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EU sends Apple stark warning over USB-C charging on new iPhones

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Re: EU sends Apple stark warning over USB-C charging on new iPhones

#681

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Seems like a problem with Pfizer exploiting its monopoly position to hold public health hostage as much as bureaucrats choosing to have a signed contract with an overly-generous safety margin over getting the best possible price over some unknown timeframe.

Pfizer didn't have a monopoly!

They had a combination of pharmaceutical expertise and manufacturing capacity that made it easier for them to play hardball than it was for Moderna or Janssen. Substitute 'market power' for monopoly if you prefer, my point is that they were pursuing their own economic interests while negotiating deals so they share responsibility with the public officials for the outcome.

Re: EU sends Apple stark warning over USB-C charging on new iPhones

#682
post #639

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Why? It's small, reasonably robust, easy to connect. The first time I got a USB-C device I was shocked at how elegant and well-engineered the connection felt. As consumer devices go, it's great. For context, I was a pro sound engineer in the film industry for many years, so I have lots of experience with industrial grade connectors and operating in hostile environmental conditions from heavy rain/marine environments…

Micro usb not C. The directional connector that gets crushed if you look at it funny.

My mistake, sorry for the confusion.

Re: EU sends Apple stark warning over USB-C charging on new iPhones

#683

I recently bought an Apple TV. It's a great device, but comes with a remote that's USB-C charged. That's fine except that it doesn't come with a USB-C cable, nor does the device have a USB port that could be used for charging the remote. So I ended up having to buy a third party USB charger and cable (I just don't have that much USB-C stuff laying around). That pissed me off and I wasn't shy about, politely, letting…

Apple should push Lightning iPhones onto UK for next 20 years just to piss brits off.

That wouldn't work.

Anyone from the GB wanting a USB-C iPhone could just pop across to Ireland (including Northern Ireland - it being in the UK but following EU SM rules), buy one, and take it in to GB.

Re: EU sends Apple stark warning over USB-C charging on new iPhones

#684

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You're missing the point. It's not that Lightning is bad, it's probably great (I don't have any iThings to compare). But left to themselves, it's entirely plausible that Apple will just abandon it in a few years in favor of some exciting new technology called Laser or Quantum or Telluric. Sure, people will complain, but they'll upgrade because there are some other great new features on the iPhone 17, plus clinging to…

Apple has had fewer connectors than the USB standards. USB for small devices like phones has gone: Proprietary -> Mini -> Micro -> USB-C In the same timespan apple has gone: 30-pin -> Lightning

Yes, but USB connectors are spread across an entire universe of devices, Apple connectors are proprietary.

Re: EU sends Apple stark warning over USB-C charging on new iPhones

#685
post #653
post #220

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The law explicitly states that it has to be reviewed every couple of years to determine whether USB-C it is still the best choice, or there has been sufficient technological progress to warrant a switch to a newer standard. The fear for a "lock-in" is completely unfounded, as the EU previously quasi-mandated Micro USB and switching to USB-C was no issue whatsoever. Besides, nothing is stopping manufacturers from incl…

"The law explicitly states that it has to be reviewed every couple of years to determine whether USB-C it is still the best choice" How a better alternative will created if you can't put it on any device to make it popular.

You can look beyond "popular", create something significantly better than current tech and then convince other actors to phase out all their existing chargers in favor of it.

Re: EU sends Apple stark warning over USB-C charging on new iPhones

#686

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The lightning cable has whatever you want on the other end. The only thing needed is a cable. I only want 1 port on my phone. I don't really care what that port is. I'm very uncomfortable with government mandated ports.

I only want 1 port on my phone. OK, just buy phones with one port. I think you're just experiencing FOMO because it's possible that you could end up with a port that's not The Best or having to buy a less aesthetic phone.

I think I'm experiencing uncalled for government regulation. I would rather have no port change in the next 10 years. I'm not asking for change the EU is.

Re: EU sends Apple stark warning over USB-C charging on new iPhones

#687

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When apple switched to lightning way back there was a huge outrage over “forced obsolescence” and “cash grab” making people buy new cables and other devices, as there was a huge number of docks and other devices in the wild since the switch to lightning there is an even larger number of devices and docks all designed around lightning and very few of their customers wanted or asked for usb-c It’s no surprise that for…

since the switch to lightning there is an even larger number of devices and docks all designed around lightning and very few of their customers wanted or asked for usb-c Data? I live in an Apple bubble (friends, family, myself included) and most of them wished that the iPhone used USB-C, everything else uses USB-C (iPad included). The silliest time was (and lasted pretty long) when if you bought a new MacBook and a n…

and most people i know in my apple bubble just don't really care and a number of them have lightning devices/docks and are not looking forward having to find/pay for replacements.

not gonna argue it isn't silly, it is, just that there is over a decade of lightning devices out there that will now become e-waste and good chance apple was trying to avoid taking the heat for forcing the change onto users. Now they get to blame the EU.

devices like https://www.flir.com/products/flir-one-gen-3/ - a 200$ device - will now have to be replaced when moving to the usb-c iphone.

Re: EU sends Apple stark warning over USB-C charging on new iPhones

#688

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> the goal is to have industry-wide discussion on adopting new standards for everyone. That’s not part of the regulation whatsoever > If the industry will decide that USB-C isn't enough they will revise the standard. But the industry doesn’t come together and pick a standard. The EU did. The closest industries came to picking a standard were freely choosing from many different formats that emerged. Imagine what it wo…

"Imagine what it would take for the executives at Apple, Samsung, Motorola, etc. to come together and all agree on some new format that perhaps one of them developed. Now consider that the EU would still have to approve it. The conclusion made from that Herculean effort might just be null and void." The EU does not really care on the standard and does not judge the technical decision - it cares about that there is on…

The EU is the final arbiter. Top phone companies all agreeing on a new standard does not change the regulation. And even so, that just sounds like regulatory capture.

Re: EU sends Apple stark warning over USB-C charging on new iPhones

#689

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The law explicitly states that it has to be reviewed every couple of years to determine whether USB-C it is still the best choice, or there has been sufficient technological progress to warrant a switch to a newer standard. But under these rules, wouldn’t that necessitate that a new standard develops and becomes the more popular one despite not being used because it can’t be sold in all the places that ban non USB…

> it can’t be sold in all the places that ban non USB C? How would you imagine that happening? The same way it happened for microusb->usb-C. Think of the law as more of a "get along shirt" applied to misbehaving kids/companies than a specific ban/enforcement. The big players can still decide on a new standard and start using it. The process would be something like this: someone has a need that usb-C connector can't s…

The EU did not ban the sale of non micro usb devices.

Re: EU sends Apple stark warning over USB-C charging on new iPhones

#690

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In keeping in line with your stance, I hope that you are also uncomfortable with the government mandating your power sockets, your lightbulb plugs, the 120V/240 running through your power lines, the pipings running through your house, the bands used by phones, and much more. That, or you could accept that USBC is fine and that there is absolutely no needed improvement that cannot be done in the form of USB-C. Slappin…

Ah the good old "if you are in favor of a government regulation, you ought to be in favor of all government regulations!" fallacy By your own logic, you couldn't oppose the government forcing every GPU to have a VGA port, or every NVMe drive to have a sata port because hey do you also oppose standardizing 240v???

Thank you for making the perfect argument! My GPU does in fact have a VGA port. Also an HDMI, and a DisplayPort. See how that works ? The government does not mandate that there will be only one USBC port and nothing else. If you want to play with Thunderfire v5 Turbo Proprietary Edition, feel free to!

Just slap in a USBC too.

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