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The EU made Apple adopt new Wi-Fi standards, and now Android can support AirDrop

arstechnica.com

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Re: The EU made Apple adopt new Wi-Fi standards, and now Android can support AirDrop

#241

Post by isodev »

pjc50 wrote: post #229
Longhanks wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "essential public infrastructure" If people wanted these devices and services to be public infrastructure, they should be developed and maintained using public funds.

Once something becomes so widely used that almost everyone has one, the public interest is involved. In the same way that cars are essential public infrastructure and have to comply with public safety standards, interoperable fuel nozzles, etc.

Indeed, especially with heavy vertical integration - when a company is both the phone, the tv, the tablet, the music, the headphones, the watch, the glasses, etc... they all become subject to the expectation that I as a citizen can change my mind and pickup a different brand of glasses and be able to move my data or use it with my phone of choice.

Re: The EU made Apple adopt new Wi-Fi standards, and now Android can support AirDrop

#242

Post by systemtest »

monocasa wrote: post #188
vineyardmike wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple said from the day that they made lightning cables that it would be supported for 10 years. They literally contractually guaranteed that to third party manufacturers in exchange for them creating a massive availability of cables for Apple users. The EU “forced them” to switch to the standard they helped develop (USB C) on the 11th year after developing lighting. I’m sure it was all the EUs doing.

I haven't seen Apple say anything like that, all I saw were analysts saying that Apple's long term commitment to the format meant that you could expect a decade or so of lifetime like the previous 30pin connector. Do you have a citation for what you're saying?

Phil Schiller announced Lightning as the modern connector for the next decade back in September 2012 during the release of the iPhone 5.

Re: The EU made Apple adopt new Wi-Fi standards, and now Android can support AirDrop

#243

Post by fennecfoxy »

dijit wrote: post #59
lsaferite wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Plastic dental picks work great for cleaning USB-C ports.

just don’t apply too much pressure or the center segment can bend over time, becoming weak and prone to potentially snapping off. It happened to me at least.

I've never had an issue with this with Samsung. Hell, I don't think I've even cleaned out lint once on my current S24U over a couple years. Idk how you other people are brutalising your phones tho.

Re: The EU made Apple adopt new Wi-Fi standards, and now Android can support AirDrop

#244

Post by gruturo »

stephen_g wrote: post #153
usrnm wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple also helped develop USB C more than a decade ago, they still had to be forced to actually use it in their phones. There is no contradiction here

That did turn a huge number of chargers and accessories into e-waste though...

You know you can get a lightning-to-C adapter for very little, right? Here you go, under $2 each: https://www.amazon.com/Lightning-Adapter-Charging-Transfer-C... (probably under $1 each if you have the patience to look for them in other sites)

And a lot of chargers don't have a cable built-in, they just have a USB-A or -C port - so it's just a matter of replacing the cable. But - again, if you'd rather not do even that, you're welcome to keep using your old cable with a USB-C converter

Re: The EU made Apple adopt new Wi-Fi standards, and now Android can support AirDrop

#245

Post by fennecfoxy »

amaccuish wrote: post #212

Next up please do streaming. Chromecast seems so locked down so take AirPlay and make it a standard. Then instead of just opening up NFC, make Google and Apple Wallet support plugins, so users can have one interface with all their cards but not tied to one payment system.

>Chromecast seems so locked down so take AirPlay and make it a standard

Weird thing to say given that AirPlay is also locked down as well...they're both the same. But I agree with the overall sentiment; a common wireless streaming standard would be amazing. It would mean I can use more devices to throw Samsung DEX at.

Hell, if all monitors/TVs/displays came with basic "receive a standard stream from wifi" support that would be so great for consumers, reduces friction so much.

Re: The EU made Apple adopt new Wi-Fi standards, and now Android can support AirDrop

#246

Post by cbeach »

shevy-java wrote: post #130

The more tragic thing is that the US government really does not care about consumers in general - otherwise they would have ensured standards even for the big megacorporations to adhere to.

And the consequences? The World's favourite technology is designed by Americans in America by America-headquarted companies. And then the rest of the world buys it and loves it.

The UK has ARM. The Netherlands has ASML. But those are B2B suppliers. Europe, with it's regulatory overreach, has very few consumer technology companies of any consequence

Re: The EU made Apple adopt new Wi-Fi standards, and now Android can support AirDrop

#247

Post by fennecfoxy »

bigyabai wrote: post #89
notepad0x90 wrote: post #81

Look, I don't like some of the things the EU is doing and I think Apple should consider (along with other tech companies) selling products tailed to the EU, Asia and rest of the world. In the long-run, it might be cheaper. That said, they are setting a good example of legislating for tech. We should be doing a lot of that here in the US. I don't need a bulletproof, ultra-secure, end-to-end encrypted, formally verifie…

> it should come up with a better alternative and leave iPhone users wondering why Android's solution is faster and works at greater distances. Same with iMessage compatibility. Okay, so, why don't we see competition in places where it matters, like Airdrop, iMessage and the App Store? The answer seems to be pretty simple, to me; Apple considers themselves above competition. It doesn't matter if a superior system exi…

>Okay, so, why don't we see competition in places where it matters, like Airdrop, iMessage and the App Store?

Honestly, because Apple has always had the major advantage of being one company, whereas and Android market is fragments, with both prod and cons. That Samsung competes decently with Apple because they've created kind of their own ecosystem shows exactly why it is important to regular interoperability and prevent walled garden behaviours.

Otherwise we'll end up with just Apple/Samsung. Or perhaps even just Apple...which I know the cult will argue would be a great thing.

It's the same everywhere; countries with a 2 party political system always experience huge problems because of it.

Re: The EU made Apple adopt new Wi-Fi standards, and now Android can support AirDrop

#248

Post by sillyfluke »

dzonga wrote: post #150

the real kick to the teeth for apple is when they will be forced to adopt different browser engines across all markets. btw safari is a fine browser but on iOS it seems crippled a bit. we are already getting there with support for web-gpu.

>btw safari is a fine browser but on iOS it seems crippled a bit.

it's not a fine browser if laymen have to update the OS just to get a new browser update.

Re: The EU made Apple adopt new Wi-Fi standards, and now Android can support AirDrop

#249

Post by noname120 »

Has already been possible for a while: https://github.com/aylishime/WarpShare

The trick is that it doesn’t use AWDL: macOS (but not iOS) also supports AirDrop via local network, although it’s not enabled by default: https://github.com/vinint/MoKee-WarpShare/issues/3#issuecomm...

Re: The EU made Apple adopt new Wi-Fi standards, and now Android can support AirDrop

#250

Post by cesarb »

yearolinuxdsktp wrote: post #75
KK7NIL wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> USB-C is a worse mechanical connector for a device plugged in thousands of times over its lifetime. USB-C connectors are usually rated for 10k cycles. Do you have any evidence that lighting connectors are rated for more cycles than that? > The female port of a USB-C connector has a relatively fragile center blade. Lightning's layout was the opposite which makes it more robust and easier to clean. This is very weak…

The 10K cycle insertion rating for USB-C is an idealized metric that does not include lateral force, torque, device movement, or real-world wear patterns. These non-axial forces are a known cause of USB-C port failures and are explicitly not accounted for in the standard 10k-cycle durability claim. USB-C center tongue female design means that the port will break before the cable. With lightning, the cable plug takes…

> USB-C center tongue female design means that the port will break before the cable. With lightning, the cable plug takes all the stress.

Are you sure it's the center tongue which takes all the stress, and not the round shell?

AFAIK, USB-C is designed so that the cable breaks before the port, because the parts which wear the most with use (the contact and retention springs) are in the cable, not on the device.

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