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

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

#211

Post by gnicholas »

brundolf wrote: post #107
dagmx wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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…

But even those non-tech people should have some USB-C cables lying around at this point Android phones have used USB-C cables for many years. The Nintendo switch and PS5 controllers use USB-C cables. Chromebooks use USB-C cables. The alarm clock I just bought uses a USB-C cable. My keyboard uses a USB-C cable. Every MacBook made in the last five years (and most iPads sold in the last couple years) uses a USB-C cable.…

> But even those non-tech people should have some USB-C cables lying around at this point

I do have a couple of these, from my old MBP and my iPad Pro. What I don't have many of are USB-C bricks. I have tons of USB-A bricks that work with all of my micro USB devices (wireless keyboard, Beats, bike lights, etc.) and my Lightning devices (iPhone, several iPads, several AirPods).

If all of these devices move over to USB-C and don't include bricks, I'll end up going out and buying half a dozen of them to replace the ones we have around our house currently. We'll also need cables, and in all this will probably cost $100. Not a huge deal, but not something I'm looking forward to shelling out for, especially since there's no gain from my perspective.

> Every MacBook made in the last five years (and most iPads sold in the last couple years) uses a USB-C cable.

Current Apple laptops come with USB-C to MagSafe cables. They are USB-C in the sense that they fit USB-C bricks, but the cable itself (which is very nice/braided, and hopefully will last a long time) is single-purpose. It won't work in anything but an Apple laptop.

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

#212

Post by sdfhbdf »

scelerat wrote: post #205
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…

> Nothing can fix the stupidity of USB-C cables, though What is the stupidity of USB-C cables? Honestly don't know, simply not up on USB or cable technology

In short there is no way of knowing by looking at a USB-C cable or socket what it supports because there is a myriad of standards all using the same connector - USB Power Delivery, USB 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, 4.0, Thunderbolt 3, Thunderbolt 4, DisplayPort over USB

You have to usually measure to know what does the cable support and what speeds and or voltages are possible.

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

#213

Post by eropple »

gnicholas wrote: post #197
gcapu wrote: post #166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just want my Mac and my iPhone to use the same charger. It’s not necessarily about the spending.

And just in time for MagSafe's return...the iPhone will go to USB-C! Of course, you can still charge a Mac over USB-C — it's just not as much of a unification as it seems.

Does MagSafe charging cause a Macbook Pro to heat up in the same way that USB-C charging on the left side of the device does?

When I saw that on my new M1 Max, I assumed so, so I never used it. (Also because I had USB-C charging for everything else...except my iPhone.)

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

#214

Post by willseth »

scelerat wrote: post #205
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…

> Nothing can fix the stupidity of USB-C cables, though What is the stupidity of USB-C cables? Honestly don't know, simply not up on USB or cable technology

USB-C is only a connector spec, and the actual USB protocol it supports could be one of many different versions and options. Or it can be Thunderbolt 3 or 4!

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

#215

Post by gnicholas »

bonestamp2 wrote: post #114
chomp wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

What makes you think they wanted to switch sooner? I get that this gives them cover, but what competitive/cost benefits would they have gained by switching?

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

#216

Post by Marsymars »

MBCook wrote: post #178
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…

> It's sad that it took legislation to make this happen, but I can see why. Did it? Apple moved their last Lightning product (outside of iPhones & their accessories) earlier this week. It seemed pretty clear they were going all USB-C, just on their own timeline. It was already widely expected next year. I bet it would have happened within 2 years if the law wasn’t passed. If all the iPads, or even most of them, were…

> Did it? Apple moved their last Lightning product (outside of iPhones & their accessories) earlier this week.

Apple’s Mac peripheral accessories (keyboard, trackpad, mouse) are still all Lightning.

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

#217

Post by eropple »

gnicholas wrote: post #211
brundolf wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But even those non-tech people should have some USB-C cables lying around at this point Android phones have used USB-C cables for many years. The Nintendo switch and PS5 controllers use USB-C cables. Chromebooks use USB-C cables. The alarm clock I just bought uses a USB-C cable. My keyboard uses a USB-C cable. Every MacBook made in the last five years (and most iPads sold in the last couple years) uses a USB-C cable.…

> But even those non-tech people should have some USB-C cables lying around at this point I do have a couple of these, from my old MBP and my iPad Pro. What I don't have many of are USB-C bricks. I have tons of USB-A bricks that work with all of my micro USB devices (wireless keyboard, Beats, bike lights, etc.) and my Lightning devices (iPhone, several iPads, several AirPods). If all of these devices move over to USB…

> there's no gain from my perspective

Maybe this'll broaden that perspective a little: Apple devices since the iPhone 8 support USB-PD with C-to-Lightning cables now, and it's much faster. Decent USB-C chargers are a noticeable quality-of-life improvement.

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

#218

Post by falcolas »

scarface74 wrote: post #189
lamontcg wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> see also the GDPR whose only consequence is a bunch of cookie pop ups. well that's just wrong.

So exactly what did it accomplish? Did it affect Facebook or Google at all or any adTech company? When ATT was implemented by Apple, many ad tech companies announced it impacted them. You didn’t hear a whisper after the GDPR. Websites just started putting up annoying cookie banners and life continued.

> So exactly what did it accomplish?

https://www.privacyaffairs.com/gdpr-fines/

> Total Amount of GDPR Fines: €2,040,213,207

> Largest Fine: €746,000,000 Amazon Europe Core S.a.r.l. on July 22 , 2021 - Luxembourg

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

#219

Post by nvahalik »

> Joswiak also claimed that the proprietary Lightning cable and the USB-C cable would not exist if Apple had agreed to the EU original demand of using the older Micro USB charging cable which had poor reliability and could easily be damaged.

So... what happens when USB-C no longer makes sense anymore? Will they have to keep using it no matter what? Wait for the law to change?

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

#220

Post by hoorible »

digitalengineer wrote: post #134
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…

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…

MagSafe was introduced in 2006 and has had exactly three iterations. “Every few years” is a bit of a stretch.
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