Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

iPhone Sticking With Lightning Port Over USB-C for 'Foreseeable Future'

scheidj said:
2 of my last 3 iPhones have had to be replaced bc the lightning port wore out. Thankfully my current phone can charge wirelessly, but I can’t use CarPlay anymore. The lightning port is awful.
Click to expand...
My almost 8 year old iphone 5s lightning port is still working without a problem. These ports aren't invincible, but they are sturdy and sturdier than usb-c.
sw1tcher said:
Apple is also fighting for the consumer and environment by making their devices difficult, if not impossible, to repair and upgrade. Their fight against Right-To-Repair legislation is actually for our own protection because it's dangerous and Apple thinks we're too dumb to do it ourselves.

www.macrumors.com

Apple Fights Proposed Right to Repair Legislation With Warnings of Consumer Harm

Apple is fighting Right to Repair initiatives in California by telling lawmakers that consumers could hurt themselves attempting to repair their own...
www.macrumors.com www.macrumors.com
Click to expand...
Well Apple does have a point. They don't want to get stuck with bad repairs and bad-mouthing if repairs go awry. So there is that.
 
  • Haha
  • Like
Reactions: peanuts_of_pathos and Suckfest 9001
I7guy said:
Well Apple does have a point. They don't want to get stuck with bad repairs and bad-mouthing if repairs go awry. So there is that.
Click to expand...
Imagine if you had to take your car to the dealer every time you needed something fixed or for basic maintenance.

No independent mechanics. No DIY. No aftermarket parts or they had to be the equivalent of being Apple MFi certified.
 
  • Like
Reactions: peanuts_of_pathos, freedomlinux, MacSERV and 1 other person
McKodiak said:
Every time portless gets brought up, I have to bring up CarPlay. I think Apple would have to make a piece of hardware to accommodate non-wireless CarPlay cars. On some level, I don't mind buying Bluetooth headphones because Apple removes the headphone jack. I will not buy a new car because Apple removes the iPhone port.
Click to expand...

Funny thing is, Apple doesn't. Wireless CarPlay has been rolling out for a while now. My car doesn't support CarPlay, so it's up to me to upgrade my system or buy a new car. Just like CarKey, it's only available on certain models, but it's there if you want it.
 
  • Haha
  • Like
Reactions: peanuts_of_pathos and Suckfest 9001
sw1tcher said:
Imagine if you had to take your car to the dealer every time you needed something fixed.

No independent mechanics. No DIY. No aftermarket parts.
Click to expand...
There is nothing stopping one today from taking your car for a warranty repair to a third party. You would have to pay for a free repair. So on that you are correct. However, if the third party screws up your car, there is a high probably the dealer won't touch the car.
 
  • Disagree
  • Like
Reactions: peanuts_of_pathos and Suckfest 9001
McKodiak said:
Every time portless gets brought up, I have to bring up CarPlay. I think Apple would have to make a piece of hardware to accommodate non-wireless CarPlay cars. On some level, I don't mind buying Bluetooth headphones because Apple removes the headphone jack. I will not buy a new car because Apple removes the iPhone port.
Click to expand...
There are some aftermarket options for this, https://9to5mac.com/2020/05/04/carplay-to-wireless-carplay-adapter/, I haven’t tried one myself yet, but the reviews seem good.
 
  • Like
Reactions: peanuts_of_pathos
manu chao said:
Given that iPhones sell on average for something maybe close to $800, how is Apple getting rich by getting a couple of bucks per third-party Lightning cable? One can get Lightning cables for about $10, the fee thus cannot be very high, or are the MFI fees a percentage of price of the product?
Click to expand...
It adds up to quite a bit. Is it a double digit percentage? Maybe not. Does it pull in probably millions per year? Wouldn’t be surprised. Am I interested in further discussing this with people who just vote apple instead of voting for what’s best for the industry and customers? Not in the slightest.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Icaras and I7guy
Apple doesn't get paid for using a USB-C connector, so why should Apple not use its proprietary Lightning port. With Apple, it's all about getting paid. The Lightning port is a good design, so users shouldn't be too upset. I have seen so many various types of ports in my past 40 years of using computer hardware, nothing bothers me anymore as long as there are dongles available. It's hard for me to imagine the day will come when there is only one type of port for connecting everything.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Suckfest 9001
Many people here don’t know how to weigh what really matters to the customer. No one* (except for the big overrepresented group of tech sites) is going to discard an iPhone because it has Lightning. On the other hand, waterproofing will appeal to many people, including me. And in the end, USB-C doesn’t have any advantage in this case: we don’t need its capabilities in an iPhone (unlike in an iPad or Mac), it’s a worse conector talking about construction, and Lighting has a huge base of customers. I think we all have clear that Lightning -> Wireless.
 
  • Disagree
  • Like
Reactions: Icaras, flopticalcube and Suckfest 9001
steevn said:
I live in a city now where I don’t even need a car lol, so there goes that idea. Plus I would never ever buy a bmw.

Have you actually looked at the 2021-2022 vehicles to see who has wireless CarPlay or is planning it? More manufacturers are adding wireless all the time now, it will be the standard CarPlay option soon enough.

All I’m saying is that every single vehicle that gets CarPlay now will get wireless CarPlay in their future models, there’s no doubt about that. That’s how it’s always worked.

**edited to clarify when I say that’s how it’s always worked, I’m talking about car stereos going from cassette, to cd, etc. Car manufacturers will make wireless a standard feature.**
Click to expand...
Both OEM and aftermarket CarPlay are overwhelmingly wired. Right now. Today. How many existing installs are you willing to render useless by going portless?

Unless I‘m missing one, the options would be 1) drop multiple hundreds to get a wireless unit, if there even is one for your car, 2) don’t upgrade your phone, 3) some kind of wireless to lightning dongle, 4) just do without.
 
Madhava said:
Apple seems to put USB C in iPads which they expect to replace PC.
To make it easy for marketing, supporting file transfer etc..
Click to expand...
That’s a valid point. Which if you look at the iPad, obviously they’re creating it to be its own platform. I totally understand for use cases for the USB-C, but it’s not a necessity for everyone yet.
 
iAFC said:
Lightning is unparalleled when it comes for ruggedness. And I would bet it has an even wider adoption than USB-C. It would not be wise to change to another standard when the future for the iPhone clearly is portless.
Click to expand...

Agree. I have yet to encounter a more robust consumer-based connector than Lightning. Every time I plug a Lightning connector into an an iPhone or iPad it inspires trouble-free confidence. I've yet to have a failure or loose connection in what I suspect is many of thousands of connections and disconnections.

I do not have that same feeling with USB-C.
 
  • Like
Reactions: peanuts_of_pathos, MrHoudini, iAFC and 2 others
Suckfest 9001 said:
It adds up to quite a bit. Is it a double digit percentage? Maybe not. Does it pull in probably millions per year? Wouldn’t be surprised. Am I interested in further discussing this with people who just vote apple instead of voting for what’s best for the industry and customers? Not in the slightest.
Click to expand...
If USB-C was really such a good feature, they wouldn’t doubt about it. Profit of one iPhone is bigger than 20 cables (additional cables, since one is already included). It’s like people saying that Apple doesn’t make an iPad with macOS because it would eat Mac sales: what would Apple like better than having a successful Tablet-PC mix! The real reason in both cases is that they have a lot of downsides.
 
  • Disagree
Reactions: Suckfest 9001
Suckfest 9001 said:
[...]. Am I interested in further discussing this with people who just vote apple instead of voting for what’s best for the industry and customers? Not in the slightest.
Click to expand...
And who is the top dog in the world who gets to decide what is best for the generic customers? As a customer I know what's best for me, and it may not be best for someone else.
 
  • Haha
Reactions: Suckfest 9001
hot-gril said:
Ok, but when do car stereos ever not become outdated? Did you think your car would always work with the latest iPhone when the only way to connect it is via a cable? My car is from '06 and doesn't even have an aux because they thought people only used CDs, which maybe they did in Europe at the time. So got a $10 radio transmitter. Big deal.
Click to expand...
I get that. But another way for companies to think about it (and especially if they claim to be "all-that" about the environment) is to prolong the usefulness of their products. When anytime you want to connect to any devise to play audio from your phone, you need bluetooth in the signal path (and the associated hassles of disconnecting other devices from that BT device) it's not the modern seamless experience everyone imagines. A radio transmitter, hmm … been there, done that. Doesn't pair with with Apple Car Play.
 
citysnaps said:
Agree. I have yet to encounter a more robust consumer-based connector than Lightning. Every time I plug a Lightning connector into an an iPhone or iPad it inspires trouble-free confidence. I've yet to have a failure or loose connection in what I suspect is many of thousands of connections and disconnections.

I do not have that same feeling with USB-C.
Click to expand...

I had the exact opposite experience. I go through those cables a lot.
 
I would be intrigued with a mag-safe option similar to older MacBooks (not the wireless charging). I imagine there would be significant engineering challenges to get the components shrunk down and prevent accidental charging damage (yes, someone will try to charge it underwater).
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bobcat32
They should have a different cable for every device, that way you could never use the wrong one.
iCable, iMacCable, AirCable, TVCable, MacMiniCable, MacProCable, WatchCable, etc....
 
  • Haha
Reactions: TVreporter
farewelwilliams said:
that mfi cut is peanuts. 0.5% revenue does not mean net profit. net profit is far less than that. lmao

do the math from the quarterly revenue reports and analyst estimates of what is included in the "other" segment (watches, homepod, accessories) and you can come to a reasonable conclusion of how much revenue Apple gets from iPhone-related lightning accessories. if you have a better estimate than 0.5% revenue, let's hear it.

also, many android users won't buy an iphone because it's lightning. really? apple is going to deny android switchers because they really want that sweet sweet 0.5% revenue? lmao
Click to expand...
Apple gets $3.00 per chip that is embedded in each MFi-certified cable or port. That’s not peanuts.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back