Gurman: AirPods and Mac Accessories Likely to Switch to USB-C by 2024

[PinkyMacGodess]

You will be getting sick of burned out internal connectors on devices 1000 to 10,000 percent more costly than a ten dollar cable instead.

No, I read an article by an electrical engineer that detailed why the Lightning cables fry. It's totally a design flaw. Look at a USB-A plug. Two contacts mate before the rest. It's grounding. Sure, it's possible they could arc too and burnout, but I have never seen one that happened to, but lightning cables? Quite a few. Apple is tired of them too. Try to get one replaced now. Last time they wouldn't. True Apple cables seem to last longer, but they still burnout too.

 

[Tagbert]

Obviously.

My point is that under a government mandate to use port-X no single company will put any effort into making something unique, different and better because the chance they will get it accepted as the new mandate is a daunting task with only a tiny chance for return on investment. Thus innovation is stifled.

Furthermore, when has 1 size fits all ever worked out well?

For charging and data exchange, 1 size fits very well.

 

[PowerButton]

It's called being a standard. When everything uses it, if there is a need to change it, it will change, otherwise we don't need 10 different connectors for devices.

When was the last time the AC outlet in your home was upgraded to something different? Aren't you happy there aren't 10 different types of residential AC outlets in your country?

Whenever the government starts to regulate innovation becomes stifled.

 

[WiiDSmoker]

Whenever the government starts to regulate innovation becomes stifled.

Please post your source.

 

[Stromos]

So if one of these Type C ports goes bad in my next Apple devices or even gets loose, can I get a my repairs covered by the UK? We send money to other countries all the time is the UK gonna step up and have an American port repair fund?

I have never had a lightning port go bad. I have had a ton of Type C ports get loose and some failed completely. I know Apple makes good hardware but in comparison to Lightning design, Type C is designed to fail on the device (fragile male part in the device not the cable). Funny how they want everyone to use it.

 

[Stromos]

Please post your source.

Car headlights in the US. *mic drop*

People are literally dying because of regulations needing to be amended and it’s taking years.

Why Is America Stuck with Bad Headlights?

A drive in a European-market 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S with matrix LEDs proves that America's headlights aren't too bright.

www.caranddriver.com

AAA: U.S. Headlights lag behind those in Canada and Europe | AAA Oregon/Idaho

Adaptive Driving Beam technology could improve road safety PORTLAND, Ore., Driving at night carries the highest fatality rate for both drivers and pedestrians but could be made safer by headlight technology already on the roads in Europe and Canada. New research from AAA finds that European...

info.oregon.aaa.com

 

[Tagbert]

What does this mean for Mag Safe on the MacBooks?

As @dmylrea said, there is USB-C charging on the MacBooks. The new regulation does not preclude alternate charging methods, it only specifies a baseline method. Devices can have MagSafe of either flavor. The iPhone could have both lightning and USB-C but that would never actually happen.

 

[msackey]

IMHO government mandates on ports will only stifle innovation. Why would anyone try to make something better than a USB-C when they have a massive hill to climb in order for it to be implemented.

Interesting question.

If I recall, the EU had a directive whereby all phones had to use micro-USB for charging. That was a while ago. What happened to that and why didn't that stifle competition to move to USB-C? As I recall, during that period of micro-USB charge ports, Apple supplied iPhones with a Lighting to Micro-USB dongle and that was sufficient to skirt by the issue of needing to have that kind of port on the iPhone.

Anyhow, I feel like I'm probably missing something here or maybe that EU directive was not as "encompassing" as the current one?

 

[Tagbert]

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.

While docks are relatively cheap and easy to replace and I doubt too many have actual lightning ports built in anymore, the CarPlay situation is less easy. Those wireless dongles are clumsy, slow, and introduce a maddening lag in any taps. Magsafe inductive/wireless also doesn’t solve the problem for people transferring those large 4K videos off of their phones. Magsafe and other charging methods are inefficient and use more power and heat your phone up more than is ideaL. They are especially inefficient if you use a case as most people do.

I think Apple should switch to USB-C soon and keep it for at least a few years before switching to some wireless tech.

 

[Kiwamu]

So if one of these Type C ports goes bad in my next Apple devices or even gets loose, can I get a my repairs covered by the UK? We send money to other countries all the time is the UK gonna step up and have an American port repair fund?

The UK is not the EU, in fact they also exited the European Union, so you picked the worst example.

Also, Apple is using already USB-C in (some of their) other devices, so it's not like there is not any precedent here.

 

[DEMinSoCAL]

Whenever the government starts to regulate innovation becomes stifled.

Tell that to the pharmaceutical companies...they seems to innovating just fine.

 

[dampfnudel]

I guess from Apple’s perspective USB-C is seen as necessary, but unwanted and forced upon them, in particular for their iPhones. So it would make sense that they would want to accelerate their plans to go totally wireless with the iPhone and ditch USB-C.

 

[coachgq]

In other news….water is wet. As much as I like lightning and dislike usb c it makes sense to have consistency across the product lines.

Why do you like lightning and dislike usb c?

 

[ericwn]

What if Apple invents a port that can somehow accomodate lightning and usb C/thunderbolt?

That will send ripples through the reality distortion field!

 

[ericwn]

What does this mean for Mag Safe on the MacBooks?

Nothing. Macs have USB-C for seven years already.

 

[darngooddesign]

Whenever the government starts to regulate innovation becomes stifled.

The fact that we have TB4 and 100W fast charging using the same USB-C port shape disagrees with the idea that a USB-C standard will stifle innovation.

 

[I7guy]

Why do you like lightning and dislike usb c?

Lightning seems solid usb c seems flimsy.

 

[carinobtl]

I don‘t understand people defending the lightning port and are against the uniformity of USB C. Apple will surely make a good quality USB C cables like on their Macbooks. We can‘t go back to the nightmare of every manufacturer have their own connectors (more for profit than innovation). They all have the same goal and function, to charge/extend functions, the lightning cable is so much behind the times. USB C can still be improved when the manufacturers work together for new protocols. So why worry?

 

[M3gatron]

IMHO government mandates on ports will only stifle innovation. Why would anyone try to make something better than a USB-C when they have a massive hill to climb in order for it to be implemented.

I keep hearing this but Apple made no change to the lightning port in iphones since it's inception. What innovation can anybody expect from Apple on the port side? Also taking in consideration that comparison USB-C has been way more capable right from the start.
Also EU's mandate doesn't forbid newer and better port standards. The key is they have to be open standards that anybody can use, not closed ones like Lightning.

 

[mdatwood]

Interesting question.

If I recall, the EU had a directive whereby all phones had to use micro-USB for charging. That was a while ago. What happened to that and why didn't that stifle competition to move to USB-C? As I recall, during that period of micro-USB charge ports, Apple supplied iPhones with a Lighting to Micro-USB dongle and that was sufficient to skirt by the issue of needing to have that kind of port on the iPhone.

Anyhow, I feel like I'm probably missing something here or maybe that EU directive was not as "encompassing" as the current one?

It was a strong suggestion, not a regulation/requirement.

I keep hearing this but Apple made no change to the lightning port in iphones since it's inception. What innovation can anybody expect from Apple on the port side? Also taking in consideration that comparison USB-C has been way more capable right from the start.
Also EU's mandate doesn't forbid newer and better port standards. The key is they have to be open standards that anybody can use, not closed ones like Lightning.

Apple has slowly been moving towards usbc. They were clearly headed there with or without this law.

Lightning was Apples response to the original usbc port mess.

And while I fine with usbc, it’s not perfect particularly on the cable side. Early on people were frying their phones with cables. And still today it’s hard to know what a particular usbc cable supports.

 

[Realityck]

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.

I don't know anyone that forecast's so far out. Really 2024?

 

[Ma2k5]

Obviously.

My point is that under a government mandate to use port-X no single company will put any effort into making something unique, different and better because the chance they will get it accepted as the new mandate is a daunting task with only a tiny chance for return on investment. Thus innovation is stifled.

Furthermore, when has 1 size fits all ever worked out well?

The innovation ends up being profit driven not better for consumers. Lightning connector exists to benefit an Apple not us. If it was so good we would have it on MacBooks but clearly it has its limitations.

 

[seek3r]

Obviously.

My point is that under a government mandate to use port-X no single company will put any effort into making something unique, different and better because the chance they will get it accepted as the new mandate is a daunting task with only a tiny chance for return on investment. Thus innovation is stifled.

Furthermore, when has 1 size fits all ever worked out well?

Here’s something that will blow your mind: Dell has been putting their barrel connector power plugs, and Apple just reintroduced magsafe, on laptops that also charge with usbc

 

[teh_hunterer]

What does this mean for Mag Safe on the MacBooks?

Nothing.

 

[teh_hunterer]

The big question is: why do the guys so worried about innovations being stiffed don’t complain about Lighting still having USB 2.0 speeds in 2022? It’s hilarious

You can admit the iPhone should be USB-C while simultaneously thinking that government mandate is not the right solution.