71–80 of 482 posts
I often wonder how much money Apple makes from the fact that lightning cables all seem to die after a few months. I have usb cables that are decades old that still work, but lightning…
I often wonder how much money Apple makes from the fact that lightning cables all seem to die after a few months. I have usb cables that are decades old that still work, but lightning…
Micro USB cables used to last anywhere from a few days to a few months for me. USB-C is much better, but I still find they fail in less than a year. Not sure exactly why, it looks like it ought to be a sturdy design.
What a pain, forcing everyone to buy new cables.
I don't really care which port Apple uses, but I'd like them to be consistent across the range. It's annoying carrying Lightning cables (phones) + USB-C cables (iPads and laptops) + USB-micro (camera chargers) when I travel.
I must be the only person on HN who thinks the lightening port is better than USB-C.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Apple takes a cut from every licensed Lightning cable sold.
I doubt that Apple is getting a “cut” of the $5 cables you can buy from Amazon or your local bodega.
It's sad that it took legislation to make this happen, but I can see why. I worked in a pseudo-Apple-store during the height of the 30-pin dock connector and I sold so many cases, speaker docks, charging cables, and all sorts of weird accessories that were built for the 30-pin connector. Then Apple switched to Lightning. It was better in every. single. way. And yet people got burnt. There was so much hardware that wa…
Try asking the same enthusiasts who are adamant that switching to USB-C is no big deal and legacy cruft needs to be eliminated what they think about switching to a new PCIe power connector. Forget the 12VHPWR problems, we had a push for a new connector last gen too and it was universally reviled for some reason. People do not want a new connector, let alone a new voltage rail to help move that power a little more saf…
Both of these are the same stance to me, "existing industry standards appear to suffice, why foist something different on the market?"
I don't think governments are behind a lot of these changes so that last bit is probably exaggeration but seems misplaced; it's Nvidia, Apple, etc choosing these connectors for their products.
Honestly, I'm kinda surprised Apple isn't switching to USB Type-C... but only in the EU.
Good. When we're constantly adding more data transfer functionality and power capabilities to USB-C, I don't buy the "but muh innovation" argument. The magic of USB-C isn't in the physical interface, it's in the chips that connect to the interface (both in the device and the cable). And if those chips want to change the pinouts after bootstrapping via the current pinout configuration, they can and will.
You realize that “magic” isn’t being enforced by the as usual short sighted EU? There is no requirement to ship USB cords that actually transfer data at USB3 speeds or actually any mandate to have cables that support data at all. What do you think the chances are that cheap Android phones will ship with more expensive cables that can transfer at USB 3 speeds? Not to mention that I doubt that the cheap USB cords will…
Standardization around the markings and marketing for USB-C cables would be f'ing awesome. But I'll take this win regardless.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Are you proposing the alternative was that Apple kept supporting 30 pin connectors? And despite your anecdotes, evidence shows that switching didn’t hurt Apple sales. What were the people who were “burnt” by Apple abandoning 30 pin connectors going to do? Switch to Android and still have to switch cables?
Yep. And even worse they probably would have had to switch from Micro USB to USB-C again when they upgraded.
Well I'm glad the EU decided to tackle important subjects. Not like they have a monetary and energy crisis going on at the moment.
You can work on multiple problems at once. For instance, since you brought up energy, even recently it was feared that Europe will have trouble this winter but now they have a glut: https://www.wsj.com/articles/europe-once-fearing-gas-rationi... There are also long term and short term problems that warrant different strategies. Some problems are important to solve but not urgent, while others are both.
Newspapers can say whatever, the reality on the ground is that energy prices have gone up 5-10x in the past year.
Some problems are not even worth mentioning before the big ones are solved. Sometimes you have to hone all your energy to solve the big problems and worry about the small ones later. Priorities and such.
As far as I see the EU govt is more interested in image than actual solutions. Taking on Apple and winning looks sexier than fixing the very unsexy problem of energy or inflation.