I don’t think the EU busy bodies should get involved with this. They are overpaid and cost eu taxpayers way to much taxes.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
EU Moves One Step Closer to Mandating Apple to Switch iPhone, iPad, and AirPods to USB-C
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
You hit the nail on the head. What happens when USB-D or USB-E comes along with better connectivity, speed, reliability. How long will the EU “study and debate" allowing the new technology to be used? All in the name of easing consumer confusion of course.
And if they can mandate ports why not mandate Android as the EU standard mobile OS in the name of consumer ease of use? Any mobile device sold in the EU most use USB-C and have Android as the OS. Could never happen you say? Then you don’t know how bureaucrats think. They’re already going to mandate messaging app interoperability. The goal here, of course, is to stop companies like Apple from thinking differently, from innovating, from advancing technology unless the bureaucrats approve.
Lightning has supported USB 3 speeds for many years now on higher end Lightning devices, but only with the USB-C to Lightning cable (and camera adapter). (All of the USB-A to Lightning cables are USB 2.)does it now ? i'll be honest i didnt know
kinda recent though isnt it ? compared to usb-c 'simplementation
There’s many good reasons:
- Lightning is smaller
- Lightning is more waterproof
- Lightning doesn’t rely solely on friction to maintain a connection
- Lightning doesn’t have a myriad different versions with zero way to know what port and what cable support each one
So you honestly see no fair reason for this? Wow.
The cookie banners are only required in the first place for non-essential cookies like for tracking purposes. The reason there are cookie banners everywhere is that all those web sites want to track you with personally identifiable information like your IP address. Websites could instantly drop cookie banners by abandoning such tracking.
Last edited:
Vote with your $$$. As a consumer, if I were ticked off that’s would I would do.
love how gov't mandates technology design, construct or anything else that plays into you know...not their wheelhouse.
I’d prefer the iPhone to continue using the superior technology than be forced to use the fragmented USB-C “standard” and prevented for moving on to something better down the line by this stupid, shortsighted, waste of time and money legislation, but hey that’s just me.
The keyword here is “standard”. Apple doesn’t use a standard cable. And they’ve been using the same cable for 10 years with zero upgrades aside from USB-C charging.
Apple is already holding themselves back for selfish reasons. What, does Apple have a better cable in the works?
Also, the law can be phrased as “minimum 10gbps USB-C spec or greater as defined by the USB-IF”. Fixed.
Sure, it’s better to wait an Apple transition than impose(for a while) a 10 times faster connector.
10years of 2.0 “Lightning speeds” on iPhone to transfer for instance a 4K ProRes video. ??
Not necessarily specific to Lightning, but I find many thin/small connectors break fairly easily. Then again, I work IT in elementary school, so I probably see damage more than the average person. I understand the aesthetics of thin and lightweight, but that brings in a different bag of hurt from a damage/repair perspective.
It's not that long ago they wanted all phones to have Micro usb charging ports.
Then why didn't Apple push for Lightning as the common charge standard? A common charge and data standard is a good idea, it makes interoperability easier and (the EU goal) can reduce waste long term if a common standard lasts for at least 5 years.
Apple must be delighted!
They moved almost all hardware (iPads, Macs) to USB-C but got themselves stuck with Lightning on the iPhones.
They can't move iPhones to USB-C without upsetting half of their customers - and they can't stick to Lightning without upsetting the other half (who hate taking along different power adapters/cables whenever traveling with an iPad or Mac).
So, Apple just waited for the EU to upset the remaining Lightning lovers for them, enabling Apple to finally move away form the obsolete Lightning. Well plaid!
They moved almost all hardware (iPads, Macs) to USB-C but got themselves stuck with Lightning on the iPhones.
They can't move iPhones to USB-C without upsetting half of their customers - and they can't stick to Lightning without upsetting the other half (who hate taking along different power adapters/cables whenever traveling with an iPad or Mac).
So, Apple just waited for the EU to upset the remaining Lightning lovers for them, enabling Apple to finally move away form the obsolete Lightning. Well plaid!
Last edited:
Yeah I’m sure Apples competitors would be rushing to adopt Apples connector and paying Apple licensing fees. Just look how much Spotify, et al love paying Apple now ?
The “industry” has a chance to come up with a standard. It took them ages to come up with a physical connector (USB-C) that’s bigger, less physical secure, less durable, and less waterproof than Lightning. Why should Apple be held back by that? Not to mention the physical USB-C connector doesn’t even tell you what the ACTUAL capabilities and limitations of a device OR cable are thanks to the cluster-f**k of versions.
USB-C is better than USB-A or B, but inferior to Lightning. Apple shouldn’t be punished for being better than it’s competitors.
I think they should be forced to, start with a fine of $10 per unnecessary cookie popup, only prompt for cookies when the user takes an action that requires one to use the cite (logging in to favourite an article or post a comment).
I disagree with the idea that companies should be forced to adopt a standard simply because an outside party doesn’t like the option that’s currently produced.
Let companies and consumers decide what they want and value by leaving the choice to them. If universal usb-c is that important for a consumer, they have options they can purchase.
If a company doesn’t believe usb-c is the right option for their product, they should be free to pursue the options they think make the most sense.
This rule (and the suggested working group you mention) basically assume there’s one right way for technology to progress and ignores the complex paths companies and consumers take to discover what products and services best meet people’s needs.
I’ve got bad news for you then, not all USB-C cables can support all USB-C features. And not all devices can either. And what each one supports isn’t particularly clear. The physical connectors look the same but there’s a whole mess of “standards” underneath and each product maker gets to pick and choose which to support or not.
If everyone is required to use a common connector they should all be pitching their connector as standard and should be opting for minimal licensing fees that would go to the consortium (Ala USB-C), no one would be paying only Apple since I assume lightning probably uses licensed USB tech as well.