511–520 of 1001 posts
What happens when "USB-D" is designed? Will it be illegal to upgrade to in Europe? Also I wonder if this will push Apple to go wireless-only.
The connector can still remain the same while the internal changes. USB-C is just the connector head. Look at USB4 that still uses the USB-C head. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB4
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Is this why Apple use USB-C on some of their iPads?
That's a fantastic point actually. I wonder why they choose to use USB-C at all for any device, when Lightning is objectively better from a physical engineering standpoint.
The cynic in me would think it's to force people to pay for iCloud storage instead of having to plug their phone into their computer for several hours to backup locally.
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There were no mandates to adopt micro-usb in the EU. As a sidetone it's astonishing how quickly a lie easily disprovable by publicly accessible information, in this case the EU's own website, can be spread around by people that otherwise seem like credible HN members.
Saying there was no mandate is only technically true. The EU gave an ultimatum to phone companies to make a compatible charger "or else", which led to a "Memorandum of Understanding" [1] deciding on Micro-USB. Apple didn't follow that Memorandum, the EU got pissed, so now we reached the "or else" part (it took quite some time considering the Memorandum was more than 10 years ago). [1] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/…
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I don't know, did government mandating electricity plugs standards stifle innovation?
There are multiple different plug types used within the EU.
I wonder if Apple will just make them iPhones in 2024 portless and only chargeable via wireless to combat this
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What exactly is genuinely innovative about the iPhone connector at this point? It's 10 years old, and the only selling point I can see it having over USB (even when it was new) was the rotational symmetry (which is now also possible with USB C, which is what's being mandated).
The iphone uses the 'thinnest' connector of all, which I find nice. All phones use 'thinner' and better chargers than they did 10 years ago. It's unbelievable how people are default supporting this completely unnecessary intervention. This is exactly the kind of bad regulation we worry about, because it might have immediate populist appeal, it's ultimately not really a win. There are so many other things that need re…
Maybe if Apple would make their lightning an open free standard, this would be now adopted, but since Apple is... well Apple their arrogance met the laws of place not governed by corporations (that much)
Self-regulation only works if government regulation is a serious threat in case self-regulation fails. In this case, self-regulation failed, so government regulation stepped in to force industry to do what is right. All the handwringing about stifling innovation is on its face ridiculous as mandates to use micro-usb didn't stop android phones from adopting the new and better standard as soon as it was viable.
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Is Apple currently using MagSafe? Both of the recent MacBooks in my household, from 2020 and 2021, have standard USB-C connections.
Yes, they brought it back. You can still charge via USB-C, though.
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Bell Labs allowed others to produce transistor based hearing aids royalty free. Volvo allowed others to use a 3-point harness system royalty free. Apple created Lightning to solve a problem and wanted royalties on all products using it. Naturally, the market moved to another solution. While Lightning may be a good piece of technology, I think Apple is largely to blame for its demise. Standardization is good for consu…
USB-C, so good you’re forced to use it!