Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Really? They post about a reversible connector that is not reversible and I call them out and thats the best response you can come up with? Why waste your time?


It's been done before, I don't see how you've called them out beyond being completely wrong.

----------

If that's the case, Apple should have made the internals of the phone able to support faster data transfer speeds at least in line with that supported by USB 3.0. The I/O's there, but Apple hasn't been utilising it as fast as their competitors have.

What competitor has faster I/O on their NAND? Maybe you should actually do a little research before you make these claims.
 
There might be a toggle switch on the insulated part that does not slide into the USB slot :)
 
Why try to be so smart? It makes you sound like a pratt.

USB connectors don't 'bend'. They also don't have a tapered part to make it 'bend' when inserting. There is also the fact that constant bending would make the part fail prematurely.

Please point to any fact's you have.

Cambrookpro's pic:

UR030001-FRONT-M.jpg


vs original usb connector below:

usb-connector.jpg


It's obvious that the piece with the contacts is much thinner, leaving a gap on both sides, with contacts on both sides. If you have any proof of this design failing, as they have been around, then please post it. Since I have never actually used one I make no claims either way.

PS: It's not hard to get this info by looking around.
 
Last edited:
Seems like money wasted if the new USB type-c reversible cable takes off.

Not sure why the makers can't all get together to decide on a single reversible standard.

Now we will have the (probably Apple only if no one else licences it) reversible lightning connector and reversible USB Type-c. I wonder which is better.

Just because a new standard is coming doesn't mean it's going to be adopted the next day. 2016/2017 you will see them everywhere, until then, people still need to plug in their devices.

Infact many manufactures plan to offer USB legacy and the new C standard.
 
No, it won't need an adapter. I think you've been mislead with the angle of the photo, and MR's article making it seem like a brand new connector.

If you had read any of my other posts, you would have seen that I agree with you.

In other words, I was joking. ;)
 
For the love of god please, Apple, don't patent this. :(

I want all my cables to do this now.

Apple's patent application for this connector can be found here. However, as many posters have pointed out, these reversible Type-A plugs have been around for quite some time and patent applications for them extend back as far as 2004. Apple's patent is simply more specific to their particular implementation and manufacturing processes.

How embarrassing that Apple did this before USB will with Type C...:rolleyes:

P.S: Am I the only one who wonders how that cable will physically fit into ordinary USB slots on laptops, etc. ?

Seems like money wasted if the new USB type-c reversible cable takes off.

Not sure why the makers can't all get together to decide on a single reversible standard.

Now we will have the (probably Apple only if no one else licences it) reversible lightning connector and reversible USB Type-c. I wonder which is better.

The center tongue is thin and can deflect slightly, the shield is the same as any USB Type-A plug. There are 18 Apple employees listed as contributors to the Type-C specification. They helped make it, and they will certainly use it. That will in no way cause the billions of Type-A receptacles in use to suddenly change form. Type-A will be around and supported for at least another 10 years.

Considering Apple put a fair amount of effort into helping shape the Type-C spec, I wonder at what point they might abandon Lightning on iOS devices. I'm not sure standardizing trumps the benefits that come with being able to control the MFi ecosystem through a proprietary connector.

Will it even fit in my usb port?

Yes. That's the point. It's a USB Type-A male plug.

Apple didn't design it, the USB 3.0 Promotor Group did.

Apple designed this particular connector. The USB 3.0 Promoter Group never specified a reversible Type-A male plug.

It was said that this is probably USB 3.1. It isn't, it's normal USB, it has nothing to do with USB 3.0 or 3.1. The middle part was thinned out and the connectors were brought onto both sides of the white plastic plate so it's reversible. It will be compatible with all USB sockets. USB 3.1 looks very different and is smaller and flatter, and rounded.

So close, up until that last last line. The USB 3.1 specification, which was finalized last year, called for the same plugs and receptacles as USB 3.0, which are also backwards compatible with USB 2.0 and by extension previous specs. The Type-C connector specification was just completed, and supports USB 2.0 as well as SuperSpeed / Enhanced SuperSpeed operation. Like Power Delivery or Battery Charging, it's a separate spec from USB 2.0/3.0/3.1 and can apply to ports with a range of capabilities.

I just hope the new iPhone is USB 3.0 compatible.

One of the worst things about backing up or transferring data (especially when restoring many GBs of data) is the excruciatingly slow transfer speeds. Don't know why Apple have been so slow to implement such basic things, especially when a lot of the newer, higher-end phones now support USB 3.0.

I don't think USB 3.0 would make any difference on iPhones made until now, AFAIK the nand flash in it is slower than USB 2.0 speeds.
Or, Apple needs to get faster nand flash in the new iPhone(s)

If that's the case, Apple should have made the internals of the phone able to support faster data transfer speeds at least in line with that supported by USB 3.0. The I/O's there, but Apple hasn't been utilising it as fast as their competitors have.

The NAND in iPhones has been capable of faster than USB 2.0 speeds for years. In order for an iOS device to support SuperSpeed transfer rates, Apple would need to license a USB 3.x xHCI IP block from somebody and integrate it into their custom SoC designs, whereas it's fairly trivial for OEMs using Qualcomm SoC's that already have USB 3.0 controllers to implement that feature. I'm guessing that it ultimately comes down to a cost/benefit analysis and Apple feels the increase in TDP and die area aren't yet worth it for this particular feature.

It is not possible. The "connector in the middle" has diddly squat to do with whether this is USB 3.0 (or better) capable. USB 3.0 requires more pins tthen USB 2.0 does. If don't have the additional wiring then not getting USB 3.0 Super Speed because it is physically not there.

The connectors in the picture have the same number of pins on one side. There is only four on the right and left in the picture.

The new Type C standard has 11 per side. That makes for a total of 7 pins missing per side.

http://anandtech.com/show/8377/usb-typec-connector-specifications-finalized

Type C is also thinner. Again these two plugs in the photos look approximately the same size.

There is no evidence period that this is USB 3.0. No "other" just plain, flat out none.

Post #15 pointed to USB 2.0 "reversible" cables. Apple might be going to a non standard plug for "consistent usage on both sides of the cable" reasons. Past insertion step there really doesn't appear to be any change.

If the products only work with lightning specific connections why not just put lightning on both sides? Not only would the plug orientation be reversible but the whole cable is reversible. If the digital audio headphones work with USB 2.0 ( not proprietary tied to a single vendor) then can see the point of USB 2.0 on the ther side (along with the more general usage to power plugs , standard computer USB 2.0 ports, etc. ).

This is not a Type-C connector. Neither USB 3.0 "SuperSpeed" or USB 3.1 "SuperSpeedPlus" require a Type-C connector. Those specs were originally designed to use several plug and receptacle styles including Type-A with 9 contacts, which is the most common for host port connections on PCs.

On a Type-A plug, the 5 additional contacts used for SuperSpeed / SuperSpeedPlus signaling are located on the tongue behind the four contacts used for legacy USB 2.0 signals and VBUS. Annoyingly, all of the photos made public thus far of this new Apple connector fail to show the area where the SS contacts would be. However, judging by Apple's recently filed patent application, I'd be willing to wager this is a USB 2.0 only connector.

No, it isn't. In a display of utter incompetence, the USB forum has decided that for reversible connections, a completely new connector must be used that looks a bit like a symmetric version of micro-usb and is just as incompetently designed as such.

This is simply a reversible version of the current USB 2.0 A connector, which is possible because the tongue in a USB-A receptacle is specced to be just above the mid-point of the connector. (Look at the drawings and you'll see). At the same time, the contacts on USB connector tongues are slightly raised, leaving room between the two tongues. So if you make a tongue in the connector part that's thin enough to leave enough room for the receptacle-tongue, you have a reversible connector. You can then utilise the room between the two parts that would normally be there to slightly thicken (and thus strengthen) the tongue on the connector while using completely flat pads instead.

For instance, see this drawing of a USB receptacle: http://www.farnell.com/datasheets/1784554.pdf

USB 3.1, Power Delivery 2.0 and the Type-C spec are actually really well done in my opinion, and I was a vocal critic of both USB 2.0 and 3.0. Read the actual specs. They fixed a multitude of sins with these revisions and finally created something that satisfies existing requirements as well as being considerably more flexible and forward-looking.

The Type-C connector will eventually replace Type-A for PC's, Type-B for devices, and Micro-A/B for portable devices, which will be awesome. This is also very likely to be the new Thunderbolt connector when Alpine Ridge and Skylake drop.
 
Last edited:
So, please tell me with this new type of cable whats the main advantage?
Beside that is reversible is there anything else?
 
This would be a very nice implementation; hopefully the middle bendy part is robust enough to last a long time.
 
I wouldn't be surprised to see it show on the iphone6. It's a simple enough thing to produce

Too expensive at the moment. (Not to mention they aren't being produced in vast quantities...or any quantities.) Especially if we want Apple to upgrade capacity, which has been stagnant for way too long.
 
Why dont they just remove the surrounding metal encasing and leave the white part (which holds the contact pins) as the only connector

Ive seen some thumb drives do it
 
Actually his explanation is credible, cause rechargeable batteries do deteriorate over time.

It's his conspiracy theorist motivation that undercuts him. Look, companies analyze cost versus benefit benefit when deciding how to make their product. You wanna know why lots of PC are made out of plastic? Because it's cheaper. But to go from the reasonable and uncontroversial notion that companies take costs into account when designing products to the assertion that Apple intentionally holds back battery capacity in the iPhone in a devious scheme to subconsciously goad people to replace their phones two years later is the kind of leap in logic typical of armchair conspiracy theorists. There's no evidence of this while there's plenty of counter-evidence for this which of course, is ignored by the conspiracy theorists. For example, why does Apple offer a battery replacement program for your iPhone and iPad if it wants you to get a new device? It's not free but it's $79-$99 depending on the device which is a lot less than buying a new iPhone or iPad. Doesn't this undercut Apple's plot to get people to carrying out worn out phones that lose their juice in an hour, forcing them to run to their nearest Apple Store and purchase a new iPhone or iPad? Or why has Apple and Intel improved the battery life of Macbook Air/Pro with each new generation? Wouldn't it be more consistent with the conspiracy theory if laptop battery life remains unchanged or dropped? Or is only the iPhone division signed up for this plot?

I could go on and on but suffice it to say that the level of paranoia you need to believe this **** is tiresome but then, people still think the Cubans killed Kennedy and Monroe. Yes, Apple does nickel-and-dime people all the time (I just noticed the Mac Pro doesn't come with a mouse or keyboard, you have to buy it separately) and its prices are padded to produce industry-leading margins but that is NOT the same thing as "Apple uses lower capacity batteries so their lifespan ends faster and you buy a new phone quicker." And when Apple DOES do exactly what these conspiracy theorists say it won't next month by putting in bigger batteries? The conspiracy theorists will move onto their next big conspiracy (most likely, iOS 8 has been intentionally designed to be a bigger battery drain than iOS 7 to offset the longer life from a bigger battery). It never ends with these people.
 
As long as they make the cable around the lightning connector a lot tougher I'll be happy. It is ridiculous how easy they come apart

Do you chew on yours?

Family of five, here. All with iPhones, four with iPads, extra lightning cables in each of our three cars for convenient charging, etc. Not one cable has come apart on us.
 
The middle part has metal connectors on both sides, and it bends. If the USB socket has the hole at the top, the white part bends upwards, if the hole is at the bottom, it bends down.


Seems very un-apple to implement and design a cable that people will undoubtedly try to force in the wrong way and break their computer... Always remember "it just works" is possible only by stripping out as many breakable things as they can... And a moving part on a *cable*? Seems a little far-fetched to me.

----------

Do you chew on yours?

Family of five, here. All with iPhones, four with iPads, extra lightning cables in each of our three cars for convenient charging, etc. Not one cable has come apart on us.

Probably because no one cable is getting used all that much. One device, one cable and you'll find out how well they stand the test of time.
 
This would be a very nice implementation; hopefully the middle bendy part is robust enough to last a long time.

If it's thin enough it should be good. It won't have to bend very much at all. Here's a USB 2.0 drive I have:

10ii70o.png


The alignment is not perfect, but it gives an idea. It was harder to get the dead center shot with minimal shadow casting than I thought.

I wonder why they just hadn't designed the A connector this way in the first place.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.