Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

forbes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

311–320 of 482 posts

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

#311

Post by giantg2 »

PNWChris wrote: post #290
jamiek88 wrote: post #272

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Toothpick. Clean port. That has saved almost every iPhone people bring me that’wont charge’. Every other one Apple has fixed for free as some internal solder has failed. But that was twice in about 50 cases. (I do free/volunteer tech support for old peoples homes)

Another possible issue: arcing/stuff burning on to one of the lightning pins. IDK why it happens, it’s probably lint or something, but it’s easy enough to mitigate: If a cable stops working all the sudden, the first thing I do is wet my fingers and rub both sides of the lightning cable’s connector. Most of the time that does the trick, no new cable or tools needed! An example of the issue I found searching the issue…

Yep, there's definitely a scorch mark. I already tried cleaning it and the port. It intermittently works and seems to depend on which way the cable is plugged in (still intermittent but better; other cables are usually better but still intermittent).

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

#312

Post by hot_gril »

dagmx wrote: post #48
danpalmer wrote: post #19

It's sad that it took legislation to make this happen, but I can see why. I worked in a pseudo-Apple-store during the height of the 30-pin dock connector and I sold so many cases, speaker docks, charging cables, and all sorts of weird accessories that were built for the 30-pin connector. Then Apple switched to Lightning. It was better in every. single. way. And yet people got burnt. There was so much hardware that wa…

Something I found interesting when discussing this with my wife.. All my friends are tech heads and champing at the bit to have usb-c in their iPhones. But when she asked me why people were mad about the switch to usb-c it took me by surprise. Then she showed me a lot of online responses from non technical people who see the change of port as annoying and wasteful because now all their stuff won’t work without adapte…

I think tech heads are the least practical with tech. It's not necessarily about convenience to them, and they'll tolerate a lot.

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

#313

Post by pipeline_peak »

At this point, the only proprietorship Apple holds onto is out of preserving branding by mediocrity.

Not being able to use my friends Android charger is an absolute nuisance. I absolutely could care less about Lightning bolt, Firefly or whatever the fuck it’s called these days…

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

#314

Post by Hamuko »

CharlesW wrote: post #106
kalleboo wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And all because Apple refused to play ball and just adopt USB-C like the rest of the industry. They're too used to US regulators that just roll over and don't follow through with their threats. For over a decade the EU has tried to get the industry to adopt a common standard without mandating it in law (we got microUSB on all phones instead of the previous proprietary ports thanks to the 2009 voluntary EU memorandum…

> And all because Apple refused to play ball and just adopt USB-C like the rest of the industry. History lesson: Apple worked with the USB-IF to create USB-C, to make sure it met their needs for both USB and Thunderbolt. They were the first to put USB-C on a laptop, the 12" MacBook in the spring of 2015 — an amazing feat considering that the spec was just finalized in the fall of 2014. They were also the first compan…

>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.

Remember when they made us trade our 30-pin cables to Lightning cables?

Remember when they made us trade our headphones with 3.5mm jacks to wireless ones or get a dongle?

Remember when they made us trade our Lightning cables to USB-C cables?

Remember when they made us trade our MagSafe chargers for MagSafe 2 chargers?

Remember when they made us trade our MagSafe 2 chargers for USB-C cables?

(At least we can still use those USB-C cables alongside MagSafe 3 cables)

Remember when they made us trade our first-generation Apple Pencils to second-generation Apple Pencils?

If switching support for one type of hardware for another type of hardware is an environmental blemish by creating e-waste, then Apple's record surely is not spotless.

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

#315

Post by jaywalk »

widowlark wrote: post #186
jaywalk wrote: post #142

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think it's either of the reasons you stated. I think it's more about how many accessories are out there using Lightning that will be obsoleted by the switch. It's like the Dock to Lightning switch, but on a much larger scale simply because there are far more iPhones with Lightning (and therefore accessories) than there were with the Dock connector.

Create the disease so you can profit from the medicine

USB-C didn't even exist in 2012 when Apple rolled out Lightning. Micro USB would have been the "standard" choice, but it couldn't match what Lightning was capable of. I don't see how you can blame Apple for this.

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

#316

Post by scarface74 »

simion314 wrote: post #254
scarface74 wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So exactly what did it accomplish? Did it affect Facebook or Google at all or any adTech company? When ATT was implemented by Apple, many ad tech companies announced it impacted them. You didn’t hear a whisper after the GDPR. Websites just started putting up annoying cookie banners and life continued.

What do you want exactly? Make tracking illegal? Make advertising illegal? The law demands you ask the user for consent, if it made tracking illegal people would complain about their freedom to sell their private data for cat pictures. There are consequences for GDPR, maybe you did not see any but I can assure you that there were news about fines and you can Google for that. I can also inform you that at my work plac…

> Btw here in EU GDPR also has effect in real world, just an example before GDPR you would get exam results published publicly with names,

In the US, for decades not even parents could know about their college students without the students signing paperwork.

> Same if you go to a clinic to do a blood tests, they need to give you a paper and specify exactly what they will do with your data.

HIPAA in the US never required cookie pop ups and has been the law for decades.

Its not exactly making a strong argument that there is one really complicated 11 chapter 99 section law that tries and failed badly to address different goals.

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

#317

Post by popcalc »

kitsunesoba wrote: post #129
brundolf wrote: post #15

I'm so excited for this. I was about to buy a new iPhone, but with this news I'm going to wait another year just so I can get USB-C

I actually sprung for a new phone this generation (14) since it was rumored that it would be the last of the Lightning models. Gotta get maximum usage out of all the Lightning stuff laying around the house.

Sunk cost fallacy much?

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

#318

Post by notacoward »

gnicholas wrote: post #235
yardie wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I stayed in a hotel recently with one of those clock radios with the 30-pin connector on top. It would have been nice to have it use the larger speakers for background music and the alarm. But with over 200 rooms they probably weren't in a rush to replace all those units with Lightning and now USB-C.

I have yet to find a hotel that has upgraded their lamp-mounted or bedside USB ports. This is super annoying because I typically travel with a MagSafe charger for my MBA and a USB-C to Lightning cable to charge my iPhone. I would plug in my phone next to the bed if I could, but typically end up just leaving it with my computer to charge there. Has anyone seen a USB-C port in a hotel? I've seen that some car manufactu…

> Has anyone seen a USB-C port in a hotel?

I don't travel as much as I used to, but I was commenting on this in a hotel room in Schenectady just this past weekend. We've just barely gotten to the point where it's a surprise not to find at least one or two USB-A ports in a room, whether built into a lamp or otherwise. USB-C is probably going to take as long to appear as those did, and that was what? Five years? More? Certainly not less.

I have a compact four-port charger that lives in my travel bag, and I suspect I'll be plugging it into still-too-rare AC outlets in hotel rooms for a long time yet. At least I know it's wired correctly, has overcurrent protection etc., and will charge my devices at a known rate. Can't say any of those things about a random port built into a lamp, so I don't really trust those anyway TBH.

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

#319

Post by gnicholas »

eropple wrote: post #298
gnicholas wrote: post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you're saying my iPhone will charge faster? I probably won't notice, since I only charge overnight. My phone actually pauses charging until 7 AM to manage battery health. Also, if this is already available with USB-C to Lightning cables, is there an additional speed bump if the iPhone itself has USB-C? I also just realized this means I'll have to buy new power banks, since the old ones are USB-A. That's another $4…

I also normally charge my phone at night, but I find the USB-PD charging super valuable when traveling, because if my phone is at 20% it will very very quickly be back up to 60% or so off of a USB-PD charger. Apple A-to-Lightning fast charging isn't slow, but it isn't that fast, and it's one more thing to think about. You don't have to buy new power banks, either. And really, you don't have to buy new adapters either…

Sure, I also fast-charge sometimes when traveling. But I have found that USB-C is not available on planes, in airports, or in hotels. So if I want to be able to charge conveniently, I actually would rather have a USB-A to Lightning cable.

But regardless, it sounds like there is no additional speed advantage to having USB-C to USB-C versus the currently available USB-C to Lightning. Is that right? As for getting a bunch of dongles, that's one solution, but means spending more money.

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

#320

Post by neither_color »

woah wrote: post #231
scelerat wrote: post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Nothing can fix the stupidity of USB-C cables, though What is the stupidity of USB-C cables? Honestly don't know, simply not up on USB or cable technology

There’s an oft-repeated complaint that they are too versatile

All these are existing variations of cables with a USB-C tip: Quest link cable, thunderbolt cable, charge only, data only no video, video but not 120hz, etc. It's not like you'll have fewer cables to manage if one device changes its port to USB - C.

The biggest change will be in people's backpacks and suitcase. Now they'll have one cable instead of two(or two instead of three if they carry an apple watch). All your other devices still need their own dedicated cable. I'll still carry two cables though because sometimes I want to charge two devices simultaneously.

Post reply on HN