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Gurman: AirPods and Mac Accessories Likely to Switch to USB-C by 2024
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20-30 years? LOL!
That is just willfully ignorant. There is no way that connector lasts 20-30 years! In 5-10 years everyone clamoring for USB-C will be complaining that we are now stuck with USB-C.
I think at the very least, the iPhone Pro models should not just have USB-C but have Thunderbolt 4 speeds. The camera and video, and increased storage of iPhone Pros justifies it.
yes, but that approached was in a time without any laws that we have now from 2024 forwards
Thank God EU didnt applied this laws when the microusb was a "standard"
No, my point was that mandates stifle innovation. It gives us standards but completely stifles innovation.
Again, I am very sure that someone has had a wonderful idea for a better implementation of the common household plug but we will probably never see it.
My opinion, and I haven’t heard anyone else mention this, is that Apple made the AirPods Pro 2 case compatible with the Apple Watch puck charger as a conscious choice in anticipation of switching to USB-C for its iPhones next year. Think about it:
*Most* iPhone users don’t carry around a wireless charger when they travel, even for a 2+ day trip. They carry Lighting cables for their phones, USB-C cables for their laptop, and the Apple Watch charger for their watch.
I’ve heard reviewers say they’re hesitant to buy the new AirPods Pro 2 because lighting will be phased out starting next year. And what iPhone 15 user wants to carry a lighting cable in their bag in late-2023 *only* to charge the AirPods they bought in 2022. But since they can charge with your Apple Watch charger, you won’t need a lighting cable at all if you bring your Watch charger. The case doesn’t need to charge fast, and the Apple Watch charger already sits unused for most of a day.
I think it’s pretty forward thinking, although Apple can’t mention their intentions to switch to USB-C next year because they don’t want to cannibalize the iPhone 14 further.
They really should have switched the 14 to USB-C, but they’ll probably make a big deal about it for the 15, and release it with a wave of updates to their other lighting products (keyboards, mice, AirPods Max, Apple Remote, etc.)
I for one cannot wait to ditch Lighting. I was always a big fan of it, but now that everything else is USB-C, including all my wall chargers and portable batteries, it’s time for Lightning to go the way of 30-pin.
*Most* iPhone users don’t carry around a wireless charger when they travel, even for a 2+ day trip. They carry Lighting cables for their phones, USB-C cables for their laptop, and the Apple Watch charger for their watch.
I’ve heard reviewers say they’re hesitant to buy the new AirPods Pro 2 because lighting will be phased out starting next year. And what iPhone 15 user wants to carry a lighting cable in their bag in late-2023 *only* to charge the AirPods they bought in 2022. But since they can charge with your Apple Watch charger, you won’t need a lighting cable at all if you bring your Watch charger. The case doesn’t need to charge fast, and the Apple Watch charger already sits unused for most of a day.
I think it’s pretty forward thinking, although Apple can’t mention their intentions to switch to USB-C next year because they don’t want to cannibalize the iPhone 14 further.
They really should have switched the 14 to USB-C, but they’ll probably make a big deal about it for the 15, and release it with a wave of updates to their other lighting products (keyboards, mice, AirPods Max, Apple Remote, etc.)
I for one cannot wait to ditch Lighting. I was always a big fan of it, but now that everything else is USB-C, including all my wall chargers and portable batteries, it’s time for Lightning to go the way of 30-pin.
I think Apple had an ambitious vision for the Lightning Cable when it was first released, but they never upgraded it for some reason to keep up with USB. Even combining USB-C to Lightning cable is a bad look imo, with Apple holding onto a feature that should have been scrapped a while ago. I would be ok with Lightning if Apple kept upgrading it and keeping it comparable to the current USB standard.
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A USB-C transition that’s going to take some time. Looks like Apple will be taking baby steps.
If usb-c stagnates, yes. Imagine the mess if the EU tried to force everyone onto micro/mini usb.
It's like people forget why Apple came out with lightning and about all the usbc cable issues early on. Usbc still has cable problems, but at least they aren't frying devices anymore.
It’ll be conductive charging I imagine or some other new power source all together.
The legislation madates that a device with a charging port needs to have at least one being USB-C. Non USB-C charging options are still allowed as long as there is a USB-C one. MagSafe Macbooks have up to 3 USB-C ports that all support charging. So they are okay.
For example, there are some "gaming" laptops that require more than 240W during gaming. Those all have seperate chargers. But they often also have USB-C charging.
Apple could handle it on iPhone the same way, adding a USB-C port next to the current lightning port. Or removing the port, or replacing it.
But look at Beats! They use USB-C on their latest goodies.
You’re right I’m sure! The crappy part is they could make it so quick. USB-C on all iPhones 2023, all AirPods by 2024, and standard iPad 2023/2024. The Macs are there, the iPad Pros are there, the Watch Series 8/Ultra are there. Come on Apple, stop dragging your feet.
Not a great idea, at least yet. It would make thousands of accessories obsolete (including CarPlay functionality for many many cars).
Honestly I don’t even care if they use USB-C or Lightning 2.0 or whatever they fancy
As long as it’s a wire and it transfers data faster than USB 2.0 speeds I’m gonna be fine
As long as it’s a wire and it transfers data faster than USB 2.0 speeds I’m gonna be fine
Now that I think about it, I bet the next AirPods in 2023 won’t even *have* a charging port. It will just be Qi, MagSafe and Apple Watch puck charging. Like the Apple Watch (and Apple Remote) it doesn’t really need a port.
So would switching from Lightning to USB-C, most iPhone docks have built in Lightning connectors. Carplay could be handled using a wireless dongle. (NFC+Bluetooth and MagSafe charging) Or just wireless built into the car.
Cordless will be the future, so going cordless directly instead of switching to USB-C first is preferable. Honestly if AirPower hadn't flopped we would have portless iPhones already.
I think there was a push many years ago to get everything on to micro USB. What a mess it would be now if that were the case.
While I'm all for market pressure pushing Apple to USB-C, which I think they should have done years ago, I don't see forcing the standard to go well. What'll happen in 10 years when USB is too slow for data and can't carry enough power? Your portable device has to have a second port on it? Where are you going to stick a second port on a phone?
I think this EU law will push everyone, especially Apple, towards wireless everything. Now everyone will have to buy or collect new wireless charging gadgets, making the new law redundant or useless.
Legislation on this is a bad idea, and that's a liberal saying that.
It's shocking that Apple still stuck with the same USB 2.0 speed with the 14/14 Pro. If they're going to keep lightning for another year, the least thing they could've done is give us a faster USB 3.0 speed.
Great idea except for the tens, if not hundreds, of million vehicles that are equipped with wired CarPlay. So if I get a new iPhone I would lose CarPlay on my vehicle. Guess I won't be buying a new iPhone any time in the foreseeable future and I'm sure as hell not buying new car.
With regards to AirPods, Apple could just make and sell the charging case w/USB-C so people don't have to buy new AirPods! Imagine being able to just buy a new charging case that does wireless and USB-C charging for any version AirPod! Changing the port to USB-C charging isn't rocket science. It's just power.
$49 for a new case instead of up to $240 for new AirPods.
Or, Apple could sell a USB adapter for the car that implements wireless CarPlay (there are already a few on the market).
If they can make Airdrop work for transferring very large files then sure, but I'm not sure if it'll be ever as fast as a wired file transfer through lightning or USB-C.
I hear some people say that Apple will go portless instead of adopting USB-C. While I do understand that it's something that Apple would do, I don't think going full wireless isn't that viable and good as wired charging and file transfer. So for now, Apple will have to switch to USB-C.
I probably won’t replace my Magic Mouse, AirPods, or appleTV remote however for years to come.
All three AirPods models and Mac accessories like the Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad are likely to transition to USB-C by 2024, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Earlier this week, the European Parliament approved a new directive to force manufacturers to offer USB-C as a common charging port across a wide range of devices in Europe by the end of 2024. In his latest "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that Apple has been preparing to make changes to its devices to meet these new legal requirements.
Gurman believes that Apple will beat the legislation's date of application in late 2024 with most of its products. The iPhone 15, he claims, will beat the EU's mandate by a year, featuring a USB-C port in the fall of 2023. The entry level iPad, the only iPad to still feature a Lightning connector should switch to USB-C by the end of this year.
Gurman speculated that if Apple releases a new iPhone SE model in March 2024 with a Lightning port instead of a USB-C port, it will be in compliance with EU law since it would launch before the end of the year – but any new iPhone SE model released in 2025 or 2026 would need to feature USB-C.
Gurman noted that all AirPods models, as well as the Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, and Magic Trackpad will need to make the switch when new versions are released. He anticipates several major Mac updates next year, including a new iMac and a Mac Pro, and said that "one could probably assume that move coincides with accessory updates."
Despite the switch to USB-C across Apple's family of products, Gurman said that he thinks the USB-C era will be far shorter than the tenure of the 30-pin iPod connector or Lightning, "at least for Apple's mobile devices." The iPod connector and Lightning will have been on new Apple devices for around 11 years each before they were phased out, and Gurman still believes that "Apple's future is wireless and that some version of the canceled AirPower dream from 2017 will still eventually come to fruition – well before a decade from now."
He added that "at some point in the next few years," Apple will probably begin transitioning entirely to inductive charging on the iPhone and the iPad, a move that largely exempts the devices from EU law mandating a the inclusion of a USB-C port.
Article Link: Gurman: AirPods and Mac Accessories Likely to Switch to USB-C by 2024
