Nope. FYI, first gen iPad Pros had Lightning ports capable of transferring USB 3.0 speeds. Apple could update the spec to include faster protocols like 3.1. Switching to USB-C isn't the only way to get higher transfer speeds.
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.
Here's How Fast USB-C Ports Are on iPads and Macs Ahead of iPhone 15
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
Every form of wireless charging requires a cable to bring power to the transmitter.
But when your transmitter is literally <1mm from the receiver it's really just about the connection... It does not give you more flexibility like wifi wireless i.e. You still need to have the phone attached to the transmitter. So his point is quite right. It's somehow just less efficient, but more comfortable to use connector. But does not give you any more flexibility like other wireless technologies.
In such scale I would say it does. Phones are most widespread electronic devices today and we charge them at least once per day. So in such scale inefficiencies are quite noticeable.
Also world is still very far away from using mainly renewable sources of energy.
Last edited:
Agreed ...
but like the movie on Netflix 'Painkillers' says "Its the .... they didn't know you needed"
lightning, again is 480Mbps (USB 2.0) far too slow.
AirDrop is very convenient but ONLY for iOS/iPadOS + macOS users, not all iPhone users are married into the full walled garden.
LTE doesn't work without a VPN or a secure connection hosted by macOS with a broadcast name (cannot recall what that was but most users even today don't even know what I'm talking about.)
But Apple didn’t provide higher data speed via lightning on iPhone and had every opportunity to do it in the last 5 years. USB-C is a standardized port, USB is a standardized protocol, and both can do at least the same job as a lightning port, if not significantly better. Thunderbolt 3/4 supports 8 times the required bandwidth of USB 3.0, and this is not even considering other potential features like proper external monitor support.
What are you defending at this point?
Not just more comfortable, lots more comfortable, an order of magnitude more comfortable. Enough more comfortable that everything changes; I would say yes it does give us more flexibility. E.g. my iPhone sits on a magnet at my desk, on my night table and in my car. I do not even think about it, the magnet just grabs the phone in each location - - and magically my phone has never once gone to zero charge.
I mean solving the disconnect between iPhone and Windows is not really Apple's problem. Same with AirPlay. Same with native iCloud/Photos integration. Same with iMessage. Same with focus mode sync. List goes on.
That one time you can't sync fast enough because of a week long power outage is not worth changing the port to USB-C for the next billions of customers.
Not sure what you're talking about. I can connect my mac/windows to my phone via hotspot and works just fine without VPN.
It is only a cable. The folks like me (the minority) who might want fast i/o can buy a separate high end cable. No sense everyone else needing to get a pricey cable when they will not use it.
1. Because it's not necessary as most customers transfer data wirelessly
2. Would create confusion as to which lightning cable you need. USB-C has the same problem. Some USB-C cables do 2.0 speeds. Some do 3.0/3.1. Some have displayport-alt capability. Some are 3A, some are 5A. Etc...Benefit of lightning is that MFi cables all work the same way. The only Lightning accessory that worked at 3.0 speeds is the camera adapter.
Well this is purely subjective thing and matter of point of view.
To me Magsafe is not that much of a difference to classic wired connection.
And non-Magsafe wireless charging is definitely not magnitude more comfortable than plugging/unplugging the cable. And when the cable is long enough I can comfortably use my phone while charging. Same can't be said about wireless charging. So in fact in some aspects wireless charging is less comfortable to me.
Last edited:
Wrong. WiFi 7 will only reach ~5 Gbps in the future while USB-C allows 8 times that fast today. In tech we constantly move beyond what was good enough yesterday.
Last edited:
1. I agree with you, most of the customers transfer data wirelessly, and will continue to do so regardless of the port. But I could raise this argument to defend my case: that the average Joe will not care about the port, and the people with professional/niche use cases will have a more versatile and powerful port. It's a win-win. It's not like it's the first time Apple would introduce a feature that only a very small part of the customers would actually use.
2. I definitely can agree with you on that, the confusion over the protocol used is USB's biggest flaw. But again, for the average consumer it will likely make no difference, and if apple adopts Thunderbolt for the Pro lineup, the labeling will be clearly indicated on the cable. People who really need faster speed (which, as you pointed out, is a small part of consumers) likely know what Thunderbolt is and the hardware they need to achieve this higher speed. Macs and iPads did just fine despite the confusion between the physical port and the protocol used.
Yes subjective. To me the idea of when the cable is long enough I can comfortably use my phone while charging is absurd, since I have never found my phone with such a low charge as to do such an inconvenient thing as tying myself to a charging cable while talking. At least not within the last two phone generations.
I have used the v1 iPhone and about every other generation since then. Used to be I (and others) had a constant issue with pocket lint in the charging port that needed to be cleaned out to restore proper charging; a PITA. Mag charging resolved that, so I strongly disagree with the statement: Magsafe is not that much of a difference to classic wired connection.
No. You misunderstood. I said Wifi 7 would be even better as in better than Wifi 6.
I copy hundreds of photos/videos from my iPhone to my Mac all the time, via airdrop, it's VERY PAINLESS
I get it. It's about lifestyle and different usecases.
Let me explain mine, to better understand why our experiences differs so much.
First, I travel quite often. And when I travel there are not many wireless chargers around me. And it's more convenient to pack and use cable than Magsafe Puck. Also have you ever tried wireless power bank? It's something. In a negative way. So power bank with a cable again.
Secondly, I enjoy sport cars, older sport cars. And older cars in general (youngtimers). I also enjoy driving ATVs. On these there's not any wireless charger either, so I'm quite often in a situation where I have low battery and I want to refill fast, so I connect the cable and I can still use my phone while quickly charging it.
Anyway, as you can see various people, various usage. It's best to have options. Having both USB-C and wireless charging is a win win. Removing either is a lose.
I definitely considered some MagSafe chargers when they announced them. The keynote had me waving the credit card at the TV. I didn’t want a stand because I plug my iPhone into a cable at bedtime and use it a bit before I doze off. I also didn’t want that click sound during attachment to wake up whatever supermodel might be sleeping nearby.
Don't worry about the supermodel in your bed, they are used to the sound of camera shutters clicking.
No real concern about the slower data transfer speeds of the non-pro (my likely device), just as long as charging speeds are the same, although I’ve been happy with MagSafe (15w) & 25w over Lightning, so not too fussed if it’s limited to sub-30w (which I don’t think it’ll be).
Airdrop works great for reasonable size 2023 file transfers - - when it is working great. Great usually requires strong consistent WiFi and close proximity to whatever is being transferred to. And even then great will be less than 10 Mbps, which compares to Thunderbolt at 40 Gbps; that is 4000x more bandwidth.
The point I guess is that Airdrop does not always work in a timely fashion for all of us even today. And more importantly, some future usage is very likely to far exceed the 10 Mbps maximum of Airdrop.
Sure, TB4 will be faster, but sometimes, for some of us, having a cup of coffee or doing something else while files are being transferred, is ok.
Especially when it comes to photos, I lived in a time when you had to wait days from dropping off your film roll to see the results… speed is not everything in life…
Also, see this post from over 3 years ago re airdrop speed, way higher what you claim: