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Apple may have to abandon Lightning connector cable

bbc.com

141–150 of 156 posts

Re: Apple may have to abandon Lightning connector cable

#141
post #19

Does anyone know if there's any merit to Apple's claim that USB-C isn't compatible with the iPhone's slim dimensions? (From the article: "Apple insisted that its slimmer devices would be unable to fit the then-new USB-C technology ...") Just looking at the tech specs for the iPhone 11 (lightning) [1] versus iPad Pro (USB-C) [2], the former is actually thicker at 8.3 mm compared to 5.9 mm, and yet the iPad Pro can hav…

You'd have to compare volume (not just thickness). iPhones are way smaller, so the difference is more significant than in an iPad.

Exacerbating the issue, the quote is likely from a time when Apple was still pushing for 3D touch on the iPhone, but not the iPad. Meaning the iPhone would have had less volume and more to fit inside the case.

Re: Apple may have to abandon Lightning connector cable

#142
post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cheaper and/or better products in the future that can't use USB C to deliver the same product at that price/performance. For example say I have a small Oh no, I can't do that because the government says I can't. Like OP said if it bothers you don't buy it. That's the market working for you. Diversity is good for the market and connectors aren't one size fits all, no regulation will change that.

> I'm going to put this gadget in an environment where people might knock the cable out so I'm going to use a different connector with a latching mechanism to prevent the cable from coming loose. Lockable USB C connectors exist. Why do you think these would be banned? https://uk.farnell.com/neutrik/nmc-c-hr/usb-c-chassis-with-r...

The point is future use cases might not be covered by USB C today and it's not the role of government to dictate which components I select for my design. This was just an example.

fwiw the latch on those things is pretty terrible. What if I needed something like a Speak-On connector which twists? Can't do that with USB-C.

Re: Apple may have to abandon Lightning connector cable

#143
post #19

Does anyone know if there's any merit to Apple's claim that USB-C isn't compatible with the iPhone's slim dimensions? (From the article: "Apple insisted that its slimmer devices would be unable to fit the then-new USB-C technology ...") Just looking at the tech specs for the iPhone 11 (lightning) [1] versus iPad Pro (USB-C) [2], the former is actually thicker at 8.3 mm compared to 5.9 mm, and yet the iPad Pro can hav…

You can't make a determination of connector dimensions based on device specs, because they're not strongly correlated. The simplest explanation is that Lightning came out before USB-C did, and Apple did not want to risk another PR backlash from getting everyone to move to it after they'd just switched from the 30-pin connector cable.

That's not as simple as "they make more money when you have to buy their peripherals"

Re: Apple may have to abandon Lightning connector cable

#144
post #51

Isn't the issue that Apple charges 3rd party manufacturers a licensing fee to use their proprietary designs? This raises antitrust issues (using dominance in one market to control another market).

> This raises antitrust issues (using dominance in one market to control another market).

No it doesn’t. Patents are a explicitly a time-limited, government-granted monopoly on a particular innovation.

Patents were originally established to create a financial reward which encourages investment and invention. Patents are often abused of course, but incentivizing the creation of an innovative tiny and durable connector is exactly what a patent is designed to do.

Re: Apple may have to abandon Lightning connector cable

#145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my experience, the connector has never been implicated in a failing Lightning cable; it’s always been the cable itself. By contrast, the average lifespan of a micro USB cable in my household is a couple months, before the connectors themselves get bent beyond repair.

I don't know how much you abuse cables but I never had a USB cable fail. I understand there's a variable quality of cables out there but failing after 2 months sounds exaggerated

I've had exactly one USB cable fail: a cheap Type-C cable that shorted near one of the ends and let out a nice stinky puff of magic smoke. Thankfully my phone survived unharmed.

Re: Apple may have to abandon Lightning connector cable

#146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Constantly? Like, twice in twenty years?

I stand by my comment. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CCDDwR2x9k0

So besides lightning and the 40 pin connection, what else in that video is a proprietary Apple connector?

Re: Apple may have to abandon Lightning connector cable

#147
post #9
post #6

To everyone that thinks no ports, Qi only iPhones are the future. What if you want to use your phone while it chargers? Charge your phone in the car? I think we are another 10 years at least from having a device that could last long enough off a single charge to warrant occasionally leaving it on a pad over night as the main charging method.

My car has an option for a built in Qi charger. It’s in the spot you normally put your phone anyway. That being said, how would you service a portless phone? There would be no more DFU mode.

Really poorly secured wireless interfaces that can be hijacked by 3LAs.

Re: Apple may have to abandon Lightning connector cable

#148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know how much you abuse cables but I never had a USB cable fail. I understand there's a variable quality of cables out there but failing after 2 months sounds exaggerated

I've had exactly one USB cable fail: a cheap Type-C cable that shorted near one of the ends and let out a nice stinky puff of magic smoke. Thankfully my phone survived unharmed.

Exactly this, variable quality but it doesn't make usb fragile by design

Re: Apple may have to abandon Lightning connector cable

#150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The craziest thing about the EU pop up is that it's not actually required by law Someone decided to do it and everyone just copied All you need is a link to a page describing your cookie usage

That's not strictly true, unfortunately. Court cases have been brought and won against companies who do not acquire explicit consent from their users when storing information in cookies. Companies then build solutions in reaction to these cases. The law is the ass. Source: https://www.sueddeutsche.de/digital/cookies-eugh-urteil-webs... "Außerdem müssen Nutzer der geplanten Cookie-Nutzung explizit zustimmen. Demnach r…

I think it's a bit more nuanced than that. If the cookies you use are all required for normal operations that benefit the user (e.g. for login), it's fine to not have a popup.
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