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The only thing nice about the micro usb standard is that is cheap and widely available and mostly everyone uses it.
So instead of everyone having to buy a new $30 wire from Apple anyone can find it easy and every time you buy a new phone you dont have to buy brand new charger, usb sync cable and car charger all over again.
That was the thought and point behind it cause before there were dozens of different chargers and sync adapters where it was getting out of controll with every manufacturer having their own.
 
When the Statist, Socialist EU mandates the port ON the device, Apple's portable devices will no longer be sold in the EU.

Basic economics lesson you'd think the bankrupt EU (and soon US honestly) should know by now: when you regulate something, you get less innovation and fewer products. When you tax something, you get less of it.
 
You shouldn't make something like this into law, laws take forever to get changed, especially if a faster more efficient connector could come out in the future. What if the EU mandated the RCA jack for video, and the VGA port, DVI, and HDMI are miles better? What about the credit-card sized SIM cards? What if THOSE were mandated, and we wouldn't have Mini, Micro, or Nano-SIM at all.

The whole point is that 10 years from now, all the chargers of today will still work with phones then.

Any decent TV still has RCA connectors. It wouldn't limit what connections you have, just mandate which ones you HAVE to have. Apple or Samsung could always add a second connector like Motorola did for their weird little laptop dock things.

The EU mandate wouldn't stop Apple from selling the iPhone, they would just have to put a Micro-USB port in it like every other phone manufacturer the world over.
 
The whole point is that 10 years from now, all the chargers of today will still work with phones then.

Any decent TV still has RCA connectors. It wouldn't limit what connections you have, just mandate which ones you HAVE to have. Apple or Samsung could always add a second connector like Motorola did for their weird little laptop dock things.

The EU mandate wouldn't stop Apple from selling the iPhone, they would just have to put a Micro-USB port in it like every other phone manufacturer the world over.

They've complied with the law. Case closed.

It's a ridiculous law, that could well stifle technological innovation (the iPhone 5 for example couldn't be as thin or light as it currently is if Apple had to inclide a micro USB port as well as their lightning port (which is required to do the things apple want THEIR product to do).

But even though it's a ridiculous law, Apple complied with it. So stop whinging.

I've seen people get upset about some weird things on here, but getting THIS bent out of shape about the lack of a micro usb port just might take the biscuit.
 
LMAO at America falling before the EU! America doesn't have half the problems some EU countries do. Ever heard of Greece?
 
How did Apple manage to get around the EU rule about Micro-USB? And why does the EU not just grow a pair and mandate Micro-USB?


Well you hit the nail on the head right there.

There is no "EU rule" about Micro-USB.

The European Parliament (or commission, forget which) once voiced its concern about the environmental impact of having a new charger for each device, and this requiring so many different chargers. They pondered making legislation that would require Micro-USB, if the various companies themselves wouldn't agree to doing this themselves.

So, since these companies hate dealing with legislation (which would make this a legal requirement they couldn't avoid if they wanted to for some reason), they all signed a deal that they would make it so their devices could be charged with Micro-USB. This satisfied the aforementioned EU legislative body. And here too we prefer to let the market figure stuff out for itself, rather than regulate stupid things like this.

Apple signed that agreement too. And they comply with it by offering the adapter from Micro-USB to whatever dock connector you're using. There is no requirement to have the micro-USB connector be a part of the device itself; it just has to be able to be charged by micro-usb.

I've always held Apple has a better system going: they just supply chargers that take any USB cord and thus will charge any device that can charge off a USB port. What the cable that goes into the device looks like does not matter-- the charger is still universal.
 
LMAO at America falling before the EU! America doesn't have half the problems some EU countries do. Ever heard of Greece?
and then Spain and then Italy :D

American only have to kiss China's ass, then they would be OK. Apple continue to make cheap products in China, and China keep buying American's debts. :D
 
They've complied with the law. Case closed.

It's a ridiculous law, that could well stifle technological innovation (the iPhone 5 for example couldn't be as thin or light as it currently is if Apple had to inclide a micro USB port as well as their lightning port (which is required to do the things apple want THEIR product to do).

But even though it's a ridiculous law, Apple complied with it. So stop whinging.

I've seen people get upset about some weird things on here, but getting THIS bent out of shape about the lack of a micro usb port just might take the biscuit.

OMG, so terrible, it has to be half a millimeter thicker to use an industry-standard port like EVERY OTHER smartphone on the market. Boo hoo. There is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON that Apple can justify not putting either Micro-USB or the existing dock connector, which is widely available on their new device.

It really makes me want to switch to a Samsung. They got the memo on Micro-USB. Apple didn't.
 
OMG, so terrible, it has to be half a millimeter thicker to use an industry-standard port like EVERY OTHER smartphone on the market. Boo hoo. There is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON that Apple can justify not putting either Micro-USB or the existing dock connector, which is widely available on their new device.

It really makes me want to switch to a Samsung. They got the memo on Micro-USB. Apple didn't.

So why not let the industry decide what the standard is, not a government body? Watch a connector WAY BETTER than Micro-USB come out in 20 years from now, but too bad your mandated law stopped them.

Oh also, there IS a reason, it's their product! If you want Micro-USB so bad, design your own phone, and put Micro-USB on it.
 
OMG, so terrible, it has to be half a millimeter thicker to use an industry-standard port like EVERY OTHER smartphone on the market. Boo hoo. There is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON that Apple can justify not putting either Micro-USB or the existing dock connector, which is widely available on their new device.

It really makes me want to switch to a Samsung. They got the memo on Micro-USB. Apple didn't.

There's an adapter. Apple are compliant with the law every bit as much as Samsung.

This thread is so weird :D
 
OMG, so terrible, it has to be half a millimeter thicker to use an industry-standard port like EVERY OTHER smartphone on the market. Boo hoo. There is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON that Apple can justify not putting either Micro-USB or the existing dock connector, which is widely available on their new device.

It really makes me want to switch to a Samsung. They got the memo on Micro-USB. Apple didn't.
Haha you're going to switch to Samsung over not having a micro USB port. Lol go for it.

This dude must really love micro usb....maybe he has like mass amounts of micro usb cables stockpiled?
 
I don't see anything there that explains me being able to use steering wheel controls, or showing the information on my dash. I have never seen a car advertise having MHL. I have seen many cars with USB Ports or a straight up Apple connector.

That's funny ... I just took a look at the dash in my Ford, no Lightning connector. I guess I have to buy a new truck to fully utilize my iPhone 5. :eek:
 
So why not let the industry decide what the standard is, not a government body? Watch a connector WAY BETTER than Micro-USB come out in 20 years from now, but too bad your mandated law stopped them.

Oh also, there IS a reason, it's their product! If you want Micro-USB so bad, design your own phone, and put Micro-USB on it.

The industry already did. It's Micro-USB. They had decided that before the EU came in, the EU just wanted one standard, whatever that one that the industry wanted.

Haha you're going to switch to Samsung over not having a micro USB port. Lol go for it.

This dude must really love micro usb....maybe he has like mass amounts of micro usb cables stockpiled?

It PISSES ME OFF that Apple invented a POS proprietary connector in a world that is standardizing on Micro-USB. I get the dock connector, as they had it on the iPods before Micro-USB was popular, so they just stuck with it, and everyone had a whole bunch of dock connector cables, but no one has lightning cables laying around, and I can't even find any lightning cables online that aren't made by Apple (i.e. aren't a complete RIP-OFF). On top of that, even if you wanted to pay Apple's completely ridiculous $19 for a lightning cable (dock connector cables are less than $5) you can't get one, as they don't have any in stock. No thanks. It's total BS. I'm not sure what I'll do, but I have at least a couple of years, as my 4S will continue to get software updates well into the future.
 
OMG, so terrible, it has to be half a millimeter thicker to use an industry-standard port like EVERY OTHER smartphone on the market. Boo hoo. There is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON that Apple can justify not putting either Micro-USB or the existing dock connector, which is widely available on their new device.

It really makes me want to switch to a Samsung. They got the memo on Micro-USB. Apple didn't.

So Apple (and by extension every other company) should follow the industry standard? If so, we would still be using non-touchscreen devices. Apple BROKE the industry standard with the first iPhone. Thank god it did. Many companies benefitted from this including Samsung and other smartphone makers. It's just a connector. Chill. Custom things usually are better for performance. That's the reason why people like to customize their car, their gaming rigs, etc. Things get old which is why Apple will eventually switch to a new type of connector. Someday, even USB will be old and irrelevant.

The industry already did. It's Micro-USB. They had decided that before the EU came in, the EU just wanted one standard, whatever that one that the industry wanted.



It PISSES ME OFF that Apple invented a POS proprietary connector in a world that is standardizing on Micro-USB. I get the dock connector, as they had it on the iPods before Micro-USB was popular, so they just stuck with it, and everyone had a whole bunch of dock connector cables, but no one has lightning cables laying around, and I can't even find any lightning cables online that aren't made by Apple (i.e. aren't a complete RIP-OFF). On top of that, even if you wanted to pay Apple's completely ridiculous $19 for a lightning cable (dock connector cables are less than $5) you can't get one, as they don't have any in stock. No thanks. It's total BS. I'm not sure what I'll do, but I have at least a couple of years, as my 4S will continue to get software updates well into the future.

It's not a POS. The world is not standardizing on Micro-USB. There are plenty of connectors that exist in the world, some you have never even seen before. why you need more than one cable is beyond me when you've made it clear you just sync and charge. If you had a car or something, then I'd understand why you'd want more cables. By the way, your logic is quite faulty. When the dock connector was first used, NO ONE had a dock cable. Except Apple. Over the course of almost a decade, lots of manufacturers have been making them which in turn trimmed down the costs. And since people have been buying iPhones, iPods and iPads, the dock connector becomes more ubiquitous. But this wasn't always the case. Think before you type/post.
 
OMG, so terrible, it has to be half a millimeter thicker to use an industry-standard port like EVERY OTHER smartphone on the market. Boo hoo. There is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON that Apple can justify not putting either Micro-USB or the existing dock connector, which is widely available on their new device.

It really makes me want to switch to a Samsung. They got the memo on Micro-USB. Apple didn't.
Pot, kettle. You're here whining about not having microUSB. "Boo hoo". Your inability to see a reason != there is no reason. You may not agree with Apple's reasoning but that's entirely different. You're certainly entitled to get pissed off about it if you want. It's your time and energy to waste. I'd go out and find a solution that suited my needs/wants. To each his own, I guess.

If it's a dealbreaker for you then switch. If not, deal. No one's forcing you to buy Apple and ranting here accomplishes nothing. If enough people vote with their dollars Apple will notice the drop in sales. As stated above, your actual issue is with the EU and you need to take your complaint to them.

I get the dock connector, as they had it on the iPods before Micro-USB was popular, so they just stuck with it
No, you don't. And there's no problem with not geting the dock connector. Not everyone does. No solutions are ever one-size-fits-all. What is a problem is expecting Apple to cowtow to your specific preferences when there has been no reason or precedent for them to do so. The reason for the dock connector is a dead horse that has been beaten to dust in countless prior threads and isn't worth rehashing for the n+1th time.

Again, don't like it? Don't buy it. You can easily solve your own problem.

The only thing worse than a fanboy IMO is the "reluctant fanboy". If any solution doesn't meet your needs/wants then why are you irrationally sticking with it? You've made your case for switching using your own criteria. Follow through with it. Loyalty shouldn't be wasted on brands and corporations.

That's funny ... I just took a look at the dash in my Ford, no Lightning connector. I guess I have to buy a new truck to fully utilize my iPhone 5.
You can certainly handle it how you want. I'd suggest getting one of the Apple adapters or a (likely upcoming) aftermarket solution. Though I'm guessing your point was actually just hyperbole.
 
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So Apple (and by extension every other company) should follow the industry standard?

EVERY OTHER major company making smartphones is using Micro-USB. Apple is the only one who's not. I could understand rolling forward the 30-pin dock connector, which was created before Micro-USB was ubiquitous, just because of the shear number of cables and devices that use it, but anything other than those two is just plain ridiculous. It might be the best engineering in the world, but that doesn't make it cross-compatible with what's already out there in the world.

It's not a POS. The world is not standardizing on Micro-USB. There are plenty of connectors that exist in the world, some you have never even seen before. why you need more than one cable is beyond me when you've made it clear you just sync and charge. If you had a car or something, then I'd understand why you'd want more cables. By the way, your logic is quite faulty. When the dock connector was first used, NO ONE had a dock cable. Except Apple. Over the course of almost a decade, lots of manufacturers have been making them which in turn trimmed down the costs. And since people have been buying iPhones, iPods and iPads, the dock connector becomes more ubiquitous. But this wasn't always the case. Think before you type/post.

It is a TOTAL POS. You can't even buy a second charger cable for an iPhone right now. I currently have 4 dock cables that my iPhone can plug into:
1. Home charger
2. Car charger
3. Work charger
4. Home sync

I could easily replace that with Micro-USB. But not lightning. Should my phone be dead at the end of the day because the ONLY lightning cable I own is at home, and I'm at work? I don't think so. Even if I didn't have a charger at work, tons of people have chargers with dock connectors, and many others have micro-USB.

Pot, kettle. You're here whining about not having microUSB.

...

If it's a dealbreaker for you then switch. If not, deal. No one's forcing you to buy Apple and ranting here accomplishes nothing. If enough people vote with their dollars Apple will notice the drop in sales. As stated above, your actual issue is with the EU and you need to take your complaint to them.


No, you don't. And there's no problem with not geting the dock connector. Not everyone does. No solutions are ever one-size-fits-all. What is a problem is expecting Apple to cowtow to your specific preferences when there has been no reason or precedent for them to do so. The reason for the dock connector is a dead horse that has been beaten to dust in countless prior threads and isn't worth rehashing for the n+1th time.

I'll keep my 4S for a while. It's good for at least a couple more years. Then, I'll assess the situation, and figure out what to do.

MY SPECIFIC PREFERENCES? Are you INSANE? NO ONE asked for a proprietary connector that doesn't work with ANYTHING ELSE. You can have good reasons for arguing keeping the 30-pin dock connector vs. switching to Micro-USB all day, and both sides will have perfectly valid arguments, and quite frankly, either one would be fine for me, but no one can have a valid argument for making up some new BS connector that has never been used before, when there is already a global standard, and the widely-adopted, if proprietary, 30-pin dock connector.

There is no reason other than that Apple likes proprietary crap without giving any regard to the larger consequences of proprietary crap.
 
I love this guy's logic. We didn't always have USB. Before USB, there was SCSI. If we followed his logic, we should never advance on any kind of new thing (proprietary or standardized) simply because it's different and more expensive and not as ubiquitous. Proprietary or not, new connectors will be different, more expensive and not as ubiquitous as the older connector.

As for his quibble about owning multiple cables, eventually there will be lightning cables in stock. I imagine when USB cables were first introduced, there wasn't as much stock as there is today. Same with the dock connector. But over time, it's easier to find them in stores.
 
If Micro USB is such a huge deal to you, don't ever buy another iOS device. Apple will never use Micro USB on their devices, and that is a well known fact.
 
I love this guy's logic. We didn't always have USB. Before USB, there was SCSI. If we followed his logic, we should never advance on any kind of new thing (proprietary or standardized) simply because it's different and more expensive and not as ubiquitous. Proprietary or not, new connectors will be different, more expensive and not as ubiquitous as the older connector.

As for his quibble about owning multiple cables, eventually there will be lightning cables in stock. I imagine when USB cables were first introduced, there wasn't as much stock as there is today. Same with the dock connector. But over time, it's easier to find them in stores.

SCSI and USB were both STANDARDS. Lightning is not. The standards should come FIRST, and THEN the usage of it. And right now, the STANDARD for phone connectors is Micro-USB. And like I said, it would be easy to justify the continuation of the dock connector. There is NO justification for Lightning.
 
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