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Apple-Certified Third-Party Lightning to USB-C Cables Expected Early Next Year

anson42 said:
That price is for each in a lot of 20. I would think buying a thousand would yield a nice discount.

That looks like the innards of the connector. Sign me up for a black MFI USB-C/Lightning cable. Hope to get some use out of it before the phones go all USB-C.

And no, I'm not complaining. I don't believe this is a case of planned obsolescence at all. Apple made a call with Lightning cables – which I find more convenient than micro-USB but that's water under the bridge now – and they may now recognize that USB-C is actually a globally recognized, more flexible connector on the phone. USB-C as we know it was nothing when the Lightning connector was introduced in 2012.

One can definitely argue whether Apple will go to USB-C on the phones at all or go straight to wireless. I think they will before cables are cut because I don't think wireless will happen for at least a couple more years, but you never know.
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Lightning was in USE a full TWO YEARS before the USB-C Standard was even FINALIZED; so, there was ABSOLUTELY no "Lock-In" or similar motivation for Lightning on Apple's part.

They were being pressured by the EU to drop the 30-pin proprietary connector in favor of that abomination that is MicroUSB; but Apple just couldn't stand putting that POS connector on their stuff; so they designed their own: Lightning.

Now it is time for Lightning to retire in favor of USB-C.

What's so hard to understand about that?
 
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Pakaku said:
Never happening as long as the iPhone is... an iPhone, and their main seller

iPad Pros changed because if Apple wants to market them as "computers" without being entirely misleading (okay, I am exaggerating here), then they need to at least have a more universal port
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I believe the more REASONABLE explanation is that Apple hadn't fully gone "all-in" on USB-C until this year, and the iPhones released this September actually had a "Design Freeze" probably almost 2 years ago. Look to see future iPhones adopting USB-C, too.

They may not have had a working USB-C peripheral to design-into their Ax Series SoCs until the A12X, either.

IMHO, either possibility is a more likely explanation than "Never happening as long as the iPhone is an iPhone."
 
For a grand, iPhones should come with a USB A and C cable, and a decent flipping charger. Not a leftover power adapter from several years ago.
 
KPandian1 said:
Any MFI-certified cable make is preferred over Apple's own cable. Apple has made for 20+ years crappy cables, charged too much for them and they last about a month:mad:!
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I submit you simply don't know how to handle cables properly. In over 40 years of purchasing and using Apple equipment, including MANY Apple-branded cables, I can't remember having a SINGLE failure of an Apple-branded cable, period.

I even have an ancient 30-pin cable I use to charge my iPad 2. It basically sees DAILY use, and has had the 30-pin dock-end connector inserted and removed HUNDREDS of times in the over 5 years that I have had my iPad 2. Same thing with the Mag-Safe cable on my MacBook mid-2012. It is now over 5 years old and looks and performs like the day I got it.

So, if you are truly having that much trouble with Apple cables, I would honestly look into how savagely you are treating them; because what you describe is not at ALL typical.

Or, quite frankly, believable.
 
compete12 said:
So, let me get this straight...
MacBook Pros have solely used USB-C ports for the last 2 years and you still need a dongle for these new $1000 iPhones because they ship with the old USB cable?
Apple makes me want to turn everything off and go to a beach.
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Don't forget the 5w charger Apple includes with its $1250 iPhones, when "budget flagship" Android phones like the $550 OnePlus 6t come with USB-C quick chargers.
 
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synergize said:
Apple is a master at planned obsolescence, this provides them a continuous income stream. If you want to use Apple products you pay the price or you move on.
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A huge corporation that pays such high salaries needs to keep the cash rolling in. Or go bankrupt.
Options:
1) Make crappy products and make customer pay for the updates to make them barely functional (these companies never last...oh wait)
2) Planned obsolescence (elimination of I/O and SW changes that require specific HW to run)
3) Corporate subscription (you get a lower price on the products)
4) Change for the sake of change (see 2) (Apple and 3rd party CEOs actually have meetings to plan the best way to keep the cash flowing in...dongleitis)
5) Keep raising prices and charge exorbitant prices for upgrades on non-DIY components

Apple is 2, 4, and 5. But would you rather have this or no more Apple (after they have to let everyone go)?
 
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And Apple continues using the same flawed cable design... year after year.

.
.
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Hope the moderators don't read a political angle in this comment and slap my hand...
 
compete12 said:
So, let me get this straight...
MacBook Pros have solely used USB-C ports for the last 2 years and you still need a dongle for these new $1000 iPhones because they ship with the old USB cable?
Apple makes me want to turn everything off and go to a beach.
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I'd love for everything to go USB-C, but logically it's still not as ubiquitous as USB-A. Laptops have been USB-C for 2 years, but that's a very small percentage of what people charge their devices with. I bet there are more wireless chargers out there then USB-C ones, and infinitely more USB-A chargers then even wireless. I'm hoping the plan is to just go to USB-C on the phone itself like they did with the new iPad Pros.
 
You think the self described vanguard of USB-C would also put USB-C on its iPhones and Airpods. Because as it stands its like the UK, "not quite metric, not quite imperial".
 
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MacsRuleOthersDrool said:
Now it is time for Lightning to retire in favor of USB-C.

What's so hard to understand about that?
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That was my point, so we're on the same page. Lightning to USB-C is in no way a planned obsolescence scenario.

If folks want to complain, then I agree with another poster that we should complain about the lack of a USB-C/Lightning cable in the current iPhone boxes. Granted, next year it will hopefully just be a USB-C cable in there with a high speed charger to boot, similar to the iPad Pro charger and cable. Assuming the phones go USB-C, anything short of that is very much complaint worthy.
 
adamjackson said:
MFI (iPhone & iPod) programs are 15 years old programs now and they involve

1. Apple sells the Lightning / 30-Pin connector
2. Manufacture pays apple 10% of the sales price for every thing they sell (can't remember if it's gross or net)
3. Apple considers Apple Store placement only for accessory makers in the MFI program so that's incentive for some to participate
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Sounds similar to Qualcomm's business model...
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Neepman said:
A USB-C connected device going in and out of linty pockets is a disaster waiting to happen.
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Why? If you are referring to the female connector on the device, there both recessed dust/lint traps. Are you referring to the cables?
 
xnu said:
The only type of usb cable i could get to work with the New iPad Pro was an Anker Cable. I tried many adapters and configurations of usb cables, even Apples USB adapter. An Apple USB C to USB A cable would be great.
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Odd, because I have quite a few cables that work with it. I've also used the Anker USB-A to Lightining with a two different brands of Lighting to USB-C adapters (purchased through Amazon). The Belkin USB-A to USB-C works, their Kevlar USB-C to USB-C also works, and it works with a USB-C to USB-A adapter.

I have many configurations since I like to carry one cable and use the micro adapters on it, and I have yet to find a combination that doesn't work. Not saying that your situation isn't true. Ahhh, maybe you bought the adapters that don't specifically say that they are data transfer capable. A couple of years ago I bought a bunch of micro-usb adapters and couldn't use them with my phone / computer. So now I make a point to only buy cables and adapters that say they are data transfer capable.
 
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cgaw23 said:
Lightening connectors are garbage.
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USB-C connectors are more fragile (the sides are too thin, and the gap between is too large for it to be durable). I found this out recently when using my iPad Pro 11" plugged in, the three different brand connectors bent in three situations and started overheating each time. I think that the wires within became crossed leading to the overheating. The connector didn't actually break, merely bent and could still charge the iPad, but became so hot to the touch that I figured I should stop using it. Now I've learned to not use the iPad while it's plugged in. Didn't previously realize this with my MacBook pro, because my MacBook stays pretty stationary. Whereas the iPad does gymnastics, leading to the connector eventually bending. -- I've never experienced such bending with quality lighting connectors, and these were all quality USB-C cables.

The lightning connector is a solid piece, compared to the hollow and thin USB-C.
 
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jent said:
I'm a big Apple fan but I too have to call out these strange decisions. If Apple is killing off USB-A in favor of USB-C, they need to start including USB-C cables with their new products, and certifying third-party cables.
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This seems to be a no win for them. I fully understand your argument, but there are people complaining that their new iPad came with USB C cables and they couldn’t sync to their computer because it didn’t have USB C. A lot of people are using older Macs or cheaper windows PCs without USB C.
 
The prices mentioned in the article are for samples. Once you start buying supplies, the price changes significantly.
 
Why would Apple certify 3rd party products if their bread and butter just to charge insane prices for dongles and wires?
 
Why though? It's on its way out when Apple started using USB-C with the new iPad Pro.
Better buy new iPhones after Apple finishes the transition with USB-C port on all its mobile devices (iOS hardware and Macbook lineups)

I believe Apple will kill off Lightning on iPhone on first gen of 5G iPhones (whenever that comes).
 
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I find it funny that people find it so important and insist on genuine parts and certified techs to look at their Apple products. The same people that get a local engineer to fix their cars with pattern parts and work on their gas boiler, you know items that could kill them and others.
 
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