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

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

#571
post #398

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Government mandates on how you can charge your phone won't stifle innovation?

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).

> What exactly is genuinely innovative about the iPhone connector at this point

The way they fray near the connector. It is truly inovative how one of the worlds most inovative companies has been unable to figure out how to wrap plastic around a wire.

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

#572

USB-C is inferior from the hardware/form standpoint. It's a larger, more fragile and flimsy connector (than lightning) which is very un-apple. It can be crimped shut if rolled on by a chair. Additionally the charging standards are a total mess, with PD and QC requiring compatible chargers and cables, which are often unlabeled. I'm all for a great charging standard but USB-C ain't it.

It's certainly better than micro-USB, but agreed: Lightning is the superior design. Who puts the weak point of the connector inside the more expensive of the two objects? That was a terrible design decision. Maybe Apple's patents prevented USB from doing a similar design, so they had to come up with one that was objectively slightly worse?

Lightning has the springs in the port, if the springs wear out you have to replace the device. USB-C has the springs in the cable, the cheap part to replace.

Then USB-C went and added that "tongue" in the port to break.

Neither standard is very good...

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

#573
post #398

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 point is that the next connector innovation will have to be ratified by the European Parliament.

Two things: Just to be pedantic for a second - this is actually tautological, because innovation is defined in terms of making changes to established things.

So by the EU establishing a thing, any changes you make to it are ... by definition ... innovation :)

Once they establish a new standard, the thing that they established is no longer innovative, it is the new baseline for the next innovation.

At least, as innovation is actually defined (the colloquial usage is very messy, as you can see in this thread, making it very easy for people to talk past each other).

But let's be practical for a second - what exactly are you looking for? What is this next physical connector innovation you are worrying you need that won't exist now?

I ask because almost all desire in phone connectors has been the same since the beginning of phone connectors. It is not new. The change in connectors was not driven by change in desire, only around capability. people want them to be reasonably sized, easy to put in/take out, not easily fall out, not break ever, charge the phone fast, and send data from the phone to a thing fast (audio/video/etc are a subset of this).

That's it. That's always been it. For a long time, tradeoffs had to be made, and you could not achieve all desires at once. That hasn't been true for a decade. At this point, all desires are fulfilled.

Over fulfilled in fact - the capability of the connectors have well outstripped the need of phones.

There isn't anything left to do. It's done. Unless new customer desires come along, and they haven't for decades, there isn't innovation left to be had. The closest you come to difference is "should i make it be held by a magnet or by itself", which, while some are vocal about it, is a very minor preference (again, at least by data).

It's also easy to claim things like "well you don't know what will come along", but as i said, what comes along is driven by customer desire. What is the unfulfilled customer desire that physical phone connectors can innovate to achieve at this point?

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

#574
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 standa…

I personally have owned 5 phones with worn out USB micro-b ports, where to charge them I'd have to lay a book on the cable or position the phone at an odd angle.

I have never seen anyone do this with a USB-c port. I have never heard anyone complain their USB-C port wore out.

USB-C was designed for far greater durability & reliability & IMO it clearly & obviously shows.

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

#575
post #497
post #284

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 device…

How are my USB-C chargers capable of charging lightning devices if they are USB-C? Can I buy a dongle for $90?

It's a common misconception for the less tech savvy but you can just buy a USB-C to Lightning cable for a few bucks. In fact, here's a 3-pack for $7: https://a.co/d/1WFoRGZ

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

#576

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The only reason why Apple keeps Lightning around is for phones and some portable accessories, and the revenue from those, and their certifications, is not something they are willing to dismiss. Technically speaking, if you want something as simple as a cable, you have to go through Apple and their MFI program. The other way of viewing this is that by not switching (yet) they haven't created instant e-waste out of e…

> The other way of viewing this is that by not switching (yet) they haven't created instant e-waste out of every cable and accessory manufactured in the past decade. Well no time like the present since time is linear and unless they're going to stick with lightning _forever_ then they'll eventually have to create a bunch of e-waste.

Not only this: the more they hold out, the more lightning cables they put in circulation.

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

#577
post #19

This gives me some cognitive dissonance. On the one hand, having a common connector will reduce waste and be much more convenient (eg "Hey have you got an iPhone charger?") and make losing a charger a cheaper mistake. On the other hand I'm not sure I like the idea of government mandating electrical connectors on devices, which could stifle innovation, or be very shortsighted in the typical government-rules-on-tech wa…

Thank God nobody ever standardized electrical plugs. I'd hate being able to plug my vacuum cleaner and laptop in the same outlet.

You don't even know what else could have happened if there was no standardization. Maybe the industry must have progressed without the need of outlets in the first place.

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

#578
post #398

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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).

it has the unique ability to snap off at the tip and block the port. ;-) most annoying.

Both Lightening and USB-C have similar failure mode where a tab can break. It’s not common but trouble when it does. Neither one is clearly more durable than the other though both are definitely more durable than Micro-USB.

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

#579

USB-C is inferior from the hardware/form standpoint. It's a larger, more fragile and flimsy connector (than lightning) which is very un-apple. It can be crimped shut if rolled on by a chair. Additionally the charging standards are a total mess, with PD and QC requiring compatible chargers and cables, which are often unlabeled. I'm all for a great charging standard but USB-C ain't it.

It's certainly better than micro-USB, but agreed: Lightning is the superior design. Who puts the weak point of the connector inside the more expensive of the two objects? That was a terrible design decision. Maybe Apple's patents prevented USB from doing a similar design, so they had to come up with one that was objectively slightly worse?

I thought it was the other way around? All the springs and movey bits are in the male usb c connector. With Lightning, those bits are in the phone. I’ll agree Lightning has the nicer “feel”, that’s for sure.
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