EU Law That Could Force the iPhone to Switch to USB-C to Be Presented Next Month

[RobArtLyn]

Good. Now don't forget about these other lightning port devices:

• Apple TV Remote
• AirPods Case
• AirPods Max
• Mouse
• Keyboard

Keyboard? My Apple keyboard runs on AA batteries the way nature intended.

 

[blazerunner]

Apple's got it's head really far up it's own ass if they think NOT USING USB-C in 2021 is tolerable.

Absolutely embarrassing....... but it's been like that for years.

 

[Tech198]

Well.. isn't USB-C going there anyway? EU probably wants this done early. All other devices already, including new Mac's .I see it only a matter of time, but i guess EU thinks its too slow

 

[ftaok]

I still feel like this law is pertaining to chargers.... not the ports on the device itself.

Read the source article and see if you get that impression too. There are quite a few references to the words "common chargers" in there.

The only mention of Apple, Lightning Ports, or Cables is in the editorial commentary.

Also... remember that Apple stopped shipping chargers with most new devices. So would they be forced to include chargers again?

the MR article mentioned the 2019 study. The key point was that they had 5 suggested options.

“ A European Commission impact assessment study conducted in 2019 found that half of all charging cables sold with mobile phones had a USB micro-B connector, 29 percent had a USB-C connector, and 21 percent had a Lightning connector. The study suggested five options for a common charger, with various options that cover ports on devices and ports on power adapters.”

Found some more details in a yahoo article. 3 of those 5 options pertained to the port on the device. The remaining 2 pertained to the connector on the brick.

Couldn’t find the study to read the details.

 

[tobybrut]

I would welcome this development, as I could then carry less cables and use the same for iPad & iPhone. However, going by Apple’s past history, we might just get another small lightening (male) to USB-C (female) adapter in the box. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Don't people carry one cable for every device that needs charging, especially for overnight charging? If I bring five devices, I bring five cables to charge them. It doesn't matter what the connector is because I still need one cable per device. If it's 3 USB-C, one Lightning, and one micro-USB, I still need five cables. If all five were USB-C, I'd still need five USB-C cables.

I don't get having only cable for everything. Who does that, especially overnight? Do people leave everything unplugged and only charge one thing when they go to bed in their hotel room? I bring a power adapter or strip that can charge everything all at once.

 

[one more]

Don't people carry one cable for every device that needs charging, especially for overnight charging? If I bring five devices, I bring five cables to charge them. It doesn't matter what the connector is because I still need one cable per device. If it's 3 USB-C, one Lightning, and one micro-USB, I still need five cables. If all five were USB-C, I'd still need five USB-C cables.

I don't get having only cable for everything. Who does that, especially overnight? Do people leave everything unplugged and only charge one thing when they go to bed in their hotel room? I bring a power adapter or strip that can charge everything all at once.

I only charge my iPhone overnight, the rest is occasional top-ups. It’s not only charging, though, also data transfers. It all depends on our workflow, but it still will be more comforting to know that if something happens to my cable on the go I could borrow anybody’s next to me, regardless of what device they are using.

 

[tobybrut]

It would be really nice if Apple would just do this on their own. Our MacBooks and iPads already have USB-C, so it’s super annoying to have to keep lightning cables around just for our phones.

Most Apple devices use Lightning. All of their AirPods do, keyboards, mice, trackpads, and most iPads. I can't think of a single Apple-branded accessory that doesn't use Lightning. Only the Mac, iPad Pro and iPad Air use USB-C, but most of the buying public is getting the base iPads that use Lightning. Apple sells 200 million iPhones a year and only a tiny fraction of MacBooks. Most Apple products in the hands of consumers use Lightning. They introduced a Beats headphone for the first time that uses USB-C, but I suspect it isn't targeted at the Apple community. All the remaining Beats use Lightning. 1.5 billion iPhones in the world makes a good case for Apple to not change connectors.

 

[cocoua]

“Apple warned that forcing a common charging port on the industry would stifle innovation and create electronic waste as consumers were forced to switch to new cables”

Said by Apple Dongle Inc.

 

[cocoua]

Most Apple devices use Lightning. All of their AirPods do, keyboards, mice, trackpads, and most iPads. I can't think of a single Apple-branded accessory that doesn't use Lightning. Only the Mac, iPad Pro and iPad Air use USB-C, but most of the buying public is getting the base iPads that use Lightning. Apple sells 200 million iPhones a year and only a tiny fraction of MacBooks. Most Apple products in the hands of consumers use Lightning. They introduced a Beats headphone for the first time that uses USB-C, but I suspect it isn't targeted at the Apple community. All the remaining Beats use Lightning. 1.5 billion iPhones in the world makes a good case for Apple to not change connectors.

Well, lihjting is a USB 2.0 transfer rate so we are talking here of an obsolete protocol.
it can pass more electricity, but is slow as hell.

moreover, they move to USB-C in their only one true Pro iDevice: the iPad Pro , so lighting is not so great after all...

 

[fivenotrump]

typical EU stupidity and meddling: so glad we left

 

[Azzin]

Same here and it's a pain in the arse, especially when travelling.

Why?

Surely, all you need is a wall charger that has USB C ports and a USB A port for your lightning cable?

Or, just get a USB C to Lightning cable?

I genuinely don't see how it's a pain in the arse.

 

[Azzin]

When I travel, I’ve simply resigned myself to unplugging the power strip with all of my various chargers still plugged into it and stuffing the whole mess into my travel bag. It takes a few seconds compared to the days I painstakingly unplugged and carefully wound up each adapter only to have to plug everything back in at my destination, where there often aren’t enough outlets and I’d wished for my power strip anyway.

All you need is one of these:

Anker PowerPort Atom III Slim 63W 4 Port PIQ 3.0 GaN Wall Charger with Dual USB-C Ports for Laptops, iPad Pro, iPhone, Galaxy, and More

Anker PowerPort Atom III Slim 63W 4 Port PIQ 3.0 GaN Wall Charger with Dual USB-C Ports for Laptops, iPad Pro, iPhone, Galaxy, and More

amazon.co.uk

Or these:

Veld 66W Super Fast 4 Port USB charger 2 PD Type-C + 2 QC USB for iPhone 12 Mini/Pro/Pro Max/ 11/Pro/Max iPad Pro/Mac book Pro/Galaxy/Pixel + Type C PD Tablet/Phone/Laptop Air pods/Qi Pads

Veld 66W Super Fast 4 Port USB Type-C Wall Charger, UK Mains Plug, QC 3.0, Samsung Galaxy Mobile Phones S10/S9/S8/S7/S20, iPhone 12/11/11 pro/Xs/XR/X/8/7/6/6S, AirPods, Tablets, Qi Pads + Devices

amazon.co.uk

 

[Azzin]

What do you do when you need to charge more than one at a time?

Simply get a mains charger with USBC & Lightning ports.

Problem solved.

1 x charger + a couple of USB C cables and a Lightning cable.

 

[Azzin]

you don't have to carry multiple chargers. carry one with the max wattage you need. All the devices are smart enough the regulate power. All you would need is one USB-C to USB-C and one one USB-C to Lightning cable.

Unless of course you want to charge more than one device at once, and then you need multiple blocks, But that doesn't really matter to you since the issue is the fact that you "have" to carry multiple chargers which means you never charge more than one device at a time.

Veld 66W Super Fast 4 Port USB charger 2 PD Type-C + 2 QC USB for iPhone 12 Mini/Pro/Pro Max/ 11/Pro/Max iPad Pro/Mac book Pro/Galaxy/Pixel + Type C PD Tablet/Phone/Laptop Air pods/Qi Pads

Veld 66W Super Fast 4 Port USB Type-C Wall Charger, UK Mains Plug, QC 3.0, Samsung Galaxy Mobile Phones S10/S9/S8/S7/S20, iPhone 12/11/11 pro/Xs/XR/X/8/7/6/6S, AirPods, Tablets, Qi Pads + Devices

amazon.co.uk

 

[5105973]

All you need is one of these:

Anker PowerPort Atom III Slim 63W 4 Port PIQ 3.0 GaN Wall Charger with Dual USB-C Ports for Laptops, iPad Pro, iPhone, Galaxy, and More

Anker PowerPort Atom III Slim 63W 4 Port PIQ 3.0 GaN Wall Charger with Dual USB-C Ports for Laptops, iPad Pro, iPhone, Galaxy, and More

amazon.co.uk

Or these:

Veld 66W Super Fast 4 Port USB charger 2 PD Type-C + 2 QC USB for iPhone 12 Mini/Pro/Pro Max/ 11/Pro/Max iPad Pro/Mac book Pro/Galaxy/Pixel + Type C PD Tablet/Phone/Laptop Air pods/Qi Pads

Veld 66W Super Fast 4 Port USB Type-C Wall Charger, UK Mains Plug, QC 3.0, Samsung Galaxy Mobile Phones S10/S9/S8/S7/S20, iPhone 12/11/11 pro/Xs/XR/X/8/7/6/6S, AirPods, Tablets, Qi Pads + Devices

amazon.co.uk

They’re nice, but it’s still faster and easier for now to just to pull the power strip and throw the whole mess into my travel bag especially as I still have, use and need some of the older USB chargers for older accessories, mainly speakers and headphones.

 

[Azzin]

What a non-post. Please explain HOW lightening is better than USB-C?

It's already been explained several times in this thread alone.

 

[I7guy]

Apple can remove the charging port and ho full wireless.

 

[Crowbot]

All you need is one of these:

Anker PowerPort Atom III Slim 63W 4 Port PIQ 3.0 GaN Wall Charger with Dual USB-C Ports for Laptops, iPad Pro, iPhone, Galaxy, and More

Anker PowerPort Atom III Slim 63W 4 Port PIQ 3.0 GaN Wall Charger with Dual USB-C Ports for Laptops, iPad Pro, iPhone, Galaxy, and More

amazon.co.uk

Or these:

Veld 66W Super Fast 4 Port USB charger 2 PD Type-C + 2 QC USB for iPhone 12 Mini/Pro/Pro Max/ 11/Pro/Max iPad Pro/Mac book Pro/Galaxy/Pixel + Type C PD Tablet/Phone/Laptop Air pods/Qi Pads

Veld 66W Super Fast 4 Port USB Type-C Wall Charger, UK Mains Plug, QC 3.0, Samsung Galaxy Mobile Phones S10/S9/S8/S7/S20, iPhone 12/11/11 pro/Xs/XR/X/8/7/6/6S, AirPods, Tablets, Qi Pads + Devices

amazon.co.uk

I bought one of these a while ago. It has one more port than I regularly need. I just throw it in with all the cables attached and I'm done.

Anker 360 Charger (60W)

The Anker Advantage: Join the 50 million+ powered by America's leading USB Charging Brand. Advanced Charging Technology: PowerIQ and VoltageBoost combine to pro

us.anker.com

 

[Reason077]

Annnd we’ll also be stuck on USB-c for more than a decade due to a law that will become outdated.

The solution for this is a sunset clause. Make the rule automatically expire after 5 years or so. By that time, USB-C will be so well established that it won’t need a legal directive to force companies to use it.

But the market can still naturally move on if changing technology presents a compelling alternative!

 

[maxfromdenmark]

maybe we should think about one global power outlet type too?

 

[iterva]

Most Apple devices use Lightning.

Of course they do. MFI licensing makes them too much money not to.

 

[SactoGuy18]

Personally, Apple should have made the change way back in 2017 when the iPhone X/8/8 Plus models were announced. If that had happened back then, iPhones right now would use 27 to 30 watt charging over USB Type C, instead of being limited to 20 watt charging over Lightning.

 

[mateytate]

Let me guess. You’re one of those people that refers to the cable as the charger. Just out of curiosity, what do you call that thing that you plug into the wall?

My iPad uses USB-C. My iPhone does not. I can charge either one with the same charger, but with a different cable and if I am going to charge them both at the same time then I need two chargers and two cables, as appropriate.

Yes, OK. Sure. But thats also an issue, some of my Apple chargers are USB A and my iPad uses USB C on the charger.

So if I want to take just one of my CHARGERS, I need to buy an additional cable. To be clear, my iPhone came with a USB A > Lightning cable, my iPad came with USB C > USB C.

 

[theluggage]

Found some more details in a yahoo article. 3 of those 5 options pertained to the port on the device. The remaining 2 pertained to the connector on the brick.

...where Apple have been ahead of the game by using a standard USB connector on the brick (at least for Lightning devices) since forever, which is the sensible option that allows for innovation around the tricky part (the connector on the phone) while extending usefulness and life expectancy of the brick (...the last 'agreement' stupidly allowed chargers with captive cables).

However, I think forcing Apple to adopt USB-C on the iPhone is probably heading into "don't throw me into the briar patch" territory: when Lighting (and the 30-pin connector before) it were introduced there was no viable alternative 'smart reversible anything-connector' - now we're down to a few marginal advantages that have to be weighed against the advantages of standardisation, not just with the rest of the world but with iPad Pro and Mac. Frankly, the switch should have been made at the same time as dropping the headphone socket. If Apple are "forced" to switch, they can blame the EU for forcing everybody to buy new headphones...

(NB: I hate USB-C on laptops and desktops with a vengeance but accept that multiple USB-A, DisplayPort etc. sockets might make a phone a bit bulgy... and part of the hate is that we're not getting the advantages of a common socket across Mac and iDevices...)

 

[ss2cire]

See, my argument was going to be why has Apple stayed with the lighting connector all this time?

Is it technically superior to USB-C? I honestly don't know. I just don't have the facts.

A few people upthread have made the argument that these regulations would stifle innovation, and I get that. To mandate a specific type of connector in law would be rearward thinking at best.

But it's my impression that Apple stays with lighting so they can milk as much as possible from a proprietary interface, as opposed to being responsive to the marketplace.

I'm looking for someone to convince me that lighting is somehow superior to USB-C to justify why Apple has stayed with lightning on technical grounds. Is there an argument to be made there?

As an end user, I would prefer all USB-C. I'm also not a big fan of the portless phone. I like being able to back up and restore my phone from a cable connector, and I can't see how a portless solution would be superior to that, with the exception of the elimination of the port.

I did a google search for

max throughput of lightning cable

and found this blog post:

USB-C vs. Lightning: Which is the Future?

Right now, two types of charging cables dominate the market: USB-C and Lightning, which still causes an inconvenience for customers. EU lawmakers are currently pushing once again to make all mobile devices use a universal charging cable. USB-C vs. Lightning has long been a topic of debate with...

www.ipitaka.com

Based on the info in the blog post, it seems that lighting is slower than USB-C. There seems to be some differences in some cables that let the speed be higher but no indication of which cable(s) are.

I think standardization of ports is ok, but my observation sees that USB-C ports seem to be larger than lightning ports, so would that mean/cause phones to be thicker?

Either way, I’ll have all the cables I need.