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Macs can now inform Apple if any liquids have been detected in the USB-C ports

9to5mac.com

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Re: Macs can now inform Apple if any liquids have been detected in the USB-C ports

#281

Post by smaudet »

crote wrote: post #241
tgv wrote: post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Me with an analog headphone?

The problem is that it's a rather confusing Alt Mode. Basically, it's only supposed to be used for USB-C-to-3.5mm adapters, and it was only implemented by some smartphones. It's not a reliable way to get audio out of a USB-C port, and because it's using the internal DAC the audio quality isn't going to be good anyways. The proper solution is to use a USB DAC. This provides the same user experience but it actually wor…

For an iPhone...

Unless I'm misunderstanding the mode, there could be uses to get audio out of a USB port that don't involve phones...

Re: Macs can now inform Apple if any liquids have been detected in the USB-C ports

#282

Post by c0n5pir4cy »

disillusioned wrote: post #79
jeanlucas wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dumb question: wouldn't non-conductive liquids be harmless? i.e., the USB port can in theory work even if it is immersed in some non-conductive liquid, no?

Sure, this is the same principle of, eg, the mineral oil cooled PC: https://www.pugetsystems.com/mineral-oil-pc/

Also some companies like 3M actually make a collection of liquids specifically for immersion cooling in data centres, so it's mature enough that people are happy to use it even in a data centre setting.

Re: Macs can now inform Apple if any liquids have been detected in the USB-C ports

#283

Post by smaudet »

macNchz wrote: post #257
chongli wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you live in a hot, humid climate? I think a lot of those water alarm stickers show false positives if people move from a cold, air conditioned place to the humid outdoors. Condensation is unavoidable unless you wrap the laptop in fairly airtight bag every time you go out.

I am certain that many people have been denied warranty claims because they live in cold climates and visit indoor swimming pools regularly (coaches/lifeguards/spectators etc). The condensation in that situation is impressive.

I came here to point this out - sounds like a class action lawsuit waiting to happen.

Whenever there is a 'detection' method it's almost never foolproof and usually pretty junk.

For me at least, add it to the list of reasons why "never Apple", dirty broken process by another corrupt tech company.

Re: Macs can now inform Apple if any liquids have been detected in the USB-C ports

#284

Post by Nextgrid »

crote wrote: post #241
tgv wrote: post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Me with an analog headphone?

The problem is that it's a rather confusing Alt Mode. Basically, it's only supposed to be used for USB-C-to-3.5mm adapters, and it was only implemented by some smartphones. It's not a reliable way to get audio out of a USB-C port, and because it's using the internal DAC the audio quality isn't going to be good anyways. The proper solution is to use a USB DAC. This provides the same user experience but it actually wor…

Why is it confusing or bad? Sure, it sacrifices a data line pair, but the same can be said of DisplayPort Alt Mode - if you want 4K@60Hz on DP 1.2 you need to sacrifice USB3.0.

The ability to make this tradeoff should be up to the user.

Re: Macs can now inform Apple if any liquids have been detected in the USB-C ports

#285

Post by 2OEH8eoCRo0 »

kayodelycaon wrote: post #259
dathinab wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are _still_ some "new" macbooks sold which only support 1 external monitor. Which honestly would have been ridiculous 10 years ago not even speaking about now. Then even with a newest M3 model apples somehow assumes that external monitors with less resolution then 6k don't exist hence anything but MAX models only supports 2 external monitors even if they are all 1080p. Through to be fair 3+ external monitor set…

The limitation on the number of external monitors is due to the number of display controllers on the chip. Apparently they take up a considerable amount of space on the die. The base M chips only have 2. They made a technical trade off that we are all paying for. It is unlikely they will ever fix it. :( Daisy chaining monitors via thunderbolt has always had problems since it came out. Some monitors just don’t play ni…

It's not a benchmark to bludgeon PC users with so nobody cares.

My Thinkpad from 2013 supports 3 external displays.

Re: Macs can now inform Apple if any liquids have been detected in the USB-C ports

#286

Post by pixl97 »

ipython wrote: post #280
jtbayly wrote: post #240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I keep trying to conjure stories for how this happened. My favorite is that you were lying passed out in a gutter all night with water rushing over you. And the phone. But you only mentioned the phone. lol. How is your warranty doing? ;-)

Ha. Not the parent but most likely it fell out of their pocket while on the roof - perhaps cleaning said gutters - and wasn’t noticed until later. I did something similar many years ago with a Motorola razr phone. I was digging trenches for an irrigation system. I checked for my phone a day later and had no idea where it went. My best guess is that it fell out of my pocket and into the trench, which was subsequently…

In some places they call the the concrete curb that water flows down to a river or a stream a gutter, that sounds more like the usage in this case.

Re: Macs can now inform Apple if any liquids have been detected in the USB-C ports

#287

Post by digitalsin »

Kind of tired of things like this dropping into our software and no one really knows definitively what it is, what it's for, how it might be used, etc. My mac is mine, I paid handsomely for it, I'd like Apple to treat it like it is mine.

It's like someone walking into your house and installing a little block box in the corner of the room and walking out, and maybe later on they'll let you know what they're doing with this device but maybe not.

This will be my last mac unfortunately, which is a pity because I do love the hardware.

Re: Macs can now inform Apple if any liquids have been detected in the USB-C ports

#288

Post by indymike »

aplummer wrote: post #131
gmac wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you sell a device as waterproof and then it gets damaged by water, that’s obviously a fault: it wasn’t waterproof like it was meant to be.

Who is selling a waterproof phone. Because it’s not Apple.

My iPhone 15 was advertised as meeting IP68 under IEC standard 60529 (maximum depth of 6 meters up to 30 minutes) and Apple even publishes a handy list of their products and how water resistant/proof they are:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/108039

> Because it’s not Apple.

It is.

Re: Macs can now inform Apple if any liquids have been detected in the USB-C ports

#289

Post by rangestransform »

throwaway2037 wrote: post #163
Dalewyn wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And Sony Xperias still come with headphone jacks today[1] after they tried Apple'ing for a couple models and got laughed at. [1]: https://www.sony.com/electronics/support/mobile-phones-table...

Real question / No trolling: I feel like I am the last living human who still uses the headphone jack. When I walk around my city, I see almost zero other people using it. They using wireless earbuds. I avoid wireless earbuds to avoid yet-another-battery-to-be-charged. Is this true for other HNers also?

- airpods are considerably more convenient than wrapping and unwrapping a cable every time i want to listen to music - a cable also conducts sounds into my ears when the cable is jostled by clothing or while running - nobody makes ANC wired in ears - i just throw my airpods case on my apple watch charger when im at my desk, i basically don't worry about charging

Re: Macs can now inform Apple if any liquids have been detected in the USB-C ports

#290

Post by rangestransform »

bluescrn wrote: post #279
throwaway2037 wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Real question / No trolling: I feel like I am the last living human who still uses the headphone jack. When I walk around my city, I see almost zero other people using it. They using wireless earbuds. I avoid wireless earbuds to avoid yet-another-battery-to-be-charged. Is this true for other HNers also?

Nobody really cares about audio quality any more. I used to, but I realised that my mid-40s ears are now the limiting factor, so I might as well have the convenience of wireless. The real problem isn't 'another device to charge' though, it's battery degradation and the wasteful, disposable nature of Airpods.

there are wireless in ears with replaceable batteries (notably, the sony WF1000XM_ series), they just have a considerably worse form factor and a comparatively dogshit software experience while competing at the same price point as airpods pro
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