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Apple's Rumored 18W USB-C iPhone Power Adapter Prototype Shown Off in New Photos
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With solar panels, wind power, geothermal, etc, why are we wasting energy through converting it from DC to AC in the western continent. If we had DC appliances available here at the same or reduced cost, people with solar panels, etc can just charge their devices directly from a storage battery or source.
AC power made sense back in the day due to running powerlines over an extended distance, with people disconnecting from the power grid, we are just sticking to prior standards with inefficiencies.
Apple currently sells a Lightning to (female) USB-A adaptor to connect USB peripherals (card readers, Ethernet adaptors, audio/MIDI interfaces) to iOS devices. If Apple were to switch to USB-C on the phone, it would allow us to connect those things without an extra adaptor (assuming we all got USB-C versions of those things).
Not that I think Apple will do so, but Apple is already making use of USB features (card reader, Ethernet, MIDI), though not specifically of USB-C features.
I know many people who have not expressed the issue you have described about USB-C not holding securely, if that were the case Apple and other manufacturers would not have it deliver power to laptops, phones, etc. I suspect you may have a defective plug/port. I am sure the "fatter" port will eventually have a mini/micro version available, honestly the iPhone could stand to be a little thicker to increase battery life and have a flush camera housing vice a bump.
I am sure you can connect a USB-C donge/hub and have HDMI/USB-A/SD card/power/etc, in one product vice having multiple dongles connect via lightening, I suspect this is the lightening connectors limitation to only allows power and some other aux function. I have a lightening wired headphones that delivers audio and power at the same time. I don't believe it could handle more than two functions at the same time. This is where USB-C would be beneficial with the added data transmission rate.
I also like the holding securely part. That was good engineering.
However, the major technical benefit would be that it could be charged with the industry standard connector. Could even use a Macbook charger for the phone.
From another persepctive, as you said yourself, Apple will most likely go full wireless soon, turning lighting cables into rarely used things.
And then, for the very few occasions you need to physically connect your phone you have to dig out a lighting cable, which by then might not be bundled with the phone anymore.
That's as stupid as sticking with RS-232 on consumer devices in 2018.
Way more stupid is that the latest iPad and Macbook still use USB 2.0 speeds, despite both sides being capable of USB 3 speeds. Ironically, the cable isn't. Let's talk about innovation again...
Because DC still can’t travel distances efficiently, and some people will be slow to buy new appliances and some states have a low population spread out over thousands of square miles so AC is probably going to be the primary voltage type. And that’s not taking into consideration all of the AC motors used by both business and homes. Things like washer and dryer motors or exhaust fans or window air conditioners. My state does not encourage and in fact actively discourages self generation of electricity.
Well, you wouldn't need something like this to charge your phone off your MB or MBP:
https://www.imore.com/best-usb-c-hubs-macbook-pro
Hopefully the third pin on the British plug forces another shallower design than the US equivalent. USB port underneath means the USB cable plug doesn’t stick out in an awkward direction too. USB-C would make it easy to blind-find the hidden port, too.
This is just for the charging block + USB end of the cable. If you already have lightning cables for charging in multiple places you could continue using those no?
In NY city there are many buildings that have dc power. It doesn’t work so well. Even over the course of a block there is a lot of power loss.
Why is your state discouraging self generation of electricity? So people cannot be independant or the local power generation plant is trying to profit from aging infrastructure. There is also fossil fuel based power generators for homes in the event of an emergency situation. Europe and other Nations already have DC powered appliances, so there is no additional cost to produce them, it would be cheaper. It is a question of availibility in an AC market. I have already mentioned why AC was used for decades, this mindset does not hold true with people/governments moving to solar/wind/etc. It's politics my friend, too many lobbyists who are lining they pockets for personal gain vice the greater good, this is the problem with humanity and the odd twist that a capitalistic system has taken.
Europe has been on DC for decades, unless I am missing something.
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Opportunity for a dongle no doubt.
DC power distribution was shut off in NYC over a decade ago. Any buildings that still have DC are converting it themselves, usually for antique elevators.
Why is wireless better? It's less efficient and harder to use portably.
Other than having a charging pad next to your bed, wired is better in nearly all cases.
That’s a pretty cool idea.
Possible guesses why they didn’t:
-they ran out of space for all the electronics needed inside
-minimizing cost
-assuming many people have USB-A charging blocks if needed
-Moving forward with USB-C
HVDC is what you're looking for. Used mostly underwater (as AC would have to deal with a high capacity of the surrounding water). Everywhere else AC has the benefit that it can be way more easily transformed. In households it provides more safety than DC.
From an EMC point of view AC is rather bad though... a coax DC power line would be perfect and also provide a high level of safety.
However, when it comes to the US, the problems with power distribution is the low voltage. ~115V means double the amps, which comes at the cost of more losses in transit. Ironically, also the efficiency of AC/DC adapters is higher at 230V->DC than 115V->DC.
I concure, a charging coaster/stand is an additional device to worry about and cost, nice to have near your bed stand, not so good while travelling. Considering a phone is mobile, having both options available is best. True short range wireless power is still some years off and is a waste of power efficiency.
As someone with the USB C MacBook Pro... Would be nice to have all my devices using the same cables. Having to spend $25 on a USB C to Lighting cable was annoying... I already went and got 3 Anker 30w USB C chargers so, could care less about the charger, would be cool to charge phones with those. Wonder when the multi-USB C chargers will come out.
Have to agree with the posters here. Having used USB C for awhile now, I'm not a huge fan of it. Doesn't hold securely, doesn't feel like a strong grip when plugging in, and I've had some 3rd party cables refuse connection even when plugged in. Only nice thing is, I don't plug it in the wrong way 99% of the time like I do with old USB.
Have to agree with the posters here. Having used USB C for awhile now, I'm not a huge fan of it. Doesn't hold securely, doesn't feel like a strong grip when plugging in, and I've had some 3rd party cables refuse connection even when plugged in. Only nice thing is, I don't plug it in the wrong way 99% of the time like I do with old USB.
