I had two iPhone lightning ports break already. It’s definitely possible with either connector.
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EU Proposes to Force Apple to Switch iPhone, iPad, and AirPods From Lightning to USB-C
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I had two iPhone lightning ports break already. It’s definitely possible with either connector.
It is a shame Apple will be able to sit on this issue until 2024. The lightning connector should have went away with the iPhone X (which was out at the same time as the 8) to show the future of the iPhone. Apple should do with being compelled to get their keyboard, touchpad, and mouse onto USB-C as well so we can just use one universal cable and charger. It is also rather daft to suggest that this will stifle innovation, the EU evolves with the times and if they see a new port being proposed with industry support they'll just update the legislation to mark a new transition to the new industry standard.
This is a Lightning connector:
And this is a lightening connector:
Even a lightening Lightning connector. I know - the spelling police...
And this is a lightening connector:
Even a lightening Lightning connector. I know - the spelling police...
Please explain to me specifically how USB-C/Thunderbolt is good enough for some of Apple's products, like it's iPads Pro and iPad Air/mini, and the only data/charging ports on many of its portable computers, yet, for its smartphones, Lightning is somehow a better option.
Where are the specs and features of Lightning that makes it a terrible fit for iPads Pro but the best option for iPhones? What "experience" does Lightning offer me on iPhones that doesn't fit with iPads? It's ports and cables for charging and transferring data, how is there some sort of superior, abstract "experience" that I get with one over the other? Charging speeds, data transfer rates and cross compatibility with other devices and chargers is the "experience" that you get with one port over the other.
And can you please remind me how concerned Apple was with its iPad userbase and reducing e-waste when it ditched Lightning for USB-C back in 2018 for the 3rd Gen iPad Pro?
Apple had no problem with "throwing it all out" when looking at the iPad Pro and the Lightning cables its users owned for their iPads.
I think it's time to throw Apple's arbitrary, proprietary chargers/ports out and force all brands to adopt the same standard so that we can charge our phones, smart watches, tablets, laptops, etc., with the same cable/ports.
One instance of "throwing out" all of Apple's proprietary garbage for decades of using the same cables for all products is far better than letting Apple continue to create 4 more new types of charging pucks every 10 years for its future products.
I obviously have no way of really knowing this but what if Apple was about to introduce a new connector which was faster, smaller, more capability that the lightning? Maybe not ready yet which is why sticking with Lighting vs USB-C - but since they are going USB-C on iPads probably not true.
And now EU wouldn't let them introduce it without going public and trying to get approval.
And now EU wouldn't let them introduce it without going public and trying to get approval.
Sorry, but the fact that those ports from 1996 are still shipping on computers in 2021 renders that claim largely false. Even to this day USB-A can handle most of what people use a port for, outside of video. Certainly specific use cases necessitated the development of other relatively niche ports. Various video ports over the years for instance, which of course USB-C itself is able to handle. Or the various 'high-speed' ports over the years. How many devices really used eSATA, FireWire, or other ports like that? Unlike those ports, USB-C can be found on all kinds of devices these days and is far from a niche connector. Of course USB-C now takes the honor of being the fastest along with TB at 40 Gb/s, which coincidentally also uses the same connector. If USB-A can go 25 years, there's no reason USB-C, which has been exceedingly more robustly designed, can't as well.
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Why isn't lightning a better option on iphones?
Different use cases between an ipad and iphone.
So it makes it okay to throw hundreds of millions of lightning cables away in 2021/2022 because Apple went to usb-c in 2018 on the 3rd gen?
My 2021 m1 ipad pro has a lightning connector.
That's the type of thinking that stifles innovation. And sure there are standards that government should enforce to make sure as a society we can function. But the charging port isn't one of them.
Sure at the expense of having government dictate what innovation looks like.
Did you make a mistake? Latest M1 iPad Pro uses a Thunderbolt /USB 4 port that has a USB-C connector.
Yep. Exactly my point. And every one in the future will too when it's viewed in hindsight.
Sure... This time, we got it right. I'm sure of it. There's nothing left to innovate, we're done.
This year was also the "most Pro" iPhone ever and I'm told it comes with a computing device that's fully programable and a user interface that lets you reconfigure it on the fly. Surely this is the last phone anyone will ever want to buy.
There's going to be a real surge in demand for art teachers in Cupertino now that all those engineers have run out of stuff to do.
You think USB-C is the last peripheral connector for almost 25 years?! You realize that 25 years ago, Google didn't even exist. The fastest Intel processors were single cores running at something like 300MHz on a fab process 100 times larger (10,000 times larger in area). The first mainstream USB-1 computer (the iMac) wasn't even released yet.
Still, if the new connector is due out in 15 years then the EU better start mandating its use now because it took them 10 years to get this one done. Decade by decade technology updates sounds like a real engine for progress.
If you think wireless is where everything is going, then why force this transition at all? Why make everyone throw away and rebuy their cables just to throw them away again in a generation or two.
What's more likely to happen than everyone saying "we think this is better" is that one company will find a competitive advantage with a new technology and the others will lobby the EU to mandate something that undermines that advantage. What you're suggesting is that differentiation in the tech market is dead. Governments are going to start mandating all devices become more and more alike. I'm not real keen on that future.
Outside of video, SSD Storage, transferring data from SD cards at anywhere near their rated speeds, delivering power for computers and displays, etc.. I guess if you want to use a mouse, keyboard, transfer data up to 5Gb/s, run a printer and slow charge some things it’s probably the port for everyone. And mind you the USB-A (USB 3.0) port that is common on today’s computers is not the same port from 1996. It has five additional pins that gives it some of the modern magic that keeps it relevant. Otherwise you would be stuck at 480Mb/s and .5A of power.
As for future proofing the USB-C port, it already doesn’t support the 48Gbs required for the HDMI 2.1 spec and the 100W power delivery limit does personally cause me some headaches with my MacBook Pro and portable display which need about 120W forcing me me to use a three-cable, two-power brick solution instead of a two-cable, one-brick one. I realize that’s nit-picking and there is probably room for future speed increases and there has been talk of allowing up to 400W of power over the port, but it does show it has limits now and those limits will start to become more and more obvious and impacting as our needs change.
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Right, I meant on the device side of the plug. Like the IEC standard plug, for example.
I just looked and that is correct. I never used the port because I use the port on the magic keyboard.
Apple is resisting this purely because lightning is a massive cash grab.
There's no reason why they didn't switch to USB-C with the iPhone X, especially that they were keen to dump USB-A from all their devices, and for the longest time you couldn't even charge or connect your iPhone from a USB-C only MacBook, though they now include a Lightning to USB-C cable.
There's no reason why they didn't switch to USB-C with the iPhone X, especially that they were keen to dump USB-A from all their devices, and for the longest time you couldn't even charge or connect your iPhone from a USB-C only MacBook, though they now include a Lightning to USB-C cable.
The first half of your post completely misses the fact that USB-C was designed to allow for future upgrades. Hence why it now supports 40 Gb/s. If you're worried about being stuck with an aging connector on your iPhone, clearly Apple is not. The proprietary lightning connector they're shipping is almost a decade old at this point and offers no notable advantages over USB-C other than compatibility with older accessories. You're also conflating individual consumer devices with connectors and standards. The former justifiably see updates on a regular basis. Popular connectors and standards tend to stick around for a long time. When the most common standards and connectors used today were introduced:
Ethernet: 1985
HDMI: 2002
DP: 2006
Lightning: 2012
USB-A: 1996
USB-C: 2014
The newest one on that list was introduced 7 years ago and has only in the last couple of years started approaching widespread adoption among consumers.
The great thing about USB-C is that it could potentially replace all of them except Ethernet. At it's most basic it's an in-kind replacement for Lightning and USB-A, though certainly more powerful and robust. It can do HDMI and DP protocols. And many engineers will be needed in silicon valley for a long time, but if you believe that a meaningful number of them are working on something to supplant USB-C anytime soon, you're likely sadly mistaken. If anything would replace USB-C, it would almost certainly come from the USB-IF themselves. The connector and standards sector isn't exactly a highly competitive marketplace. Certainly not anymore. It's dominated by a handful of groups, who in many respects work together. We'll see further consolidation there before we see more competition.
Technology gets replaced when there's a need it can't facilitate and there exists a capability to fill that void. It may or may not be the last connector introduced for 25 years, but it will probably stick around as one of, if not the most popular connector for 25 years, if wireless doesn't take over everything before then. You appear to be imagining some amazing and fantastic new technologies that will require something that USB-C cannot accommodate. But is this amazing and fantastic new technology more likely to rely on old methods such as wires, or is it going to work wirelessly? My money is definitely on the latter. Apple themselves are moving in that direction and have been for a few years now. The thing is, we don't know how long the transition to a mostly wireless world will take and the EU has decided to get on with consolidating to a single connector. If anything, this could precipitate even quicker adoption of wireless technologies. And the last part of your argument is just the slippery slope fallacy.
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Besides the EU decision, that I find controversial... to everyone that prefers lightning I ask: why?
iPads are moving to USB-C, Macbooks have USB-C... iPhone (and AirPods) are the last ones. It's much more convenient having the same cable type for all devices. It's just a damn charging cable cmon.
iPads are moving to USB-C, Macbooks have USB-C... iPhone (and AirPods) are the last ones. It's much more convenient having the same cable type for all devices. It's just a damn charging cable cmon.
That's very clearly part of my point. USB-C is not stuck at one moment in time either. It will certainly continue to evolve over time, as it has already done, while maintaining backwards compatibility just like USB-A has over the decades.
And what are you using for "SSD Storage, transferring data from SD cards at anywhere near their rated speeds, delivering power for computers and displays, etc.," if not USB-A 3.0, USB-C, or TB (which at this point is basically a marginally souped-up version of USB-C)? I don't understand your argument on that point.
USB-C can support HDMI 2.1 with DSC.
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And as we've already seen with USB-A and USB-C in the past, we'll almost certainly get further speed increases to handle speeds faster than 40 Gbps, while maintaining backwards compatibility. TB5 is rumored to be going to 80 Gbps, using of course the same USB-C connector.
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USB-C is going to be here for the long haul and I don't know what else to to tell anyone.
Which is also USB-C, as well the second connector for the included adapter. Who wouldn't want one charger and cable for everything?
If Apple had opted to launch USB-C on the iPhone 13 lineup you'd have some of, though certainly not all of, the people complaining about this move by the EU praising Apple endlessly for "moving on from old, proprietary technology to something standard, newer, and more powerful." Why? Because some people are unable to think objectively about Apple. If Apple wants to do something, it's the greatest move ever. However, if Apple is forced to do that same exact thing, then it's a travesty, an overreach, and the old, proprietary, and less functional technology was better because reasons.
Really the only good argument in favor of lightning is that backwards compatibility with existing accessories is maintained, however those same people also use the argument that something better may come along in the future, so why should Apple change right now? Clearly those two arguments are at odds with one another because the latter would require throwing out all those accessories that they're so loathe to do. It also ignores that USB-C isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Additionally, using the argument about backwards compatibility means Apple would still be using IBM processors in their Macs and we'd all still have the 30-pin dock on our iPhones. Maintaining backwards compatibility to the detriment of other considerations is not a favorable stance to take toward improving technology.
I sincerely doubt it. The charging pucks will have usbC, Apple’s iPhones, headphones, etc will charge on the same pucks. Voila, no more proprietary ports!
As it stands ...
Since the EU organizational body in this proposal CLEARLY doesn't understand the USB-C protocol and complexities beyond just the connector standard ... I believe they're after Apple because somebody somewhere realizes Apple's Mi-Fi Certification nets Apple revenues from their own standard from 3rd party manufacturers and somebody in the EU has a stake with USB-C manufacturer and is NOT getting a cut.
That's how I'm seeing this.
At any rate I'd LOVE to see EVERY person working in active politics for their City, province/state/region and country have ALL their finances publicly available ... from standard pay rates/amounts, to bonuses, travel and other expenses (and where those expenses where charged and used) and all financial accounts that immediate family (spouses/wives/husbands/parents/children over 21yrs of age) made public.
Y?
- This will show TRUE corruption, finances moved from one hand (legal) to another (legal or corruption-legal based on rules) and we can all follow the money to see political ambitions and how tax dollars are being spent and where. When strange oddities like $20K dinners for family is spent every month you'll know knew bills and laws will be put in place to STOP the corruption.
As one fictional character said "Show Me the money!"
as the old saying goes "Money corrupts" or "The root of all evil is money"
Once that's establish then you'll see politions treated like regular citizens and cannot escape legal prosecution for illegal actions they do and always seem to get away with.
Am I high, no, am I out of my mind and dreaming - hell yes.
Since the EU organizational body in this proposal CLEARLY doesn't understand the USB-C protocol and complexities beyond just the connector standard ... I believe they're after Apple because somebody somewhere realizes Apple's Mi-Fi Certification nets Apple revenues from their own standard from 3rd party manufacturers and somebody in the EU has a stake with USB-C manufacturer and is NOT getting a cut.
That's how I'm seeing this.
At any rate I'd LOVE to see EVERY person working in active politics for their City, province/state/region and country have ALL their finances publicly available ... from standard pay rates/amounts, to bonuses, travel and other expenses (and where those expenses where charged and used) and all financial accounts that immediate family (spouses/wives/husbands/parents/children over 21yrs of age) made public.
Y?
- This will show TRUE corruption, finances moved from one hand (legal) to another (legal or corruption-legal based on rules) and we can all follow the money to see political ambitions and how tax dollars are being spent and where. When strange oddities like $20K dinners for family is spent every month you'll know knew bills and laws will be put in place to STOP the corruption.
As one fictional character said "Show Me the money!"
as the old saying goes "Money corrupts" or "The root of all evil is money"
Once that's establish then you'll see politions treated like regular citizens and cannot escape legal prosecution for illegal actions they do and always seem to get away with.
Am I high, no, am I out of my mind and dreaming - hell yes.
Ultimately, the EU making sweeping decisions like this aren't good.
We now have a MANDATED popover on every single website because of the EU.
Do we really want them to make these choices about things where they obviously mean but have a history of failure?!
We now have a MANDATED popover on every single website because of the EU.
Do we really want them to make these choices about things where they obviously mean but have a history of failure?!