by End of 2024

#288

Post by Krkrmfnfmmd » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 1:31 PM UTC

mdrzn wrote: post #33

LET'S GO EU! These headlines make me proud. Let's reach a global standard for charging stuff. I wish everything that had to be charged sometimes had a USB-C plug. But also I hope that the USB standard gets less messy in the future.

No post body was provided.

Re: EU Passes Law to Switch iPhone to USB-C by End of 2024

#289

Post by moffkalast » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 1:31 PM UTC

emaro wrote: post #218

I agree with the overall tone in the comments here: yay in general, but what a shame a law needs to specify a specific port for ~iPhones~ devices. I really like USB-C. It's sooo convenient to charge my notebook, my headphones, my phone, my everything with the same cable. However what bothers me since someone pointed it out to me: for phones, which are used all day in all kind of situations, lightning has a big andvan…

Honestly yeah, the standardisation part is fantastic but I absolutely hate that the industry at large settled on USB-C ports that are so pathetically easy to break it's hilarious. Micro-USB and Mini-USB were both far more robust.

And also the part where there are a billion specs for the same cable so you never know what you're dealing with. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the bluetooth team came up with the standards...

Re: EU Passes Law to Switch iPhone to USB-C by End of 2024

#290

Post by manuelabeledo » Tue, Oct 04, 2022, 1:31 PM UTC

Night_Thastus wrote: post #279

I have no sympathy or love for Apple, but this seems wrong. Technology comes and goes, standards evolve and fall away as new ones arrive. I don't think the law has any place in deciding who uses what connector in this fashion. They can make an e-waste argument all they want, but it's nonsense. All it does is stifle future work on connectors and devices in general.

Apple has actively participated in the USB-IF almost from its inception.

The answer to your conundrum is thus quite simple: Apple must now work with the standards it has helped create.