Apple May Sell Optional iPhone 15 Pro USB-C Thunderbolt Cable

[theluggage]

Unfortunately for the EU (because they made the choice to require USB-C), “it all” for that standard port includes everything from electric toothbrush chargers with no data transfer required to devices that pull 240W+ and/or multiple Gbps.

You mean you managed to find an electric toothbrush that isn't internet connected so that it can log your brushing patterns and sell your contact details to Colgate?

But seriously: europarl.europa.eu:

all new mobile phones, tablets, digital cameras, headphones and headsets, handheld videogame consoles and portable speakers, e-readers, keyboards, mice, portable navigation systems, earbuds and laptops that are rechargeable via a wired cable, operating with a power delivery of up to 100 Watts, will have to be equipped with a USB Type-C port.

So, yes, manufacturers can still use a different connector if the device needs more than 100W (but since the latest USB standard goes up to 240W why would they, other to fleece customers for proprietary power supplies?) yes, manufacturers can still make a wireless only device (it isn't rechargeable via a wired cable) and there's no suggestion that (say) Macs that offer MagSafe 3 as an alternative are a problem.

...and no I don't see electric toothbrush chargers on that list (but, again, why not in a world where you can already get USB-powered desk fans, torches, remote controls etc?)

Meanwhile, every other phone maker - and many other devices - seem to have adapted without fuss and are increasingly coming with USB-C power connections, mainly because - EU or no - it makes good sense. Not sure why Apple are the special snowflakes who need to use a proprietary connector - back in the day,

Lightning was better than MicroUSB but it is rapidly heading to obsolescence, as it physically can't support Thunderbolt nor fully support USB 3.2 or Displayport (which are already features of the iPad Pro). The moment Apple started using USB-C on Macs* (let alone on the iPad Pro) rolling it out across the whole iDevice range became the only sensible way forward. Even if the lower-end iPhones can only do USB 2 speeds, having a different charging connector than Macs or iPads would be stupid.

(*now, using only USB-C on Macs - especially in 2016 when nothing else used it - is a whole different can of worms which even Apple have partly retreated from. With a phone, though, there's only really room for one hole in the case)

 

[chucker23n1]

iPad mini's logic board isn't big either. But it's a good point.

Even if it's a separate chip though, it would have to be connected to the SoC through some sort of interconnect and use a PCIe lane or something on the SoC - which again, one can ask how and why it was "intended" to have one exposed, if space comes so much at a premium.

Having a lane doesn’t take up much space, and not everything a SoC does will be useful for all products.

Anyway, as I’ve said, the only justification Apple needs is: because we have the Pro phones for that. They don’t need to give the non-Pro every feature. There don’t need to be technical constraints.

Big reason you’d want more USB bandwidth on a phone? Photos and videos — especially ProRAW photos. Their answer to that is iPhone Pro.

(I say this as someone who’s always gone non-Pro.)

Sound the tired old trope claxon..

No parallels there whatsoever. Apple has had to be forced by regulators to adopt the best i/o for their flagship device that is what has happened here.

This implied notion that Apple would’ve stuck with 2012’s Lightning forever is absurd.

They may have, at some point, considered a Lightning 2. But they clearly abandoned the idea regardless of regulators. They were also early champions of USB-C on the Mac.

They put the fastest SoC in there but deliberately stick to a slow, aging port? To what end?

 

[citysnaps]

Sound the tired old trope claxon..

No parallels there whatsoever. Apple has had to be forced by regulators to adopt the best i/o for their flagship device that is what has happened here.

Nice try, but that doesn't fly.

The parallels are strong, and predictable... The European Parliament only mandated that all mobile device have a common USB-C charging port. There were no requirements regarding data transfer speeds, or even if that common charging port is required to handle data transfer at all.

This story, and the resulting whinefest, is about Apple's decision to offer a higher speed cable that could offer faster transfer rates - for those that need it, and willing to pay for it.

In other words, if you need higher transfer rates simply pay for a higher rate cable that Apple and other vendors offer. The vast majority of users transfer data wirelessly via WiFi and should not have to bear the cost of Apple including an expensive cable with every iPhone sold (at a higher price with that expensive cable included).

That decision is in line with other Apple decisions that caused faux uproar and pearl-clutching, going back to ditching the floppy disk and CD. And almost countless other Apple decisions, most mice-nuts, that spawn such Earth-tilting outrage.

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

This implied notion that Apple would’ve stuck with 2012’s Lightning forever is absurd.

They may have, at some point, considered a Lightning 2. But they clearly abandoned the idea regardless of regulators. They were also early champions of USB-C on the Mac.

They put the fastest SoC in there but deliberately stick to a slow, aging port? To what end?

Yes i'm sure the timing of them switching the iPhone to USB C is pure coincidence.

The Mac isn't a good example they know they would lose a boatload of their userbase if they stuck with an technically inferior proprietry i/o on the Mac.

Putting the fastest SOC and sticking with a slow aging port is exactly what they have done on the iPhone. I'm assuming they thought it was in their commercial interests.

Nice try, but that doesn't fly.

The parallels are strong, and predictable... The European Parliament only mandated that all mobile device have a common USB-C charging port. There were no requirements regarding data transfer speeds, or even if that common charging port is required to handle data transfer at all.

This story, and the resulting whinefest, is about Apple's decision to offer a higher speed cable that could offer faster transfer rates - for those that need it, and willing to pay for it.

In other words, if you need higher transfer rates simply pay for a higher rate cable that Apple and other vendors offer. The vast majority of users transfer data wirelessly via WiFi and should not have to bear the cost of Apple including an expensive cable with every iPhone sold (at a higher price with that expensive cable included).

That decision is in line with other Apple decisions that caused faux uproar and pearl-clutching, going back to ditching the floppy disk and CD. And almost countless other Apple decisions, most mice-nuts, that spawn such Earth-tilting outrage.

When they moved away from the floppy or the optical they did so to move on to something better technically. In this case they have needed a little push from a regulator.

 

[chucker23n1]

Yes i'm sure the timing of them switching the iPhone to USB C is pure coincidence.

Without the regulation, they may have done it a little later. Or not.

I'm assuming they thought it was in their commercial interests.

How?

In this case they have needed a little push from a regulator.

Your conspiracy theory needs some actual thrust.

 

[Ultracyclist]

this is a form of Stockholm syndrome in my opinion 😁
No ports? For what benefit? More water resistance?
Whats a more likely scenario:
a) people charge their phones via cable and move files to a computer every day around the world - or
b) millions of people desperately waiting to dive even deeper with their iPhone in hand? 🤣
😂

I’d say more space for battery.

I don’t care for a 1mm thinner phone. I’d rather see it 2mm and have a bigger battery 😅

 

[AppliedMicro]

Anyway, as I’ve said, the only justification Apple needs is: because we have the Pro phones for that. They don’t need to give the non-Pro every feature. There don’t need to be technical constraints.

Of course not.

Just maybe stop claiming you're "dedicated to making the best products on earth" then.

 

[citysnaps]

Of course not.

Just maybe stop claiming you're "dedicated to making the best products on earth" then.

If Apple's are not the best, which better mobile phone did you choose instead, and use daily?

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

Thunderbolt ≠ USB. They’re two separate protocols and have different requirements in the cable to function, but just the same connector, USB-C.

Having one cable rule them all was never a real possibility. There are 19 wires required inside that one cable for a full USB4 functionality. You think all manufacturers wanna put that much in there with the proper shielding and metals (and a separate chip for Thunderbolt) for safely transferring 40Gbps with room for zero error?

The solution to your problem to your problem is to buy the best, most recent, top of the line cable for all of your needs, aka one that supports Thunderbolt and USB4. But in that case you’re gonna be spending like ~$100 per cable, rather than the $5 you can find on Amazon.

That’s what’s happening here. Apple is not gonna bundle a Thunderbolt cable with an iPhone. They want to keep the margins they got when they removed the charger.

The other solution is for either Thunderbolt or USB4 to win the battle and reign supreme, which is a lot easier now than back in the day since they’re nearing feature parity now. But even then there’s no guarantee USB5 or USB6 would be on the horizon with even more expensive requirements.

Not to mention Power Delivery is its own specification aside from USB-C and its cables.

When articles like this speculate that the non-pro iPhones will use USB-C with USB 2.0 data transfer speeds, that just means they don’t want or expect people to be sending data through a cable anymore at all. They want as few wires in the cable as possible to save money. I don’t even know why data transfer through from a phone cable is even still a part of anyone’s process anymore. WiFi/airdrop are all good and fast enough at this point.

Anyway, USB-C solving all our port issues is an illusion. You’re always gonna have to pay attention to what kind of cable you’re buying and what most recent standard it supports. Manufacturers be cheap. 40Gbps+ speeds (USB 3.0 and the first USB-C cables started out at 5Gbps, remember) require more and better quality materials.

Sorry to unload this all out on you, I actually really just needed to write this out for myself lol. It’s confusing stuff.

Yeah sure, the latest and greatest 40 Gbs cables are expensive, but surely Apple can supply USB-C 3.2 cables with 20 Gbs or at least 10 Gbs, or even 5 Gbs for crying out loud, without breaking the bank.

Running on USB 2.0 at 480 Mbs in 2023, especially from a premium brand such as Apple, is simply bizarre. It even reeks of sour grapes at being forced off Lightning.

Apple has a history of dropping old tech well before the mainstream have stopped using it, such as the floppy, cd drive, and USB-A. And even falsely claiming something is superseded tech, such as the Jack (and yet keeping it in all the Macs, including the ultra high end Mac Pro, because um... audio and video professionals).

And yet USB-C 2.0, sheesh.

 

[chucker23n1]

Yeah sure, the latest and greatest 40 Gbs cables are expensive, but surely Apple can supply USB-C 3.2 cables with 20 Gbs or at least 10 Gbs, or even 5 Gbs for crying out loud, without breaking the bank.

They could. But why?

Running on USB 2.0 at 480 Mbs in 2023, especially from a premium brand such as Apple, is simply bizarre.

Almost nobody connects a phone to a computer. And those who do are more likely to buy an iPhone Pro. Which has a faster cable.

It even reeks of sour grapes at being forced off Lightning.

They were going to drop Lightning sooner or later regardless.

 

[chucker23n1]

Surely the WHOLE POINT of implementing USB-C is to NOT need proprietry cables any more? Why can't we use a high quality third party USB-C cable to transfer data at reasonable speeds? I imagine the EU, who pushed for USB-C in the first place, will see this as yet more gatekeeping

The EU pushed for a universal plug for charging. Data transfer did not factor in, probably because "people needlessly throw a lot of data cables away" is a concern orders of magnitude smaller than for charging cables.

Very, very few people physically connect a smartphone to a computer. If there's any interaction between the phone and computer at all, it is typically over Wi-Fi.

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

Without the regulation, they may have done it a little later. Or not.





How?



Your conspiracy theory needs some actual thrust.

Maybe they wanted to cling on to the licencing fees for lightning or they thought it would help them sell more icloud storage.

Almost nobody connects a phone to a computer. And those who do are more likely to buy an iPhone Pro. Which has a faster cable.

Weak really. Almost nobody uses their iPhone to shoot a motion picture but it doesn't stop Apple loading the software with pointless gimmicks.

 

[chucker23n1]

Weak really. Almost nobody uses their iPhone to shoot a motion picture but it doesn't stop Apple loading the software with pointless gimmicks.

That's a software feature. They already built it; adding it to non-Pro iPhones doesn't add marginal cost.

But you're also making my point: yeah, some features should be reserved to Pro phones. That's what makes them Pro phones. If you're arguing Cinematic Mode should only exist on those, I'm not gonna disagree.

 

[SDJim]

Thanks EU for this absolutely dumb mess you made.

The irony of them claiming this is to reduce eWaste when it will literally create a mountain of eWaste overnight with all the newly superfluous Lightning cables. It made all the sense in the world to use Lightning as long as possible.

 

[AppliedMicro]

Yeah sure, the latest and greatest 40 Gbs cables are expensive, but surely Apple can supply USB-C 3.2 cables with 20 Gbs or at least 10 Gbs, or even 5 Gbs for crying out loud, without breaking the bank.

Take a look at high-quality 20Gbps cables, their shielding and prices.
They're thicker and more expensive than the average consumer needs or wants them for charging purposes.

There's good reason that they provide 480Mbps USB-C charging cables with iPads - and not Thunderbolt cables.

The irony of them claiming this is to reduce eWaste when it will literally create a mountain of eWaste overnight with all the newly superfluous Lightning cables.

There's millions of Lightning phones and peripherals in current use that will be used for years to come.

 

[Abazigal]

If the biggest outrage the haters can muster this year is over having to buy new usb c cables for the iPhone, then I say it is pretty tame compared to previous years. 😂

 

[Neil Harrison]

If the biggest outrage the haters can muster this year is over having to buy new usb c cables for the iPhone, then I say it is pretty tame compared to previous years. 😂

I just dont get it, a) cos I use MagSafe mainly and b) there are over 50 electrical devices in our household, they are a mix of USB C

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

They could. But why?



Almost nobody connects a phone to a computer. And those who do are more likely to buy an iPhone Pro. Which has a faster cable.



They were going to drop Lightning sooner or later regardless.

Because the fastest iPhone storage speeds AFAIK can run at ~1000 MB/s = 1 GB/s = 8 Gb/s.

Whereas Lightning runs at 480 Mb/s = 0.48 Gb/s = 16 x slower than the storage is capable of.

Now sure, you're thinking but wait, Bluetooth is also around 8 Gb/s, and wifi 6/6E is up to 9.6 Gb/s, so what is the point if I can just airdrop, or wifi, as fast as the storage can operate?

Latency is one major problem. When you want to transfer a large number of small files, the latency of all the connection types will drop, and and the phone storage or laptop SSD is no longer your bottleneck.

Shared bandwidth is another. Bluetooth and Wifi are only that fast if your connection is the only one running at that time. The air is shared. The cable between your phone and laptop is exclusive to only you.

Thus, you want as fast as possible connection protocol to keep the device buffer from running dry and leaving the storage/SSD waiting.

 

[_Spinn_]

Thunderbolt cables should come standard for the Pro models.

 

[chucker23n1]

Because the fastest iPhone storage speeds AFAIK can run at ~1000 MB/s = 1 GB/s = 8 Gb/s.

Which is why I find the Thunderbolt rumors a bit surprising. Maybe there’s some other shoe to drop. Maybe iPhone Pro gets an 'SSD' (a second chip, or a more efficient controller, or whatever) in the future. Or there's some video editing flow that makes this worthwhile.

Whereas Lightning runs at 480 Mb/s = 0.48 Gb/s = 16 x slower than the storage is capable of.

Now sure, you're thinking but wait, Bluetooth is also around 8 Gb/s,

Wait, what? You're lucky to get 8 Mb/s with Bluetooth.

and wifi 6/6E is up to 9.6 Gb/s, so what is the point if I can just airdrop, or wifi, as fast as the storage can operate?

Well, that's under ideal, extremely unlikely situations.

USB 3.1 Gen 2 (and probably even Gen 1) will very likely beat it.

 

[chucker23n1]

Thunderbolt cables should come standard for the Pro models.

Maybe. A Thunderbolt cable is stiff, short, expensive, and not necessary for most users. I guess you could make the case they should ship the Pro models with two cables, but that gets back to the e-waste argument, so…

 

[sideshowuniqueuser]

Which is why I find the Thunderbolt rumors a bit surprising. Maybe there’s some other shoe to drop. Maybe iPhone Pro gets an 'SSD' (a second chip, or a more efficient controller, or whatever) in the future. Or there's some video editing flow that makes this worthwhile.



Wait, what? You're lucky to get 8 Mb/s with Bluetooth.



Well, that's under ideal, extremely unlikely situations.

USB 3.1 Gen 2 (and probably even Gen 1) will very likely beat it.

Yep, I totally agree. I was giving best case scenario for the "why bother with faster than Lightning?" argument.

And yep, if Apple drops a nice surprise with faster iPhone storage along with Thunderbolt USB-C, that would be sweeeet.

 

[pdmpolishing]

This is the most greedy company on the planet earth 💸💸💸

This is nothing new for companies, just look at Bang & Olufsen at the moment to see how much they have increased their prices.

 

[TheYayAreaLiving 🎗️]

A 30 Watt iPhone 15 Pro fast charging is confirmed.

 

[Fat_Guy]

“Apple Port”



Please tell me this is a joke… 😬

Apple Wonderlust event: Catch up on everything announced

The iPhone 15, Apple Watch Series 9, and everything else Apple launched today.

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