These are the same thing and are now properly USB 3.2 Gen 1x1 “SuperSpeed USB 5Gbps” ??
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Apple's Lightning Port is Nearing Its Expiration Date, So What's Next for the iPhone?
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I can't speak to the durability of USB-C ports.
Lighting ports on the other hand I have HAMMERED on for years with no failures or wearing out.
As todays phones are not easily repaired, I would rather have a stronger, more durable port.
Lighting ports on the other hand I have HAMMERED on for years with no failures or wearing out.
As todays phones are not easily repaired, I would rather have a stronger, more durable port.
Yes, but the MagSafe puck is pretty big compared to a USB-C or Lightning connector, and all you can do with Magsafe right now is charge. Especially for people with cable only CarPlay radios the lack of a data cable kills the vehicles entertainment device.
I dont mind lightning at all. I have tons of Apple lightning cables, which I'd rather not replace either.
Yes I would like it to be faster, but I actually cant remember the last time I used the cable for any data transfer - just used for charging. I use iCloud for all backups and CarPlay is wireless.
Yes I would like it to be faster, but I actually cant remember the last time I used the cable for any data transfer - just used for charging. I use iCloud for all backups and CarPlay is wireless.
Better yet, design an inverted USB-C connector that looks more like Lightning, call it Nano USB, and make it standard.
I don't have a preference of Lightning v USB C, what I do not understand is how Apple can have 4 different charging types across their devices. Pick one and go with it across all devices.
And.. I think that's what they decided when they went full USB C on their MacBooks and then realised the revenue they would miss out on for MFI. If they truly had any interest in reducing planet impacting waste they would adopt USB C on their devices.
And.. I think that's what they decided when they went full USB C on their MacBooks and then realised the revenue they would miss out on for MFI. If they truly had any interest in reducing planet impacting waste they would adopt USB C on their devices.
Greed. When someone lets money be the main focus, this someone usually loose all its intelligence.
Apple keeps saying they care about environment, yet pushes to use wireless headphone with useless dirty batteries. They care about environment, but creates devices that waste 20-30% of the energy while charging (wireless charging). For all the devices Apple has, over the world, this represents the loss of the power generated by 1-2 nuclear powerplants. Taking into consideration 2 billions of smartphone charged wireless, this is about 4-5 nuclear powerplants.
So while we struggle producing green energy, Apple is coming, "caring" about environment is wasting an enormous amount of energy for a useless feature.
Wireless charging should be totally forbidden as it is a total non-sense. Or should be a feature taxed about 200$ to finance building new powerplants to generate power just to cover the energy loss it has...
The port will disappear. MagSafe lets you charge your phone while holding it already. Wireless DACs let you use any headphone you want already. The pins on the back of a iPad Pro shoes you can attach magnetic accessories that provide data and power without using a port. There's no actual need for the port anymore for 99% of people. Apple will surely soon enough make a MagSafe charger and iPhone that fast charges faster than the current USB C to lightening cable.
Not against a “one port” to rule them all and USB-C has seen it’s fair share of compatible updates (USB4 happened years after) BUT are we really open to force a path to quasi-permanently adopt a technology whose specification was published over 8 years ago?
I don’t know about when “the design” of the lightning cable was finished, but it was released ready to go for the public in 2012… if the reason to get rid of it is because it’s old news then USBC isn’t that recent news either.
In any case, here we are, locking up everything to use USBC for the foreseeable future and clapping about it. Which maybe is a good thing, maybe for interfacing we won’t ever need much more than that (just like a wall power outlet haven’t really changed in ages) but I’m definitely not confident at all in saying it will go one way or the other.
I don’t know about when “the design” of the lightning cable was finished, but it was released ready to go for the public in 2012… if the reason to get rid of it is because it’s old news then USBC isn’t that recent news either.
In any case, here we are, locking up everything to use USBC for the foreseeable future and clapping about it. Which maybe is a good thing, maybe for interfacing we won’t ever need much more than that (just like a wall power outlet haven’t really changed in ages) but I’m definitely not confident at all in saying it will go one way or the other.
A little pessimistic. Use varies, but my iPhone 13 mini recharges via MagSafe in about 30 minutes at, let’s say, 20W. So, average power draw in one day is 0.8W. If a billion phones did this, the total power draw would be about 0.8GW, rather less than the output of one nuclear power station.
Of course, there are more things than iPhones, and some people use their gadgets more often than I do. But look at things this way…
In 2020, the UK alone generated 75,610 gigawatt hours (GWh) of electricity from both offshore and onshore wind, which provides enough energy to charge all the world’s iPhones ten times over.
Electricity generation from wind power in the UK increased by 715% from 2009 to 2020.
While we are making spectacular success in the advancement of renewable energy, I’m not going to worry about the odd 20W or so that my phone guzzles for a small part of the day.
By most accounts, USB-C was basically designed by Apple and given to the consortium without attribution.
I think the plan all along was to eventually move to USB-C across their product line, but not so quickly as to anger their customer base (I still to this day hear people complain about the transition from the pin connector that feels like a lifetime ago).
The iPad Air & Pro adoption of USB-C highly suggests this is the trend.
I think the plan all along was to eventually move to USB-C across their product line, but not so quickly as to anger their customer base (I still to this day hear people complain about the transition from the pin connector that feels like a lifetime ago).
The iPad Air & Pro adoption of USB-C highly suggests this is the trend.
Right, and when introduced, Apple said lightening was the connector for the next decade (10 years). This is year 10, so, it's time to move on.
Source: https://9to5mac.com/2022/02/28/ligh...n-connector-for-the-next-decade-10-years-ago/
Yes, agreed. Analogous to a human child growing into an adult, it only makes sense even to regard it as the same organism by its name, history and memories, yet it is so regarded.
Apple is standing in the way of human progress by not transitioning to USB-C. USB-C can charge at higher wattage and transfer data at higher rates. It's also more robust.
When Phil Schiller introduced the Lightning connector at the unveiling of the iPhone 5 in September 2012, he called it "a modern connector for the next decade," and with that 10-year mark coming up later this year, questions remain over what the future of the iPhone looks like and whether or not that future will include a Lightning port, or perhaps no port at all.
Every iPhone since the iPhone 5 has featured a Lightning port, which Apple touted in 2012 as a "smaller, smarter and more durable" port compared to the previous 30-pin connector. Even as the majority of the company's iPad line and the entire Mac line now feature USB-C, the iPhone has become the odd one out with its inclusion of Lightning.
The smartphone industry has rapidly transitioned to USB-C, with the vast majority of handsets on the market featuring the more versatile port. Apple's reluctance to follow the industry in adopting USB-C has annoyed many customers, but it appears Apple is sticking with Lightning on iPhone for the considerable future.
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who frequently shares accurate insights into Apple's product plans, has said the company believes the adoption of USB-C would negatively impact its Made for iPhone (MFi) program and notes that Apple is concerned about lower standards of water resistance for USB-C compared to Lightning. Given those two points, Kuo says the iPhone will continue to feature Lightning for the "foreseeable future."
Apple's ultimate goal for the iPhone is to go completely portless, relying on MagSafe and wireless connections for charging and data transfer needs. MagSafe on the iPhone, which first debuted on the iPhone 12, is still not fully matured and is so far limited to charging. Apple is highly unlikely to abandon Lightning and adopt USB-C for only a few years before going portless. Instead, it's more likely to use Lightning while continuing to MagSafe matures for a future portless iPhone.
The European Commission could, however, impact how soon we get a portless iPhone. The EC has proposed a directive that would require all consumer electronic devices, including smartphones, tablets, cameras, headphones, portable speakers, and handheld videogame consoles, to feature a "common port," aka, USB-C. If the directive does pass in 2022, companies such as Apple will have two years to transition their devices to USB-C.
There are some caveats, though. On paper, the directive would constitute a significant change for the iPhone as it would be forced to include USB-C, but the directive only applies to devices that charge via cable.
A spokesperson for the EC confirmed to The Verge that if a device exclusively charges via wireless charging, it isn't required to include a USB-C port. That, alongside the two-year transition period that the directive would allocate to companies to transition to USB-C, gives Apple ample time to mature MagSafe and abandon Lightning in favor of an all-wireless future.
Apple's confusing port lineup has not gone unnoticed. Across the latest iPhone, iPad, MacBook Pro, Apple Watch, and AirPods models, Apple offers customers four completely different types of chargers to juice up their devices. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman highlighted the inconsistency in his Power On newsletter this past August. As Gurman noted at the time, "Lightning served Apple well since 2012, but USB-C has clearly won out across the industry and has become the default connector for new devices."
Article Link: Apple's Lightning Port is Nearing Its Expiration Date, So What's Next for the iPhone?
The iPhone charges at max 15W wirelessly, I can’t imagine being forced to charge the phone for 3 hours as opposed to 50 mins. It’s even worse in the car with navigation on, the phone’s 5W charging capability can barely keep up with Waze and the phone discharges even while plugged in. On the positive side, the 13 Pro Max battery lasts for 2 days, but I still cannot fathom iPhones without ports. Give us fast wireless charging, my friend’s Xiaomi charges at 55W wirelessly, so why can’t iPhones?
And most Apple devices, too. I think Apple will finally kibosh Lightning for USB Type C connectors that meets Apple's stringent waterproofing specs withihn a year or so.
Everyone always cites the fact that Apple makes so much money off their Mfi program… what exactly is preventing them from making USB-C cables with Mfi chips too? It’s a logical fallacy to think they are mutually exclusive.
There might be cheap cables on the market without the chip, but that already exists for lightning too. Any brand truly interested in selling their cable will want to tout official Mfi certification as a major selling point. And since the cables will be sold for use with ALL usb-c devices, not just apple devices, they stand to make more money on Mfi chips than ever. They’ll have Mfi chips in every cable whether they’re ultimately getting plugged into an iPhone or not.
There might be cheap cables on the market without the chip, but that already exists for lightning too. Any brand truly interested in selling their cable will want to tout official Mfi certification as a major selling point. And since the cables will be sold for use with ALL usb-c devices, not just apple devices, they stand to make more money on Mfi chips than ever. They’ll have Mfi chips in every cable whether they’re ultimately getting plugged into an iPhone or not.
Only issue I’ve had with Lightning ports and cables is dirt. But that’s easily cleaned so less of a problem. I’ve not had USB-C ports on anything (iPad’s primarily) long enough to see how they do over time regarding bending the thin oval metal or dirt accumulation. They do seem as if they’d be harder to clean out than Lightning, but don’t know yet.
I agree, as do most people on this forum, that USB-C is superior and would prefer that transition, but I think the average consumer would be irritated at best, and Apple’s competitors are ready to pounce to weaponzie any change that will force consumers to scrap all their existing cords/accessories.
This.
It would be nice to have just one cable to use for all of my devices.
But, does it have to be USBC? It’s not exactly a very stable sturdy port, and it’s extremely possible, and I hope probable, that something better will become The universal standard if there ever is one.
And I certainly hope that governments don’t start mandating that every device use the same port, because that just stifles future innovation.
Imagine if they passed a law like that back in 2010. Micro USB would still be the main port today, and USB-C would probably still be awaiting approval somewhere in EU legislature.