Apple Joins the FIDO Alliance to Help Develop and Promote Authentication Standards

[thecombatwombat]

I wish they simply would stick with Lightning ports and connectors on iPhones and iPads, more robust than USB-C.

In what way? Seriously, I don't know of a single one. I've tried googling around and dug up a number of "lightning vs usb-c" articles, and also can't find a single one, except that Lightning generates a lot of licensing revenue for Apple.

 

[konqerror]

In what way? Seriously, I don't know of a single one. I've tried googling around and dug up a number of "lightning vs usb-c" articles, and also can't find a single one, except that Lightning generates a lot of licensing revenue for Apple.

The pins on USB-C are far smaller and subject to damage. Combined with poor quality control from China, and basically it's 50-50 whether a USB-C device and cable combination will properly mate or come out too easily. What's particularly bad are the ones with reduced pins, like Apple's charge cables. Those almost always are too loose.

 

[thecombatwombat]

The pins on USB-C are far smaller and subject to damage. Combined with poor quality control from China, and basically it's 50-50 whether a USB-C device and cable combination will properly mate or come out too easily. What's particularly bad are the ones with reduced pins, like Apple's charge cables. Those almost always are too loose.

Eh, maybe. Someone could just as easily say they find lightning connectors to be too loose and damage more easily and it would have literally exactly as much weight to it. For my part, I very much wish they would abandon lightning for usb-c.

It's 2020. All of my my devices that charge with a cable should charge with the same cable. And they all do . . . except for Apple's. That's worth a lot more to me than some subjective feeling that maybe they fail or come loose more.

 

[allan]

I don't have a problem with a universal, reversible port that's not owned by Apple. I do however think the current USB-C/Thunderbolt 3 port design is inherently flawed. Mainly, the pins stick out in the middle of the port on a thin wafer and seem more prone to breaking. They should have made it simpler, like the Lightning port.

I know this is anecdotal, but I have used Lightning devices since 2012 and have never, ever had a connection come loose. Nor have I ever had any problems with external hard drives disconnecting without warning due to a loose connection, and these all used USB-A, USB-B, USB-Micro B, Mini-B, FireWire, etc.

On the other hand, I have experienced loose connections with USB-C/TB3 on many different devices. It's gotten so bad that I'm considering getting OWC's ClingOn accessory.