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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

#341

Post by mortenjorck »

mrtranscendence wrote: post #262
gingerlime wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

is it still a problem?? recently bought a switch and only plugged to the official adapter that came with it, but my first thought was “too bulky” so was wondering if I can use my M1 air USB C charger on the go instead.

I've certainly charged my Switch with the charger and cable that came with my 2018 MacBook Pro, and it never caused an issue. Nor is the Switch in question of particularly new vintage (it's closing in on three years old now).

Apparently it's the voltage output of the charger that matters with the Switch, and the damage is done over time rather than with sparks and smoke: https://www.tomsguide.com/news/nintendo-switch-brick-docks

> To oversimplify things quite a bit: The Switch uses a M92T36M Power Delivery (PD) chip, which isn't quite like anything else on the market. The chip can tolerate six volts of power — and that's it. Docks like Nyko's can provide up to 9V of power, meaning it's only a matter of time until the chip burns out.

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

#342

Post by scarface74 »

mft_ wrote: post #294
lrvick wrote: post #96

As someone that deeply detests Apple and would never give them money, I will admit the lightning connector is superior in durability, inspectability, and safety than USB type C in virtually every way. The real crime here is that Apple insisted on patenting the design and keeping it for only themselves, forcing the rest of the industry to adopt an inferior connector and ultimately force it on them too. Classic Apple.

I think lightning has a much poorer data throughput, though? I seem to remember Apple needing to embed clever video comrpession ICs in their cables to get around this, in cases where it couldn't cope with the data needed for a raw signal?

The first generation iPad Pro with Lightning could transfer over “USB3” speeds.

But most of the cheaper USB C cables only transfer at USB2 speeds.

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

#343

Post by hot_gril »

scarface74 wrote: post #339
hot_gril wrote: post #288

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're skipping how Apple made Lightning a closed standard and charged big royalties for it. I can reasonably point to that licensing as the reason a legitimate Lightning to USB cable costs at least $15 instead of $1.50, cause the latter is how much a good knockoff costs.

And yet I can find one just as good on Amazon for $5. No I also don’t worry about buying gold plated HDMI cables.

If you can find a $5 one that's truly MFi-licensed and not a counterfeit, that's a new thing. They used to always be $15 minimum. Not talking about luxury ones.

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

#344

Post by scarface74 »

adam_arthur wrote: post #296
CharlesW wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Absolutely. If Apple would've switched to USB-C without an EU mandate, they would've received mountains of bad press about the unprecedented amount of e-waste and confusion that will result because of this switch. So they pressured the EU to mandate the change to a standard that Apple helped pioneer, so that Apple's environmentally-friendly record would remain unblemished.

The mountains of e-waste created by keeping around a zombie protocol far exceeds a transition to a widely used and accepted standard. The majority of people with iPhone likely already have USB-C cables anyway, so requires no net new purchase

How many of those users have USB C cables capable of video over USB, USB3 speeds etc?

If the EU were going to “mandate” something, don’t be half assed about it.

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

#345

Post by scarface74 »

geocar wrote: post #179
orra wrote: post #8

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

Don't forget Apple's Lightning patents run out soon. I think rather than ride it alone in the carnage of out-of-spec Lightning kit that would undoubtedly flood the market, getting switched to USB-C (while the customers blame regulators for having to buy new accessories) is probably better for Apple.

You really think Apple applied for a patent for Lightning in 2002? 5 years before the first iPhone and 10 years before the first iPhone that had Lightning?

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

#346

Post by Dylan16807 »

scarface74 wrote: post #333
rootusrootus wrote: post #255

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not only that, but it is not possible to make a do-everything USB-C cable.

Zeus-X Pro 5ft/1.5m Universal... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B093YVRHMB ? - USB A and USB C on one end - micro USB A, Lightning and USB C on the other end - 100W charging - 10Gbps transfer - supports video over USB C These have replaced all of my Lightning cables and most of my USB C cables.

I'd want to see a signal analyzer result at 10Gbps before I trust that speed claim on their 5 foot and 2 meter options.

But even if that's true, that means it can't run at Gen 3 speeds (or Gen 4, which has the same cable requirements).

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

#347

Post by scarface74 »

can16358p wrote: post #191

While I'm against forcing a company to use a specific connector (especially Apple where every millimeter counts), I think this was way overdue because of terribly slow USB 2.0 speeds even on "Pro" models that shoot ProRes and 48MP raws.

You realize that nowhere in the “mandate” are any speed requirements and most cheap USB C cords only support USB2 speeds?

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

#348

Post by scarface74 »

jyrkesh wrote: post #145
renewiltord wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thank fuck they didn't because otherwise we would have ended up with the shitty mini USB crap. Apple has been the one company making progress on stuff: - no floppy - no optical - no shitty as mini or micro USB - no Flash Each time people whined about the fact that they "didn't use what everyone else does" and each time they were right.

I'd say the one exception here is removing the headphone jack. I'm still really salty about that one. Even as a Pixel owner...the downstream ecosystem effect was everyone removing the headphone jack. And most Android phones didn't even get the waterproofing benefits! Bluetooth just STILL isn't there from a reliability perspective. Even with the latest Gen 2 AirPods, I talk to friends who continue have sporadic stuff…

You know there are:

- usb C headphones

- Lightning headphones

- lightning to Audio adapters

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

#349

Post by scarface74 »

hot_gril wrote: post #343
scarface74 wrote: post #339

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And yet I can find one just as good on Amazon for $5. No I also don’t worry about buying gold plated HDMI cables.

If you can find a $5 one that's truly MFi-licensed and not a counterfeit, that's a new thing. They used to always be $15 minimum. Not talking about luxury ones.

And why do I care about a “license”?

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

#350

Post by dagmx »

grey-area wrote: post #274
jonahrd wrote: post #268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "they're always changing their cables". It's obviously not true, Last year Apple switched from USB-C charging to a new MagSafe charger on M1 Macbooks. USB-C was first introduced in 2018, moving away from the old MagSafe design. These are a very recent changes, so I'd say this still applies.

Thankfully they do still charge on the USB port but yes it does seem odd they didn’t just give customers another usbc port instead.

MagSafe has a lot of benefits. High wattage before the latest high wattage usb-c came out, and easily disconnects which is great for laptops.

Seriously , I’ve seen it save so many laptops in its current and prior generations.

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