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EU Warns Apple About Limiting Speeds of Uncertified USB-C Cables for iPhones
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I too have had bad experiences with chargers and cables over the years, including a few from Apple. Thankfully no fires! My question is, what data do we have that shows limiting speeds or requiring MFI certification results in fewer catastrophes? Does such data exist? I suspect the majority of cables and chargers sold and used around the world are not Apple branded or MFI certified. Do we have data showing that this huge group of products fails at a higher rate than the Apple/MFI products?
Fair points. So far my experiences with USB-C have been positive. I can't say the same for my experiences with Apple's trash Lightning cables. We all have our anecdotal experiences, but is there data showing that Apple/MFI products fail at a lower rate overall? I might be completely wrong because I have no data but I suspect that non-Apple/MFI products make up a huge percentage of the overall market, so I would expect more failures (anecdotally).
I don't think people who buy gas station cables think much about which cable is better. I put these charging-related issues on the manufacturers these days, not on the cable buying public. People carry multiple devices that need charging. We all know this. Creating a standard benefits everyone. What I find ridiculous about the scenario you describe with Anker and Nintendo is that, most likely, both companies are sourcing their chargers from someone else anyway!
Who knows. It's all new. All of these laws and regulations. We'll have to see how things play out. And let's face it, how would a manufacturer know which cable or charger you used or which charger and/or cable caused the issue?
If non-Apple/MFI cables are such a hazard, Apple should block all such cables and chargers from being used with their devices. Make the argument that MFI certification is needed and keep everything proprietary. I don't have a problem with that approach. Do that, or standardize and make life better for your customers. But I'm also not a hardware engineer, so I might be clueless.
Not responding usually means they have not found a way of expressing their internal thoughts to you in a proper manner and have either given up or are moving on thinking you are stupid.
Either way, a lost opportunity at connection.
You said have a good day without trying to interface in their shoes.
Sure, they have not tried either?
Yeah, that's true. But the USB Forum finally stopped producing garbage. USB-C is a good standard. Micro-USB was the best they could do with USB 2. Luckily they finally tried to overcome IEEE 1394 and the expense of decentralized Host Control
then they would have not responded at all. it sounds more like to me they couldn't find a rebuttal. weird to be trying to defend someone else, not address the issue, and using the least probable cause for their actions.
anyways i'm going to, as you say "move on". 👋
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thank you EU for reducing consumer choice
While we're at it, can we get the EU to mandate Apple make the iPhone in a light blue option. I mean since we're getting the government to do stuff for us we might as well go all the way 🤣
It's literally the job of a democratically elected government to "do stuff" for their electors.
It’s not really reducing choice as we couldn’t change the lightning cable anyway. We still use whatever comes with the phone and those of us that have iPads with USB-C already, having one less cable to take when we travel as very welcome indeed. The choice not to take multiple cables
To me it's always funny how people here are willing to defend Apple even for the most extreme anti-consumer behavior, finding even the most absurd way to twist the facts in favor of the multi-billion dollar company that couldn't care less about you.
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Apple has never limited non-MFI cables so there is no extreme anti-consumer behavior to defend in that regard.
As far as pros and cons of Lightning, the only things I wish Apple had done were use their faster, USB3.0 iPad Pro Lightning ports on the iPhones and improve the charging speed provided by the 16-pin ports. If I'm also traveling with an iPad then I'm still bringing two cables, which are always in my neoprene sleeve, so the "only need one cable" argument is irrelevant to me.
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Why do Mac peripherals even charge over lightning in the first place?! The i/o on Apples product line up is a mess.
If you have a watch, iPhone and a Mac you need three different cables to charge them! That's the kind of mess needs regulating.
If I'm traveling with those three things, I still need to bring three cables, regardless of which port they use, so the fact that they are different is irrelevant to me.
They did that - I had 3rd party lightning cables which simply stopped charging after iOS update around 9.4 or 8.4 version - cables were working as provided power as I had wireless charger powered by it but iPhone itself has not started charging on lightning port.
There were times where also Apple Watch chargers were not supported after updates, not knowing about MagSafe for Mac (never was stupid to use fake charger after I worked in repair center and have seen them built inside and seeing all the noise generated on oscilloscope).
Edit: I think there were even a pop up that accessory is not supported or something like that…
Edit2: had also situation that cable were charging but I had not possibility anymore to synchronize iTunes with it and do backup (back in times when I think it was only way to synchronize- bless Apple for WiFi synchro added later on)
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By the same token, I've never had a non-MFI 3rd party charger stop working after an update.
Actually you don‘t unless your devices need ages to charge and they all lose power in the same hour of the day.
MFI cables also only distinguish themselves over their embedded chip, not their build quality. They are all made in China and someone who wants a durable quality cable has to look for more data than MFI. MFI is just a clueless border guard between two interfaces.
Brand new fast charging devices with healthy batteries are a great ideal situation to base your argument on, but if my devices are several years old I'm not going to stay up late just so I can plug my watch in after my Mac has charged, and then stay up even later to plug my phone in after my watch has charged. I'm just going to plug both things into my Mac, which is plugged into the wall. Or if Im traveling with just my Phone and iPad, I bring two cables and one of Anker 2-port Nano Pro blocks. No charging management required, just charge my devices while I sleep. Its not like we are talking about having to pack multiple laptop bricks here, extra cables occupy almost no space in your bag.
Managing device charging with a single cable, instead of just using two or three cables regardless of what they are, seems like trying to prove a point just because you can instead of making your life easier with the convenience of more than one cable.
Absolutely, MFI is no guarantee of cable quality. Buy your cables from a reputable brand; I tend towards Anker.
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I don't mean to jump on your statement but is having to carry two cables instead of one that much of an additional burden?It’s not really reducing choice as we couldn’t change the lightning cable anyway. We still use whatever comes with the phone and those of us that have iPads with USB-C already, having one less cable to take when we travel as very welcome indeed. The choice not to take multiple cables
Exactly. That's why I said a light blue iPhone. I'm glad you agree that they should do this! I'm sure I can make a list of stuff, but this would be a good start.
Not at all, but to answer your question , yes it is an additional burden in regards to hassle and I look forward to a more efficient approach with my future devices. I have no interest in the iPhone 15, so it’ll be a while longer for me anyway.
I don't, but that's not the point. The point is that if enough electors share your opinion that the government should force Apple to provide said option by law, literally the job of the govermnent would be to do exactly that.
Not saying Apple would, but there's no longer the option of an out of the box MagSafe port solution for iPhone, just the giant hockeypuck MagSafe. The current third party USB-C magnet solutions are not safe to use.
Well you don't have that choice because it's been removed.The choice not to take multiple cables
Who knows, maybe Apple could have developed MagSafe 4 that works on MacBooks/iPhones/Watches/Mice/Trackpads/Keyboards/Pencils. Those in the ecosystem can live with 1 MagSafe cable instead of bringing USB-C and Apple Watch cables. That's no longer a choice. You must always bring a USB-C cable and something to charge Apple Watch with. I don't see putting a USB-C port on the Apple Watch anytime soon because I assume plugging in USB-C right after swimming might damage the device.
Yeah, I'm sort of on the other end. I carry a small cable kit and a large battery bank. Do you carry a charger too?
My point is just because the government can do something doesn't mean they should do it. Some people want the government to force companies to make decisions and do things they want them to do. Just because someone wants something doesn't mean there's justification for legal force. I think for the most part when governments force companies do things that are out of their scope that aren't relevant to protecting consumers or the environment, then it stifles innovation. If the iPhone was electrocuting people, then that's where the government should come in and force Apple to fix the problem because it's a danger. If the iPhone was leaking toxic chemicals, then it's harming the environment so if something needs to be done.
If the EU forced Apple to do this when Lightning came out, iPhones would have micro USB today. Can you imagine the big 💩 that would be