If you don't mind me asking, what do you plan to do with an iPhone that requires a Thunderbolt cable? I'm a pretty heavy user on my phone to the extent that it almost makes having a computer pointless, and I still can't think of why I would want a thunderbolt cable for my phone.
Apple Reportedly Plans to Announce New AirPods With USB-C Charging Case at iPhone 15 Event
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? From all I have read Apple made the decision to remove the jack. The EU was not involved.
Nope. It's a terrible direction long-term.
mossburgercombo
macrumors newbie
hopefully, they will offer some type of swap if have the lightning airpods pro case. planning to buy the iphone 15 assuming it has type c port. finally can be free of lighting from all my apple products.
All four iPhone 15 models launching next month are widely expected to be equipped with a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port. Alongside this change, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman today reported that Apple plans to announce updated AirPods with a USB-C charging case during its event on Tuesday, September 12 at Steve Jobs Theater.
"To match the new iPhones, Apple will introduce updated AirPods at the event that include a USB-C charging port," wrote Gurman.
The report does not provide any additional details about the updated AirPods, so it's unclear if it is referring to the standard AirPods and/or the AirPods Pro, but both models will need to be updated with USB-C charging cases eventually to match the iPhone 15 models. Gurman and other sources previously claimed that the AirPods Pro would be updated with a USB-C charging case later this year, while hidden code-level references to new AirPods and a new charging case were uncovered in iOS 16.4 back in March.
It's also unclear if the updated AirPods will have any new features or changes beyond a USB-C charging case. The third-generation AirPods launched in October 2021, while the second-generation AirPods Pro were released in September 2022.
There are several other Apple products and accessories that will likely need to transition from Lightning to USB-C over time if they remain sold, such as the AirPods Max, MagSafe Battery Pack, Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, Magic Trackpad, various adapters, and more. Apple already updated the Siri Remote with a USB-C port last year.
Article Link: Apple Reportedly Plans to Announce New AirPods With USB-C Charging Case at iPhone 15 Event
Indeed it is. We are probably only a few years out from the next port/connector standard and either it will be "here we go again" or the EU will hold back progress and deny its use. Or both!
buklauu
macrumors member
I can't even fathom the revisionist gymnastics you have to go through to bemoan the EU mandating USB-C. Do you not remember the cluster**** of proprietary chargers that existed for smartphones in the 00's and 10's? Then the EU proposes a MoU for interoperability with an emphasis on microUSB, and look at that "in 2019, 44% of mobile phones sold in the EU had a USB-C connector at the device end, while 38% (mostly older and lower-end phones) had a USBMicro-B, and 18% had Apple's Lightning"
So with an MoU, the EU helped refine the industry to 3 main connectors. There was plenty of aversion to government interference in the tech industry; it was reasonable to doubt law moving fast enough to capture the evolving industry, but industry itself, voluntarily, saw the benefits. I'm literally seeing arguments a decade old being made in this thread.
Apple was part of the group that designed USB-C - they've aggressively been moving all their devices to the standard they helped create. Worrying about glacial government adaptation is one thing, staunching declaring the EU's mandate as a disaster is silly and comes off as completely unaware of the history of smartphones.
So with an MoU, the EU helped refine the industry to 3 main connectors. There was plenty of aversion to government interference in the tech industry; it was reasonable to doubt law moving fast enough to capture the evolving industry, but industry itself, voluntarily, saw the benefits. I'm literally seeing arguments a decade old being made in this thread.
Apple was part of the group that designed USB-C - they've aggressively been moving all their devices to the standard they helped create. Worrying about glacial government adaptation is one thing, staunching declaring the EU's mandate as a disaster is silly and comes off as completely unaware of the history of smartphones.
nice of you to completely ignore one side of the argument.
buklauu
macrumors member
Feel free to actually make one besides stooping to truisms of 'government slow and dumb'. In the context of smartphone chargers, the disasters have yet to materialize. Given over 10 years of evidence, the onus has now shifted to the naysayers to explain why it's bad. I completely understand worrying about the government ineptly sticking their nose where it doesn't belong, but it turned out to be wrong back then - so why is it wrong now?
You complain about e-waste while ignoring the e-waste that was eliminated by the very same logic you're decrying. Lightning chargers will not suddenly stop working. USB-C is not some insane and out of touch standard. Why didn't Apple just hold out with the 30-pin connector because a portless iPhone was Just Around The Corner™ as people were arguing back then as well?
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fwmireault
macrumors 68020
That’s not true. Apple still sells wired earbuds with a lightning port. And this is one of the reasons why a lightning port doesn’t make any sense anymore, because you couldn’t use those headphones with any other device than an iPhone (or earlier ipad generations). USB-C headphones or USB-C to 3.5 mm are far more common and can be used across many devices and platforms.
The world was moving towards Bluetooth headphones anyway. But it’s not true that AirPods were the only choice.
I already have. It's far better to reuse what already exists than to temporarily switch to a standard that will be removed in the years to come.
A valid assertion would be that the majority of all iPhone customers use the cable only to charge, not to transfer data. Switching to USB-C is essentially producing tons of extra emissions to accomplish the same task.
Apple can no longer exclude the cable from the box as the switch warrants inclusion of the cable for the next several years. Is there a law that says Apple has to include one? I don't think so, but that's terrible PR which could cost Apple a fortune, so it's more than likely they'll include a cable. Excluding the lightning cable if the iPhone was still lightning would blow over the same way as the charger. Excluding the USB-C cable if the iPhone switched to USB-C would be devastating.
This whole argument of "well if iPhone goes portless, you can just re-use the USB-C cable for something else" misses the point entirely. The fact is, a new cable was produced to achieve the same responsibility as a lightning cable and the old cable is being retired prematurely when it has plenty of life left.
"But you can use the lightning cable for other Apple devices, you're not throwing it away immediately" yes that would have been the same way if Apple went portless too. Only difference is, you have this intermediary step of USB-C which accelerated the death of lightning.
"But if iPhone goes portless, you can reuse the USB-C cable for something else" yes, but you already have USB-C cable for that other thing already which was included or something you bought extra of. So the utility of your cables go down, but the overall global cable production goes up compared to a world that just sticks with lightning.
On a macro scale, the average number of cables a user owns in their lifetime *increases* under the EU mandate over just keeping lightning in the generations of people that lived through the lightning era. This is valid assertion.
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buklauu
macrumors member
Look, I get the e-waste argument, I really do. It was just more convincing back in 2010 when my brother had to ask around for a Samsung Galaxy charger.
Yes, mandating a new standard necessarily makes other cables obsolete, this is a given. What you're not realizing is that this is the second time this argument has come up. Before, the EU made single-purpose cables obsolete - phone chargers that had absolutely no other purpose. This was the first e-waste bullet to bite that led to a decade of phones focusing on microUSB and USB-C, multi-purpose cables that do more than just charge phones.
Now, you're trying the same argument, but in an environment where a plurality of smartphones already use the mandated standard. The now obsolete microUSB cables are more versatile than the proprietary phone chargers of yore, and lightning has more-or-less become single-use from Apple's own adoption of USB-C.
It's just like before, but now the e-waste bullet is easier to bite because government intervention actually led to a good outcome: an ecosystem of much higher interoperability and usefulness (and please don't misunderstand me, I am 100% with you in being cynical about the government's ability to adapt).
Same argument, provably less cons, baffling to think its strength has done anything but diminish over time.
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Again, you completely ignored what I said. Making other cables obsolete when they have plenty of life left and replacing it with the cable that will achieve the same purpose until the iPhone goes portless IS THE PROBLEM but you're ignoring that. And building a surplus of USB-C cables for everyone is worse for the environment compared to just eliminating it from the box. You're ignoring that too.
And bringing up phone chargers? What? Why? It is completely irrelevant to the discussion about lightning cables.
Sorry but this is ridiculous. Have a good one.
JapanApple
Suspended
The E-waste problem. In Japan, we separate many types. Many different days for different trash, we pay for our trash bags as well. electric devices are getting worse.
macduke
macrumors G5
Does anyone really plug in their AirPods Pro? I have a little charging pad for them on my three in one charger, but I also just pop them on my Apple Watch charger at my desk or on any random MagSafe puck around my house. I don't think I've ever plugged them in.
Let's be real. If you've purchased anything at all that is non-Apple tech in the last 5 years, chances are you have a USB-C cable already. And if you've purchased an iPad Air/Pro or a MacBook, you've got them. Purchased a Switch? Got it. Purchased a PS5? Got it. Purchased any sort of USB drive? Got it. Purchased any DJI drone? Got it. Purchased a camera? Got it. My grandparents are in their 80s and I forgot to stick my chargers in my bag when I went to visit them. Even they had a USB-C cable I could borrow. I don't even know what from.
Hopefully Apple will get more involved the next time there is a standards update. Otherwise you let the rest of the industry define it for you. It's crazy how commonplace USB-C is becoming. Even my 3D printer uses USB-C cables to power and connect everything together for communication. It was really easy to plug everything in and set it up.
Personally I think the Lightning connector is sturdier than USB-C but USB-C is so much more versatile at this point with it's fast charging speed, high data speed, video output, and Thunderbolt capabilities. Plus you can get a cable anywhere for cheap without needing MFi certification. My biggest gripe though is the massive headache it is for consumers trying to pick out which cable they need. There are too many weird naming conventions for the various data and charging speeds, but HDMI has had similar issues. Eventually folding devices will have their respective halves get very thin and that is going to present challenges for USB-C. Hopefully Apple leads the charge on designing a robust connector for when the next standard releases. I would not be surprised to see something more similar to Lightning's shape than USB-C in the future. If I had to guess it would be not as deep as Lightning but a little wider, possibly with additional pins.
Let's be real. If you've purchased anything at all that is non-Apple tech in the last 5 years, chances are you have a USB-C cable already. And if you've purchased an iPad Air/Pro or a MacBook, you've got them. Purchased a Switch? Got it. Purchased a PS5? Got it. Purchased any sort of USB drive? Got it. Purchased any DJI drone? Got it. Purchased a camera? Got it. My grandparents are in their 80s and I forgot to stick my chargers in my bag when I went to visit them. Even they had a USB-C cable I could borrow. I don't even know what from.
Hopefully Apple will get more involved the next time there is a standards update. Otherwise you let the rest of the industry define it for you. It's crazy how commonplace USB-C is becoming. Even my 3D printer uses USB-C cables to power and connect everything together for communication. It was really easy to plug everything in and set it up.
Personally I think the Lightning connector is sturdier than USB-C but USB-C is so much more versatile at this point with it's fast charging speed, high data speed, video output, and Thunderbolt capabilities. Plus you can get a cable anywhere for cheap without needing MFi certification. My biggest gripe though is the massive headache it is for consumers trying to pick out which cable they need. There are too many weird naming conventions for the various data and charging speeds, but HDMI has had similar issues. Eventually folding devices will have their respective halves get very thin and that is going to present challenges for USB-C. Hopefully Apple leads the charge on designing a robust connector for when the next standard releases. I would not be surprised to see something more similar to Lightning's shape than USB-C in the future. If I had to guess it would be not as deep as Lightning but a little wider, possibly with additional pins.
1. Beside the point. Switch to USB-C obviously means Apple will more than likely include the cable with the box whereas keeping with lightning meant there was a high chance Apple would have excluded the cable. Including the cable in the box for the next several years is the problem.
2. MacBook Pros and Airs come with MagSafe currently. Not USB-C to USB-C
3. My Switch/PS5 currently has a USB-C cable connected to the dock/system. For daily charging, most people aren't going to be walking to their consoles to plug in their phone. My a7IV usb cable is in my camera bag. Don't have a drone but I imagine I'd have a place of where I can easily plug in and charge my drone which would not be in my usual phone spot. Point is, the cables that come with these devices generally sit at or near where the device is being used. And quite often, like the iPad, they are being used when you want to charge your phone so either you unplug the device so that you can charge your phone, or do what most people do and end up getting a new cable just for the phone.
Hopefully EU won't decide what to do with wireless standards *after* billions of devices adopts it. This to me makes no sense to force standards after billions have adopted it.
sideshowuniqueuser
macrumors 68040
Good timing. Not only am I well overdue for a new phone, but also my AirPods are starting to get a bit old in the bluetooth. Ironically, USB-C is the killer app to send me over the edge to get a shiny new iPhone Pro and AirPods Pro. I will finally be done with these annoying Lightning cables. Apple will be so happy ha ha.
sideshowuniqueuser
macrumors 68040
Don't worry, Apple will probably make a USB-C to Lightning adapter so you can chain your cables
sideshowuniqueuser
macrumors 68040
When you sell your old phone, you bundle your Lightning cables with it. It's not like everyone is going to suddenly throw every lightning device and cable in the bin.
primarycolors
Suspended
This makes sense. I wonder how soon it will be until all other Lightning accessories transition (Magic Mouse/Keyboard/Trackpad)?
There will be an interesting transition period between being able to charge everything with one cable, to two, then back to one 😆
There will be an interesting transition period between being able to charge everything with one cable, to two, then back to one 😆
No. Apple sends you a box that's barely enough to put your phone in to trade in.
Plenty will throw away every lightning cable they have. Most likely in the trash instead of ewaste.
one more
macrumors 603
Possibly, yet at the moment there are technical limitations, as we still cannot transfer data over MagSafe, for example. Besides, MagSafe is also a cable. It is convenient indeed, but less efficient than a “normal” cable.
RickDEGH
macrumors 6502a
Hopefully? Is there some law that you must get the new one, otherwise your old one becomes useless?