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

[DavidChoux]

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.

I'm still using my 2016 MBP daily and the port is just fine. Done ~1300 battery cycles.

 

[Sophisticatednut]

Wouldnt create even more waste, since those rules makes everything else prior incompatible? Considering customers who only upgrade their phone every 3-4 years...

It doesn’t create more waste. Unless everyone literally throws their old iPhone in the trash bags.

People can sell their old iPhones + lightning gadgets

Keep using their 1-5!year old iPhone.
Give it to family members etc

 

[Neepman]

Want to cut down on e-waste? Don't use the more fragile for a mobile device USB-C connector.

 

[Wags]

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.

Apple bread crumbs. Got to have something for next years big thing.

 

[_Spinn_]

I'm all for Apple switching to USB-C (despite my experience with USB-C being less durable than lightning) but it seems so silly that governments feel the need to regulate it. Seems rather intrusive to me.

 

[velocityg4]

I absolutely agree, lightning has a much more durable design especially because it snaps into place. I've saved my iPhone a few times because I managed to grab the cable before the phone hits the floor. Lightning is so secure it holds the weight of a 13PM, I doubt you can say the same for practically any USB C android flagship (hoping I get proved wrong on this)

I can dangle my iPad Mini from the USB C connector. Even jiggle it a little. Before it slips off.

 

[ChedNasad]

My concern with this is what happens when a better port or standard comes along or a company wants to build something that requires something different to actualize their vision. If this kind of law had been around with micro usb would we even have Type C? Laws are damn slow to change and usually follow change

 

[Macative]

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

This is a not a real thing, especially as it relates to this topic specifically. It is entirely about convenience, and thinking that legislation is a way to bring that about. They haven't been told no by the right people.

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.

Which is exactly why legislative bodies shouldn't actually be involved at all. USB-C is no where near as great as some people pretend it is, and it's already time for a newer and better designed connector to replace it. Good luck getting that to happen at all once pointless regulations are in place.

 

[macstuff11]

Pretty sure lighting was designed with strength in mind hence its a solid piece.
I hate how usb c has that thin sliver inside the port. It’s just asking to break over time.

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.

I see this comment a lot. What is everyone doing with their devices? I have everything USB-C and not one port has failed on me. Sure, I have had some lint, but that's easy to fix

 

[nordique]

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.

The iPhone 14 is releasing within a month

It is simply not possible to just “pull the trigger and do it”

The design to manufacturing process takes a long time

 

[polyphenol]

My concern with this is what happens when a better port or standard comes along or a company wants to build something that requires a something different to actualize their vision. If this kind of law had been around with micro usb would we even have Type C? Laws are damn slow to change and usually follow change

I understand your point.

But what if two better ports or standards come along? Having reached (or nearly so) the apparent USB-C nirvana, do we allow everything to fall apart again? Or do governments stand up and demand that companies speak to each other and come up agree USB-D or whatever?

If we have a physical connection standard, we can discuss/argue how it is managed. And allow all sorts of incremental improvements.

(I think micro-USB and mini-USB were awful. Especially when you had to plug devices into two sockets to get enough power. Surely no-one would have prevented moving on from them? I think everyone would have realised that they were just interim stepping stone standards.)

 

[anson42]

it seems so silly that governments feel the need to regulate it. Seems rather intrusive to me.

As much as many of us probably feel that way, that's a rather moot point now. Various governments have put into place "interesting" regulations that have affected both iPhone and iOS.

 

[Juicy Box]

I understand people wanting a universal charger, but I have a few concerns about it.

USB-C connector isn’t as durable as the lightning connector. Anyone else think that it is too big? It is bigger than USB Mini and USB Micro.

Also, I hate for innovation to be hindered for Apple or any other company due to law requiring a specific port for charging.

USB-C seems fine now, but what about the future?

If there was laws 15 years ago requiring Apple to have micro USB ports for charging the iPhone in stead of the dock cable, would we ever of had Lightning?

Maybe if that was the law 15 years ago, we wouldn’t have USB-C now, and we would all be stuck with Micro USB on all of our devices.

 

[_Spinn_]

I see this comment a lot. What is everyone doing with their devices? I have everything USB-C and not one port has failed on me. Sure, I have had some lint, but that's easy to fix

For me my prior phone had a USB-C port for charging and after 3 years of use it became so loose that the cord would fall out if you handled the phone while charging.

 

[mikethemartian]

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.

The durability of the port has nothing to do with the protocol. If the USB-C ports on Apple laptops are wearing out prematurely it is an issue with the particular component Apple is sourcing. The data sheets from manufacturers will show the number of cycles they are rated for.

 

[torontotim]

I'm all for Apple switching to USB-C (despite my experience with USB-C being less durable than lightning) but it seems so silly that governments feel the need to regulate it. Seems rather intrusive to me.

They feel the need to regulate it because Apple isn't using the same port as literally everybody else.

 

[freedomlinux]

yep millions of cables and accessories made useless will create more waste and cost people money to replace

I understand your point. There is nothing we can do about the Lightning cables that already exist, but we could prevent more from being manufactured in the future.

Unless the answer is that Lightning will never be retired (for either USB-C or a theoretical future Lightning 2), the question is just Now or Later?

Waiting to do this change Later means that the problem will get bigger as more & more Lightning cables will be sold. When the change happens, all the existing Lightning cables will gradually be thrown away as the user's Lightning-based devices gradually get replaced.

 

[Woochoo]

I absolutely agree, lightning has a much more durable design especially because it snaps into place. I've saved my iPhone a few times because I managed to grab the cable before the phone hits the floor. Lightning is so secure it holds the weight of a 13PM, I doubt you can say the same for practically any USB C android flagship (hoping I get proved wrong on this)

I can ensure you can literally hold the phone downwards hanging on the USB C cable only and even shake it without the phone falling. And responding to others that say it wears off in their Macs, well it may be a Mac design problem as the aluminum is really soft and can get loose, but I've been using the same Xiaomi with usb C till this summer for 4 years straight and the connector hasn't loosened or wore off at all, and I charge it once daily at least so that's at least 1400 plugs and unplugs.

Pretty sure lighting was designed with strength in mind hence its a solid piece.
I hate how usb c has that thin sliver inside the port. It’s just asking to break over time.

That's what literally the external metal enclosing of the connector is for, to hold all the forces and prevent it from bending.

I start to think most of the people commenting here really never had a USB C and lived all their lives on lighting and are just parroting around other's fears.

 

[minimo3]

Multiple govt entities seem to be mandating usb-c on the device end, why not on the charging block end?? Right now I have a bunch of different cables done with usb-A and some with usb-c. I want to see the EU mandate that BMW, MB, VW, Stellantis, airbus, etc all install usb-c ports in their vehicles and aircraft, and that all their coffee shops, airports, and power bricks only use usb-c out ports. Let’s be consistent people!

 

[swapmanager]

Lightning port is useless as it is stuck in last decade with USB 2.0 speeds. USB-C has no competition.

 

[anson42]

Multiple govt entities seem to be mandating usb-c on the device end, why not on the charging block end??

I think that's a good point. I suspect that USB-C is on one end also implies it be on the other going forward but all the existing blocks and vehicles with USB-A are going to be around a long time, so now you have a minimum of two cable types (or adapters). The win is Lightning would no longer be in the picture to add two more combinations in the future.

 

[macsound1]

Forcing a standard charger for all is a good start, but smartphone manufacturers should also be forced to make batteries switchable again. For smartphones and tablets batteries are usually the first parts that degrade and "force" people to buy a new device. Manufactures say that with switchable batteries their devices would no longer be water resistant, but that looks like a lame excuse. If a device is water resistant despite having an open USB or lightning port, that proves that should also work for the contacts that connect the batteries.

A normal smartphone battery is built for about 500 charging cycles. After that the capacity is down to about 80% and from there is even goes down faster. So after two or three year you either need a new battery or a new phone. The manufacturers love that. They even profit from making it hard to switch batteries. I hope the EU will stop that practice. Not just for smartphone, but for all devices with rechargable batteries. Electrical toothbrushes for example. That would help the environment much more than a universal charger.

Remember how easy it was to open an iPhone 4. 2 screws and the back came off like a car hood.
Even if it wasn't "user accessible" but was easy enough for any shop to do in 10 minutes, I'd be happy about that.

Unfortunately, having a waterproof phone has kind of eliminated this possibility, and I'm sure there are $1000s of more dollars saved by the waterproofing than by low capacity batteries after 5 years.

 

[macsound1]

Lightning port is useless as it is stuck in last decade with USB 2.0 speeds. USB-C has no competition.

Who transfers files off their iPhone with a cable? Lightning is a exclusively a charging and accessory port.

 

[Sophisticatednut]

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.

It gets replaced immediately as the legal text is referring to the USB standard. And the moment the standard changes the law changes immediately

 

[Sophisticatednut]

Who transfers files off their iPhone with a cable? Lightning is a exclusively a charging and accessory port.

Why do you think nobody uses cable when it’s usb 2 speeds. USB 4 is faster than Wi-Fi and you can charge your phone while you syncing