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Apple says iPhones will switch to USB-C chargers to comply with new EU law

forbes.com

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Re: Apple says iPhones will switch to USB-C chargers to comply with new EU law

#111

Post by musictubes »

brundolf wrote: post #103
rootusrootus wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I'm more cynical in my interpretation of Apple's motives: I think they just wanted those licensing dollars They've switched every other non-iPhone device to USB-C. The more plausible interpretation would be that they don't want to piss off a core constituency of customers who've built up 10 years of Lightning cables. The number of people who care about standardizing on USB-C are definitely less than the vocal folks…

> They've switched every other non-iPhone device to USB-C The only device I know of that started out on lighting and switched to USB-C was the iPad, and that was specifically because they're pushing it as a "creator" device, for which people needed to be able to plug in things like flash drives, SD card adaptors, cameras, mice and keyboards, etc. There's significantly less drive for those kinds of accessories on iPho…

The remote for the new AppleTV is also USB C.

Re: Apple says iPhones will switch to USB-C chargers to comply with new EU law

#112

Post by garblegarble »

postalrat wrote: post #110
jonhohle wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As someone in the Apple ecosystem looking out, I disliked that the 30-pin connector replaced FireWire, but understood it was thinner. That connector then stuck around for around 10 years. Look at nearly every other device manufacturer when the 30-pin connector was being used - Palm, Motorola, Samsung, LG, Sony, etc. all used proprietary connectors that were not only incompatible with each other, but often didn’t work…

Is it even possible to fry a device with the wrong USB c? I thought at worse you get longer charging times or slower data

Astonishingly, yes. There was a big thing a while back with a Googler reviewing USB-C products and highlighting if they were dangerous: https://www.computerworld.com/article/3002159/usb-c-benson-l...

Re: Apple says iPhones will switch to USB-C chargers to comply with new EU law

#113

Post by Havoc »

> Apple’s engineers should be left to come up with a solution

That’s precisely what we’re trying to avoid. Every company coming up with their own version that is definitely totally superior to the other companies’ and thus incompatible

Re: Apple says iPhones will switch to USB-C chargers to comply with new EU law

#114

Post by bonestamp2 »

chomp wrote: post #52
danpalmer wrote: post #19

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…

I stayed at a hotel in Italy a few years ago, and the radio alarm next to the bed _still_ had the 30 pin connector. No doubt that there are probably a ton of people still annoyed at Apple.

Yep, Apple probably wanted to switch to USB-C earlier but you can see why they also wouldn't want the backlash. Now, they can switch to USB-C and also blame the regulators when people are mad, so this is kind of win/win for them.

Re: Apple says iPhones will switch to USB-C chargers to comply with new EU law

#115

Post by izacus »

chroma wrote: post #100
falcolas wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sadly, that is the state of discourse that's coming from the innovation POV. The entire tone of these arguments boils down to an appeal to "common sense" with nothing backing it. And, as repeatedly pointed out, it's not like the EU is preemptively stifling all potential replacements. They're explicitly carving room in the laws for those replacements when they're ready.

It stifles innovation because anyone who wants to use a new connector has to lobby some EU bureaucrats. How long have we had to click through cookie consent popups on every website? You’d think the EU would be able to update their laws to fix something so simple and annoying. I expect their phone connector standards to be administered with similar competence.

Except that the regulation doesn't do any such thing (the USB-C mandate will expire automatically after a few years) and the innovation angle is just bloviating from people who haven't read the regulation and need a desperate need to defend their rich mega corporation.

Re: Apple says iPhones will switch to USB-C chargers to comply with new EU law

#116

Post by izacus »

shtopointo wrote: post #80
andsoitis wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I’m glad the WSJ is covering that but have you checked energy prices in Europe when compared to last year? 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 s…

You've literally gotten a link about how EU is actively working on exactly what you want.

And fixing the anticompetitiveness of Apple at once. Efficiency!

Re: Apple says iPhones will switch to USB-C chargers to comply with new EU law

#118

Post by sbuk »

riobard wrote: post #91
danpalmer wrote: post #19

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…

If resentment from rendering existing accessories obsolete due to changing connectors is the root cause of the delay, maybe Apple has been secretly waiting for the EU legislation so it can deflect the blame? e.g. "it's EU forcing our hands so we have to change."

I think this is exactly what is going on. The last change saw a few long threads here decrying Apple as the AntiChrist for daring to make the change, and arguing for Micro USB, which was and remains a bad standard.

Re: Apple says iPhones will switch to USB-C chargers to comply with new EU law

#119

Post by jefftk »

garblegarble wrote: post #112
postalrat wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it even possible to fry a device with the wrong USB c? I thought at worse you get longer charging times or slower data

Astonishingly, yes. There was a big thing a while back with a Googler reviewing USB-C products and highlighting if they were dangerous: https://www.computerworld.com/article/3002159/usb-c-benson-l...

It's not astonishing that not following the spec can lead to things getting fried, though? Splice a mains jack onto a USB cable and you'll see some smoke too ;)

But I agree that the level of incorrect implementation was shockingly high initially. Luckily it's much better now!

Re: Apple says iPhones will switch to USB-C chargers to comply with new EU law

#120

Post by zimpenfish »

yreg wrote: post #77
orra wrote: post #8

Honestly, I'm kinda surprised Apple isn't switching to USB Type-C... but only in the EU.

That would double the amount of iPhone models they need to manufacture and sell. It might happen, but Apple likes thin product lines.

> That would double the amount of iPhone models they need to manufacture and sell.

Aren't they already doing that with the US iPhone 14 models now having no SIM tray vs the rest of the world with SIM trays?

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