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India Considering New Rules That Could Force Apple to Adopt USB-C on iPhone

Mr Fusion said:
I agree with the concept of a "common port" in order to cut down on electronic waste (fewer cables for example.)

I have concerns about USB-C port durability though... My 2016 MBP's ports, by the time I sold it the cables would almost fall out of the sockets. And I didn't use them much apart from charging.

I wish Lightning could be upgraded to match the power delivery & transfer speeds USB-C can offer. It seems a lot more durable.
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I felt that USB-C had durability issues in the early days. I had some devices with charging issues and they all had USB-C. I suppose it could've just been my bad luck or a coincidence...or maybe early ports were not great. These days almost everything comes with USB-C now and I've had no issues.

Apple definitely needs to put USB-C in the iPhone 15 next year. No more excuses.
 
I actually really like lightning, it's chunky and robust and you can't go wrong putting it in as the orientation doesn't matter. It was a breath of fresh air after the nightmare of micro USB (I think the inventor of that should be ashamed).

But the problem of so many different connectors is tiresome and I look forward to there being just one connector to rule them all. My phone and tablet are lightning. My laptop is USBC. My older laptop is MagSafe. Many of my cameras are micro USB. Some of my gadgets are the old big USB. Going on holiday or working remotely requires a large bag just for every type of cable, charger and eventuality.
 
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BootsWalking said:
Apple will have long switched to USB-C across its product line by the time these government regulations work their way through their legislative bureaucracies.
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It's not just about Apple though. There's also other companies and devices that are sold in the eastern markets (hell even in western markets: https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/17/23307765/ue-wonderboom-3-ultimate-ears-price-specs-date) that still use micro-usb...

Edited to add: it also stops Apple from moving its old lightning devices/stock to India to sell out there. Apple's entire iPhone backlog, that are currently on sale, use lightning - I'm sure it's pissed that it now needs to adjust existing devices or drop them come 2024.

The more and more countries that introduce these restrictions the less markets Apple has access to sell lightning devices. The iPhone line-up currently has 4 different lines. Come fall 2024, it'll have just two devices (15 and 16) that are USB-C. They'll also have to update the SE with, at least, a modified design to account for the new port.
 
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nicolas_s said:
I think they're just waiting to be forced to switch so they can answer "blame it on the govs" to everyone that will try to blame them for the millions of accessories that will be useless. The same answer for those who will accuse them of planned obsolescence.
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They are waiting for supply-chain issues:

Macs and iPads already transitioned, but both sell many fewer pieces than iPhones, and the latter had a gradual approach (with the low-budget option to conclude it next month).

iPhone sales are on different orders of magnitude, and they will also force accessories to transition.

It’s no easy feat.
 
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Mr Fusion said:
I agree with the concept of a "common port" in order to cut down on electronic waste (fewer cables for example.)

I have concerns about USB-C port durability though... My 2016 MBP's ports, by the time I sold it the cables would almost fall out of the sockets. And I didn't use them much apart from charging.

I wish Lightning could be upgraded to match the power delivery & transfer speeds USB-C can offer. It seems a lot more durable.
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Well, we must assume it's either impossible or unfeasible to do anything more than USB 2.0 speeds for Lightning as Apple has not touched the technology in almost 10 years

Well, apart from those 2nd Gen iPads Pro which somehow could handle USB 3.0 speeds but didn't trickle over to iPhones. Extremely high-tech paranormal technology that could only work on iPads, surely.

Either way. Apple was too busy making that MFi dough to consider improving Lightning so now there's nothing left to do but force them to move on past 2012.
 
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ApplesAreSweet&Sour said:
Either way. Apple was too busy making that MFi dough to consider improving Lightning so now there's nothing left to do but force them to move on past 2012.
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This. This has been the only real reason it's been stubborn about it. I bet a part of the increase from services income has been used to 'justify' the loss in future MFi income. Oh and MagSafe!
 
Makosuke said:
This is what bothers me as well; the thin piece in the middle of a USB-C port is perfectly fine on a laptop or desktop, but it seems like it's just asking to either get broken or stuff stuck in it on a device that spends its life in your pocket.

I hope to be proven wrong, though.
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Yep. I used to sell phones but this was before usb c was adopted fully so I don’t know if it has the same issues. Micro usb used to break and become loose over time on android phones. Never saw that on an iPhone. People mostly complain apple cables break.

A cable is much easier to replace vs a charge port.
 
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Blue Sun said:
Why don’t Apple just pull the trigger and add USB-C to the iPhone 14? The Lightning port is not a selling point, in fact, I won’t buy the iPhone 14 if it has a Lightning port.
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3 reasons
  1. They don’t care. Consumers will still buy the 14.
  2. It’s too late for them to change it. The cost would be not worth it.
  3. They don’t care.
 
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yellowbunny said:
I’m travelling at the moment. Everything else uses USB C apart from out iPhones… lightning seems so backwards now, especially with our iPads now using the more modern connector too.
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Lightning is smaller, more durable, more water resistant, and serves the purpose it was designed for. There’s little reason for Apple to change the iPhone to USB-C.

Further what happens down the line when someone wants to improve on or replace USB-C? They can’t. Why? Because of a rule put in place by a mbunch of old out of touch politicians lobbied by Apples competitors and sold a bill of goods about “reducing e-waste”. Computers and other electronics have existed for decades without mandated connectors. Somehow all of a sudden it’s necessary? Yeah right.


 
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jayducharme said:
I’d be interested to see how this legislation was written. If all these countries are specifying USB-C only, could that discourage the development of better interfaces in the future?
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Well, it probably means that if tech companys wanted to upgrade the standard it would need a political decision to do so. It sounds extremely cumbersome, but it's probably a good thing in the end all things considered.
 
Seven years ago Apple made USB C the only port on a Macbook, and everyone was like, wtf are we supposed to do with this weird socket?
Since at least the iPhone X, the world has been begging them to fit it to the iPhone, and Apple has been like, "Nah. Why would we want the iPhone to have a USB C socket?"
Sometimes I think the Mac devs and iPhone devs sit at opposite sides of the Apple canteen and scowl across the tables at each other. Cos they sure ain't on talking terms.
 
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And the saga continues. They should have just switched to USB C 5 years ago when the MacBooks did and everything would be interchangeable now. It's going to happen eventually why drag it out 🤷‍♂️

Apple usually is all about moving on and ditching the old, floppy disk in the first iMac to dropping the headphone jack, yet they are strangely stubborn about the lightning port. Even the relatively new Magic Keyboard and Mouse that ships with new Macs still have it to charge. Madness
 
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