I’m somewhat surprised Apple is doing this. I 100% thought they would abandon any sort of connector and go completely wireless.
Apple says iPhones will switch to USB-C chargers to comply with new EU law
131–140 of 482 posts
Re: Apple says iPhones will switch to USB-C chargers to comply with new EU law
#132It's especially ironic that Apple had to be forced to use usb-c since they were the first to adopt Thunderbolt and they use usb-c/thunderbolt in all their laptops and newer iPads. Seems they held on to Lightning connectors simply to sell more cables (or maybe spite).
Re: Apple says iPhones will switch to USB-C chargers to comply with new EU law
#133Earlier quoted context omitted.
no you're not. sturdier, clicks in better and doesn't wear down the same way. and im not even a apple fan/user.
You've never had a bad connection with Lightning? Every Lightning cable I've ever had has two pins that have become blackened due to frequent arcing. And the "click" is dependent on the quality of the cable. USB-C cables from Apple click in exactly the same as their Lightning cables, for example.
+1 to this behavior. Did not know it was from arcing. I have lots of cables of the years that have that signature black pin. Very annoying.
Re: Apple says iPhones will switch to USB-C chargers to comply with new EU law
#134It'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…
My MacBooks would like a word. The Magsave cable changes every few years, regardless of outside forces. None of the ‘older’ ones fit my newer MacBooks…
Re: Apple says iPhones will switch to USB-C chargers to comply with new EU law
#135Earlier quoted context omitted.
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.
> Except that the regulation doesn't do any such thing (the USB-C mandate will expire automatically after a few years)
The precedence has been set.
> 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.
lol dude, aside from your clear lack of knowledge in economics - you're never going to learn anything with that attitude.
Re: Apple says iPhones will switch to USB-C chargers to comply with new EU law
#136Earlier quoted context omitted.
All I expect out of a USB-C cord shipped by apple with my phone is the ability to charge (which is what I get with an iPad, which uses USB-C). I'd love to expect more, but a Thunderbolt cable is stupidly expensive and not worth including by default. Standardization around the markings and marketing for USB-C cables would be f'ing awesome. But I'll take this win regardless.
It’s not Apple that you have to worry about not supporting the full spec - they already do with USB C iPads. It’s the Android manufacturers and your local convenience store. Meaning it is still “contributing to ewaste” when you can’t use your old USB C cords to get all of the functionality that is part of the USB C spec. This is yet another example of EU regulators not thinking through their proposals — see also the…
> see also the GDPR whose only consequence is a bunch of cookie pop ups.
well that's just wrong.
Re: Apple says iPhones will switch to USB-C chargers to comply with new EU law
#137Earlier quoted context omitted.
The remote for the new AppleTV is also USB C.
I have the latest Apple TV 4K, and it still uses the Lightning connector to charge the remote.
The newest Apple TV, announced earlier this month, uses USB-C for the remote. https://www.apple.com/apple-tv-4k/specs/
Re: Apple says iPhones will switch to USB-C chargers to comply with new EU law
#138It'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…
Something I found interesting when discussing this with my wife.. All my friends are tech heads and champing at the bit to have usb-c in their iPhones. But when she asked me why people were mad about the switch to usb-c it took me by surprise. Then she showed me a lot of online responses from non technical people who see the change of port as annoying and wasteful because now all their stuff won’t work without adapte…
I know many people that mentally only perceive connectors as "the iphone cable" and "the android cable". The "Android cable" could be anything from micro-usb to usb-c to old propietary connectors of old nokia and motorola.
To this people this change effectively removes what's familiar and understood for something unknown, but I think it will still be for the better if eventually they will only perceive it as "the cable" that just works with pretty much anything.
Re: Apple says iPhones will switch to USB-C chargers to comply with new EU law
#139Earlier quoted context omitted.
Two key differences vs last time: 1. As you mentioned, most accessories have moved to wireless. I still (usually) use a physical cable for charging, and I guess I have a 3.5mm dongle, but I think those are the only two things I've plugged into my iPhone in years. Docks with a physical port, in particular, were super popular 10+ years ago and don't really exist anymore. People won't be throwing away speakers. 2. They…
> 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…
> ”The number of people who care about standardizing on USB-C are definitely less than the vocal folks who will now complain loudly that Apple just forced them to buy a whole bunch of expensive new cables.”
I don’t think that’s true. Even hard core iPhone users likely already have multiple USB-C devices and cables, and the existing chargers are already USB (A or C) and will continue to work just fine. Apple does still include a charge cable in the iPhone box.
It’s not like the old days when people were invested into all kinds of accessories with 30-pin connectors. Most people just don’t care that much about a few Lightning cables and will be glad to rid of them.
Re: Apple says iPhones will switch to USB-C chargers to comply with new EU law
#140It'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…
Consideration of cost and product volume are big here.
Not nearly so many people are affected by PSU and motherboard specs as they are phone connectors.