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

iPhone 15’s shift to USB-C

techcrunch.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

51–60 of 117 posts

Re: iPhone 15’s shift to USB-C

#51

Post by criddell »

jabroni_salad wrote: post #34
criddell wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know what DeX is, but if by thin client you mean the computer is somewhere else then I would say that doesn't sound like Apple at all. Apple is the last company that seems to still believe in personal computers on the desk.

DeX lets you connect your phone to a docking station. You get a fairly basic windowed desktop experience. I actually use it to run citrix receiver and connect to the corporate network. hardly ever bring my work laptop home anymore.

Is it way different than using an iPad with an external monitor, keyboard, mouse, disk, midi controller, etc...? Is the key distinction that it's on a phone rather than a tablet?

Re: iPhone 15’s shift to USB-C

#52

Post by smugma »

IggleSniggle wrote: post #18
rffn wrote: post #9

Apple would cannibalize their computer and iPad sales if they were supporting the thin client model like Samsung DeX. See how they already avoid cannibalization of the iPhone business by preventing the iPad to make phone calls. They protect their product lines from each other. As much as I like to see such a feature, I don’t think Apple will ever give it to us.

See also: cellular Apple Watch unable to make calls/texts without being tethered (over an Internet connection, remotely!) to an iPhone.

No kid has an Apple Watch, no phone (set up on my phone as a Family watch). Texts and calls me daily.

Re: iPhone 15’s shift to USB-C

#53

Post by knallfrosch »

bearjaws wrote: post #11
mensetmanusman wrote: post #3

It also has the potential to be quite confusing. There will almost certainly be some laptops that attempt to charge themselves from the iPhone battery depending on which of the 10 versions of USB-C are being implemented. Will all the counterfeit usb-c cables also cause a bunch of confusion when features don’t work? Will plugging in your phone at the airport be less of a risk?

Apple will gladly sell you a 100% compatible cable for $20, just like they do with lightning.

Which is a fair offer if you don't have to research USB-C for 2 days just to then order the wrong cable anyway.

Re: iPhone 15’s shift to USB-C

#54

Post by scarface_74 »

chiefalchemist wrote: post #4

> The idea of a pocketable thin client model of computing where you basically take your PC with you wherever you go, and plug it into accessories including displays and input devices that can work with any wherever you need, has been around for a long time. But an iPhone 15 sporting a full-featured USB-C port with the capabilities of the latest Thunderbolt spec has no technical barriers toward making it actually happ…

> So in theory someone can make an iPad sized touchscreen that connects to your iPhone via USB-C and you'd have no need for an iPad? Or course such a screen could be shared within a household, etc.

I have a non touch screen monitor similar to this - power and video over a single USB C port. It works with both my personal Macbook and my work Windows computer.

It should work with an iPad Pro with USB C.

https://a.co/d/2D0bbh5

Re: iPhone 15’s shift to USB-C

#56

Post by [deleted] »

input_sh wrote: post #5

How does the author make the logical leap from "it'll use Type C" to "it'll have Samsung DeX equivalent"? I think it's too much of a gimmick for Apple to even try, plus Apple is really not known for giving a damn about making their products work well with third-party peripherals.

[deleted]

Re: iPhone 15’s shift to USB-C

#57

Post by manuelabeledo »

rffn wrote: post #9

Apple would cannibalize their computer and iPad sales if they were supporting the thin client model like Samsung DeX. See how they already avoid cannibalization of the iPhone business by preventing the iPad to make phone calls. They protect their product lines from each other. As much as I like to see such a feature, I don’t think Apple will ever give it to us.

> They protect their product lines from each other.

Is that the case, though.

Their product lines overlap significantly in several areas. Yes, you cannot use the Phone app in an iPad, but you can do many of the things a Macbook does, and I would argue that many people would be sufficiently served with an iPad and a keyboard, rather than a Macbook.

Pretty much the only other app that you can use with an iPhone but not with an iPad (and neither a Macbook), for technical reasons, is Wallet.

I think that Apple does not offer either of those apps in iPads because they are not believed to be practical, given the form factor.

Re: iPhone 15’s shift to USB-C

#58

Post by zpeti »

scarface_74 wrote: post #37
kalleboo wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which is a very sad conclusion because Steve Jobs was very explicit that they had to cannibalize their own products or someone else would.

SJ said a lot of things. There is nothing courageous about cannibalizing an iPod that had an average selling price of $200 and a much smaller market with a phone that is three times more expensive

That's very easy to say in hindsight.

Cannibalising a public company's most successful product and profit source is extremely risky, especially for management. There is a reason this is so rare. It goes against many of our ingrained behaviours as humans.

So I don't think it's as obvious as you make out.

Re: iPhone 15’s shift to USB-C

#59

Post by jabroni_salad »

criddell wrote: post #51
jabroni_salad wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

DeX lets you connect your phone to a docking station. You get a fairly basic windowed desktop experience. I actually use it to run citrix receiver and connect to the corporate network. hardly ever bring my work laptop home anymore.

Is it way different than using an iPad with an external monitor, keyboard, mouse, disk, midi controller, etc...? Is the key distinction that it's on a phone rather than a tablet?

In terms of hardware, yes. In terms of software, no. Last time I tried that with an iPad you did not get a true windowed DE. It was okay if you wanted one big app and one sidebar app and a lot of context switching.

Re: iPhone 15’s shift to USB-C

#60

Post by mikeweiss »

knallfrosch wrote: post #53
bearjaws wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Apple will gladly sell you a 100% compatible cable for $20, just like they do with lightning.

Which is a fair offer if you don't have to research USB-C for 2 days just to then order the wrong cable anyway.

I'm a Google Pixel user that's been using USB C to charge my phone, laptops and other devices/accessories for years now and I've never run into this issue before. It just works.
Post reply on HN