Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Video Shows New Lightning Cable with Reversible USB Connector in Action

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
63,539
30,848



Last Friday, a report and photos of a new Lightning cable with a reversible USB connector surfaced, which was followed by another image from frequent iOS device part leaker Sonny Dickson. Now, Dickson has shared a new short video of the Lightning cable in action, showing its USB connector being reversed and plugged in both ways.

Apple could start shipping a new Lightning cable alongside the next wave of iOS device releases this fall, which will likely start with the iPhone 6 next month. It is unknown if the updated cable will contain any new features aside from a reversible USB connector, although past rumors have pointed to support for high-definition audio playback.

An Apple patent discussing a reversible USB connector was also published last month, and discussed a more user-friendly design compared to current cables. However, it is unknown if this new cable will face challenges from the likes of California company UltraTek, which already holds a patent itself for a reversible connector and currently sells cables through major online retailers.

Article Link: Video Shows New Lightning Cable with Reversible USB Connector in Action
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/08/19/video-new-lightning-cable-in-action/
S

ScottishCaptain

macrumors 6502a
Oct 4, 2008
871
474
Apple already has problems with their cables continually falling apart at the slightest sign of duress.

I'm curious to know what people think is going to happen with this new USB connector now that Apple has removed half the support material from the inside to facilitate the reversible feature. Hint: it's going to behave like all their other cables. The moment you abuse it or bump it in the wrong way, it's going to snap or fracture and fail.

I'm sure they'll be heralded for their "revolutionary thinking" on this one, but there was a reason why USB cables were built they way they were. I would much rather a standard plug with an indent on the top or something else you can feel (to determine which way is up) then a cable that will be twice as fragile and probably cost twice as much to replace as well.
 
B

boechat

macrumors member
Mar 28, 2011
42
3
30-pin-arctic_white_1024x1024.jpg


Apple, please
 
J

Jimrod

macrumors 65816
Jun 24, 2010
1,199
659
Apple are still missing that small detail that most of their users want, and it's very simple - just supply their products with longer cables. An extra 50cm will be fine thank you.
 
satcomer

satcomer

Suspended
Feb 19, 2008
9,115
1,973
The Finger Lakes Region
sputnikv said:
What an absurd statement.
Click to expand...

What is so wrong with that statement? Car manufactures don't like constant change! Everyone knows the technology in cars is usually two years behind the times. So it's a killer to find a car with a current lighting cable. Plus all those cars with standard USB ports are hit & miss and now Apple has a new USB connection.

----------
Serban said:
it only is reversible so doesn't matter..it works
Click to expand...

Yea but in car they have to use STANDARD USB ports in their cars. This new lighting cable will mean that one with have to bring their own cable. Plus all those speaker docks will now be obsolete again.
 
gaximus

gaximus

macrumors 68020
Oct 11, 2011
2,241
4,375
satcomer said:
What is so wrong with that statement? Car manufactures don't like constant change! Everyone knows the technology in cars is usually two years behind the times. So it's a killer to find a car with a current lighting cable. Plus all those cars with standard USB ports are hit & miss and now Apple has a new USB connection.

----------



Yea but in car they have to use STANDARD USB ports in their cars. This new lighting cable will mean that one with have to bring their own cable. Plus all those speaker docks will now be obsolete again.
Click to expand...

This uses the standard USB port. It'll work in old computers or anything with a USB port in it
 
S

stephen1108

macrumors 65816
Sep 30, 2007
1,098
351
satcomer said:
What is so wrong with that statement? Car manufactures don't like constant change! Everyone knows the technology in cars is usually two years behind the times. So it's a killer to find a car with a current lighting cable. Plus all those cars with standard USB ports are hit & miss and now Apple has a new USB connection.

----------



Yea but in car they have to use STANDARD USB ports in their cars. This new lighting cable will mean that one with have to bring their own cable. Plus all those speaker docks will now be obsolete again.
Click to expand...
No.... the fact that it's reversible also means it's backwards compatible with older USB ports. They will work with existing USB ports just fine, the lightning side of things haven't changed either. It's the same lightning adapter.
 
C

CarpalMac

macrumors 68000
Nov 19, 2012
1,620
3,991
UK
Personally I like the 50/50 game of getting it the right way round first time, and the slight feeling of smug satisfaction I get when I (all too rarely) do.
 
Anonymous Freak

Anonymous Freak

macrumors 603
Dec 12, 2002
5,561
1,252
Cascadia
Yeah, I can make that video, too. I just break the circuit board/metal contact part out of an existing USB connector....

Or I can use the existing TrippLite reversible USB cables.

Sorry, this attention is a bit much for an existing technology... It's just the current seller of it doesn't hype it.

As for the comment "it better be USB 3" - why does it matter? The lightning port on the iPhone/iPad isn't that fast. It's almost a sure thing that the storage system on the iPhone/iPad isn't that fast. Perhaps on the iPhone 6 / iPad Air 2... But Apple has been moving away from wired connections for iDevices except where "required" (charging,) as it is. The Lightning-to-HDMI adapter is already just a wired AirPlay adapter, you don't get any better quality than using AirPlay over WiFi to an AppleTV.

I would rather see UWB or 802.11ac, to enable wireless data transfer faster. (And the ability to mount the digital camera portion of the iDevice wirelessly, so you can import videos in to iPhoto as if plugged in, and delete iDevice photos/video via iPhoto - then the only thing I'll need to plug in for is power.)
 
gaximus

gaximus

macrumors 68020
Oct 11, 2011
2,241
4,375
My question is, how does the swaping of the pins work when you flip it over? Since the ground and positive pins swap places and the same for the data pins, does the plug's "tongue" have the pins wired so the top and bottom of the pins are opposite? Or is t controlled by the chip in the liturning end of the cable? Or another new chip?
 
Michael Scrip

Michael Scrip

macrumors 604
Mar 4, 2011
7,929
12,480
NC
satcomer said:
What is so wrong with that statement? Car manufactures don't like constant change! Everyone knows the technology in cars is usually two years behind the times. So it's a killer to find a car with a current lighting cable. Plus all those cars with standard USB ports are hit & miss and now Apple has a new USB connection.
Click to expand...

Apple doesn't have a "new" USB connection... it's a variation on the current plug-end only.

It will still work in the current USB socket.

Hell... the greatest thing to happen in cars is a USB socket... they're not going away anytime soon.

And this reversible USB cable... and all other USB cables... will continue to work in cars with USB sockets.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom