Dang, I am now really worried about my iPads and MacBooks. Why did they change to this inferior USB-C technology instead of using their proprietary and superior technology? Why did my iPad and MacBook not burn due to the crapfest of USB-C chargers? Why are my all-other products that use the USB-C chargers not burning down regularly? Why am I not hearing horror stories of USB-C port related mishaps that occur all over the world? Something must be wrong../s
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EU Moves One Step Closer to Mandating Apple to Switch iPhone, iPad, and AirPods to USB-C
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Did Apple not push really hard for Lightning to be used for the USB-C standard before they opted for the current connector? I could swear they did.
As far as I know the current Lightning port simply can not be used for USB-C. And then, why doesn‘t Apple simply use Lightning to charge iPad or Macbooks? Simply just because Lightning can not handle the power. Why doesn‘t Apple use Lightning to connect monitors? Because Lightning can not handle this.
Lightning is outdated and inferior and Apple knows this. Lightning is superior only cause it could enable Apple to make thinner devices, but enough people have replaced the Lightning port with USB-C port in current Apple devices without any problems.
And Lightning is superior when it comes to MFI. USB-C is an industry standard and standards are against Apples wallet garden business model. That is why Apple hates standards, standards have no lock in effect proprietary technology has.
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That's weird, I thought Apple already switched over. I briefly owned a new iPad Mini 6, which ditched the lightning for USB-C, and meant that I now had to have two cables with me at all times, to charge old phone and new ipad, before of course realizing that USB-C doesn't plug into anything else anywhere you go. ...as well as the other usability problems with the mini 6 & pencil charging, and finally switched back to another mini 5 where I will stay until I die I guess... But anyway, I got to enjoy the cool sensation of keeping up with the joneses for a couple frustrating days. Now everyone can enjoy flimsy, wobbly, randomly disconnecting USB-C ports forever, yay!
This sounds good on the surface, but this is a fantastically stupid idea. Governments move at a snail's pace or even slower.
By the time this gets around to being implemented the tech world will have passed USB-C on by. What's going to happen then? The EU's going to take another couple decades to implement the new standard. Smh
By the time this gets around to being implemented the tech world will have passed USB-C on by. What's going to happen then? The EU's going to take another couple decades to implement the new standard. Smh
They will study for 0minutes as it’s a minimum standard, not maximum. And the private companies are the ones who negotiate between themselves what standard to use.
You obviously don’t know how regulators think or work. Any device must use Typ C port. Not USB-C.
Messaging interoperability have zero impact on innovation.
Just as EU have two interoperable plugs, multiple nations have their own wall socket and plug that only works with their plugs, still you can use an interoperable Eau plug.
No permission is needed.
You are just ignorant, eu plugs are regulated to be interoperable in every wall outlet. Imagine that, difrent wall outlets with their proprietary plugs, but still have interoperable EU plugs.
I’d say 100% they aren’t. They had 10 years to do so. Now times up. They where members on the committee and didn’t provide their contribution as the universal contact, perhaps apple demanded royalties and couldn’t compete with USB offering it royalty free in EU for any manufacturer who implemented it.That is kind of like saying Oprah or Rosie O'Donnell is quite lean compared to Michael Moore.
(I am not sure where you are located, but if you don't know who those 3 are, the gist is that they are all fat, none lean).
There is nearly a 100% certainty that Apple is working on some type of connector to replace lightning and USB-C. The only question is when it will be released. Having people who are uninformed - or worse, bought by other people in the industry - making technical decisions is not ideal.
Well it’s easy, use a dongle as apple have been happy to provide. And Tesla already uses a standard port in EU so everyone can charge on Tesla stations
Nobody needs a usb c hub, but everyone needs the usb 3 speeds. Unless you want to wait an eternity to sync a 500gb iPhone
Yes it is. When I need to transfer 500gb of data it takes literally ages
Well, considering the quality standard of lighting cables that I’m forced to throw away every year it won’t make a difference xD
Eu is actually very slim when it comes to tax money. And it’s the commission doing the legislation not the parliament
It took EU less than a year to decide. They just gave the industry almost 10 years to self regulate. You can look at the original contract they signed.
Lol, the combined spending EU just need to increase it a 1% percentage point to meet it. USA already spends more on the “nanny state” without giving value for the money. EU is the same size to USA economically
They would have spent billions on RnD and perhaps we would have ended up with lightning instead of usb c as the standard port. Considering it’s a standard negotiates by the market
Perhaps that’s your single sample size.
I speak for corporate here with over 9,000 devices in the field. Port damage and write offs on USB-C are an order of magnitude higher than lightning, MagSafe and Thinkpad power connectors. That’s a huge increase in problems.
This problem is not specific to apple. In fact thinkpad USB-C connectors on the T and Z series are the worst. They aren’t even on a daughter board. Literally if you break the USB-C then the whole machine gets trashed. Apple was not exactly confident about port quality and engineered a new shell and daughter board model for USB-C to reduce replacement damage which is commendable.
The key problem here is if the EU actually had a damn clue they’d find they’re increasing e-waste by picking unreliable standards.
What we need here is a completely new port standard that is NOT USB and NOT run by the USB consortium and is designed up front for mechanical reliability and transport and protocol versatility. At the moment we are held ransom by vendors who don’t want to build out a new protocol stack or silicon because it’s expensive to unfeck the last 20 years of stupid mistakes. So they wrapped all of the mistakes in a new connector shell.
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The problem will be if Apple instead decides to go portless. Because it certainly seems that’s the direction they are travelling.
Just this evening I was trying to sync my iPhone over Wi-Fi and for some inexplicable reason it refused to work. I had to solve the problem by connecting a lightning cable. That option could be removed.
Oh where are the android fans when you need them ? I presume every android phone is usb C now ? Good enough for the goose etc etc ? I presume Samsung know NoTHinG about power delivery and data transmission the fools !
USB-C is absolute and total garbage. There are NO USB-C cables that 100% support everything that supports USB-C. So for each CABLE you going to have to know if it:
1. Supports USB 3.0
2. Supports USB 3.1
3. Supports USB 3.2
4. Supports USB 4
5. Supports Thunderbolt 3
6. Supports fast charging
7. Supports HDMI over USB-C
8. Supports Display Port over USB-C
9. Supports high speed data transfer.
10. Supports USB-C To Go
11. Supports Analog Audio passthrough.
And MOST of them are mutually exclusive to others in the list.
Lightning is easy, it JUST WORKS.
1. Supports USB 3.0
2. Supports USB 3.1
3. Supports USB 3.2
4. Supports USB 4
5. Supports Thunderbolt 3
6. Supports fast charging
7. Supports HDMI over USB-C
8. Supports Display Port over USB-C
9. Supports high speed data transfer.
10. Supports USB-C To Go
11. Supports Analog Audio passthrough.
And MOST of them are mutually exclusive to others in the list.
Lightning is easy, it JUST WORKS.
Lighting can support USB 3.0 speeds (I think the first gen iPad Pro did that). Also supporting USB-C doesn't guarantee USB 3.0 speeds, USB-C is just a connector. It could even have USB 1.1 speeds. (lowest USB spec supported by USB-C)
And THAT is ultimately the PROBLEM of USB-C, it doesn't force the specifications of the cable. A USB-A 3.0 to USB-B 3.0 cable will always support USB 3.0 speeds. Those cables will also be keyed so you can easily tell that they do. A USB-C connector always looks the same.
Also regulation like this will block a new standard to be developed (let's call it USB-D) that would solve the problems of USB-C.
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To help limiting e-waste, people just have to keep the iPhone they have, lightning or not. I still have my 6s, and even a 5c as backup.
Government forcing companies to use specific connectors is just pure garbage. No difference of them mandating the use of Windows so that every PC on the planet is fully compatible. What is the difference really? By the way, I'm for using USB C. I just think it's lame how the EU over steps and pushes design choices on companies.
Totally agree, used usb-c to minijack cable to connect additional converter from TSR > TSRR for external battery powered microphone and some phones were working when others don’t.
iPad was all ok with it, while for example Huawei phone needed different usb-c cable, which is stupid.
Same goes for charging - usb-c but some phones will not fast charge because of greedy designers.
Physically lightning is great - less fragile in female port and overall it is more secure connected (less likely to fall off). But it’s damn slow but I don’t remember when last time I connected iPhone to computer - sync over WiFi / cloud is way better for me.
And it just works connected to any lighting device.
Apple got rid of the charger to make boxes smaller and lower their shipping costs. Many people on a 2-3 year upgrade cycle will have had to stump up an extra £30 for a USBC plug but Apple did not knock this off the price.
This was a move motivated entirely by capitalism, not altruism.
Apple sure has done a ton for Lightning on iPhones since 2012.
Oh, wait, they actually haven’t done a single thing. Even opted to do a USB 3.0 for 2015 iPads Pro but that upgrade was too fast for iPhones.
I think Europeans will be more than fine with this “soon to be outdated” USB-C tech until Apple comes out with something comparable within the next 20 years or however many decades they want to force USB 2.0 speeds down consumers throats.
Why do lots of people show up and post the same false claim? I really don't get it and I would appreciate any explanation besides "they just don't read or they just don't understand".
Any device big enough to host an USB-C port has to implement one. Story told. There is no hole, no way around, no bypass. It is meant to be an Anti Apple Law and it is made to prevent Apple from bypassing it.
This is bad. But this law is necessary to make Apple play nice with the other kids. USB-C is an industry wide standard that over 600 companies agreed to (including Apple). So everything could be fine if not just Apple would refuse to scrap lightning.
Yes Apple has moved itself into a corner and it is depending on a wallet garden business model. Proprietary ports so Apple can charge anyone who wants to use it through MFI. Proprietary Chips. Proprietary GPUs. Proprietary graphics lib (Metal). Proprietary Machine Learning framework (Metal).
Additionally it plays the role of the platform owner, gatekeeper and competitor in one person on the iOS/iPadOS platform. EUs DMA will destroy that business model, too.
If you take a look at all the other successful companies like Amazon, Microsoft, younameit - they have switched their business model to match the business model of a service company. They earn tons of money. They use lots of OSS and open standards - best experience on ANY platform, since the platform doesn't matter anymore.
Apple just missed the transition ....
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... by making hundreds of millions of iPhone users buy new cables, car chargers and other accessories to replace their existing ones?
It boggles my mind that the EU wants to press the issue now when it cannot be long now until the next generation port will come along.
This whole ruling has everything to do with principle and nothing to do with environment.
What am I going to do with the tons of lighting cables and accessories I am using (Keyboards, mice, several sets of AirPods, etc etc)? Why should I be forced to replace everything when it works perfectly well today? As soon as a new standard comes out we'll have to do it all over again. I'd rather see Apple migrating one product at a time towards usb-c rather than being forced.
Members of the European Parliament this week voted overwhelmingly in support of legislation that will compel Apple to offer a USB-C port on all iPhones, iPads, and AirPods in Europe.
The proposal, known as a directive, will force all consumer electronics manufacturers who sell devices in Europe to ensure that all new phones, tablets, laptops, digital cameras, headphones, headsets, handheld videogame consoles, and portable speakers feature a USB-C port, regardless of the manufacturer. Exemptions will only apply for devices that are too small to offer a USB-C port, such as smart watches, health trackers, and some sports equipment. This "common port" would be a world first and impact Apple in particular since it widely uses the Lightning connector instead of USB-C on many of its devices.
The Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee voted to support the legislation on Wednesday, with 43 votes in favor and just two against. In a press release, MEPs claimed that the move will reduce electronic waste, address product sustainability, and make use of different devices more convenient.
MEPs also expressed a wish to see clear information and labelling on new devices about their charging options, as well as whether or nor a product includes a charger. They claim that this will help to avoid confusion and ease purchasing decisions for consumers that own several devices and do not always need additional chargers. Apple removed the charger from all new iPhone models starting with the iPhone 12 in 2020.
In addition, MEPs want the European Commission to present a strategy for ensuring interoperability between wireless charging solutions by 2026 to prevent fragmentation and reduce waste, ensure user convenience, and avoid consumers getting locked into proprietary charging solutions. It is not clear if this would include Apple's MagSafe charging system for the iPhone and AirPods, since it is based on the Qi wireless charging standard.
In 2018, the European Commission tried to reach a final resolution on the issue but it failed to come into law. At the time, 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. The EU's effort resumed last year, with the European Commission spearheading a refreshed version of the directive. To come into effect, the European Parliament must approve the draft legislation next month, before talking with individual EU member states about the final directive.
Article Link: EU Moves One Step Closer to Mandating Apple to Switch iPhone, iPad, and AirPods to USB-C
