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

Kuo: AirPods Pro 2 May Have Lightning Charging Case, USB-C Coming in 2023

tobybrut said:
Good luck with that. Most consumer electronics use USB-A or micro-USB. Very few things, relatively, use USB-C because it's overkill and too expensive for a simple thing like charging. Do you do home automation at all? You'll find the vast majority of items sold today do not use USB-C. Most of my consumer electronics bought in the last year do not use USB-C. People think USB-C is everywhere. It isn't.
Click to expand...

I don’t think that’s really true anymore. The majority of new accessories and devices I’ve looked into buying during the past year or so have all had USB-C with a shrinking number still on micro-USB. A lot of things (even non-digital devices like small desktop vacuums or cheap digital scales) are coming with a type-A to a type-C cord these days, so it’s no longer all that expensive as a charging port.
 
szw-mapple fan said:
I don’t think that’s really true anymore. The majority of new accessories and devices I’ve looked into buying during the past year or so have all had USB-C with a shrinking number still on micro-USB. A lot of things (even non-digital devices like small desktop vacuums or cheap digital scales) are coming with a type-A to a type-C cord these days, so it’s no longer all that expensive as a charging port.
Click to expand...
I've bought at least a couple dozen items just during Amazon Prime Day. Almost every item except one used micro-USB. micro-USB still dominates, even over something as ubiquitous as USB-A. Doorbells, cameras, hubs, etc. Only the Aqara camera I got used USB-C. Eufy, Philips, Eve, Logitech all use micro-USB. The vast majority of those products were released within the last year to tell you none of them are even thinking of using USB-C.
 
  • Like
Reactions: szw-mapple fan
szw-mapple fan said:
Whether the next iPhone/AirPods come with lightning or USB-C doesn’t matter much to me ever since I moved to wireless charging. I don’t think I’ve ever plugged in my AirPods.
Click to expand...
Same. I wireless charge everything I can, which is why a MagSafe iPad interests me. I still may not buy one because I have a 2021 version, but I'll at least look at it. Having magnetic MagSafe on the laptops is a great thing. I even bring wireless chargers when traveling.
 
  • Like
Reactions: szw-mapple fan
tobybrut said:
Same. I wireless charge everything I can, which is why a MagSafe iPad interests me. I still may not buy one because I have a 2021 version, but I'll at least look at it. Having magnetic MagSafe on the laptops is a great thing. I even bring wireless chargers when traveling.
Click to expand...
I hope iPads can instead come with the MacBook version of MagSafe because it feels like the puck would delivery too little power and be an ergonomic nightmare while charging, at least for the larger iPads.
 
tobybrut said:
I've bought at least a couple dozen items just during Amazon Prime Day. Almost every item except one used micro-USB. micro-USB still dominates, even over something as ubiquitous as USB-A. Doorbells, cameras, hubs, etc. Only the Aqara camera I got used USB-C. Eufy, Philips, Eve, Logitech all use micro-USB. The vast majority of those products were released within the last year to tell you none of them are even thinking of using USB-C.
Click to expand...
Guess it depends on what kinds of devices we were looking at. The devices you listed are all mostly stationary smart home devices to be installed once and forget about, which I guess means OEMs would hear less complaints about with micro-USB. If you look at portable battery powered devices, USB-C is very common these days. For example, it’s hard to find cheap sub-$30 portable speakers or $15 TWL ear buds on Amazon that doesn’t use USB-C, which should mean that it’s no longer an expensive port for OEMs to include.
 
szw-mapple fan said:
Guess it depends on what kinds of devices we were looking at. The devices you listed are all mostly stationary smart home devices to be installed once and forget about, which I guess means OEMs would hear less complaints about with micro-USB. If you look at portable battery powered devices, USB-C is very common these days. For example, it’s hard to find cheap sub-$30 portable speakers or $15 TWL ear buds on Amazon that doesn’t use USB-C, which should mean that it’s no longer an expensive port for OEMs to include.
Click to expand...
Why would anyone complain? Most users couldn't tell you what USB-C or micro-USB is. They'll use the cable that came with the device. This is why Apple still provides a cable for the iPhone but doesn't include a charger and is the biggest reason it still uses Lightning. The average person couldn't care less what the charge cable is, as long as they're not forced to change everything. Going to USB-C will cause just as much havoc as going from the 30-pin dock connector to Lightning did and generate even more e-waste. If it weren't for the fact USB-C didn't become viable until about 2016, Apple probably would have used USB-C at that time, but it was 2012. Apple was one of the founding members of USB-C and contributed 17 engineers to help design the spec, but couldn't wait four years for USB-C to be ready. You don't change connectors on a whim.

The most irritating item I got was the Logitech Circle View Doorbell. Before installation, you're supposed to plug in power and then link it to HomeKit. It uses micro-USB... but doesn't include a cable at all. I had to dig into my stash of cables to find one just to power it up. They don't include one because it's only temporary while attaching to HomeKit. Once it is, it's powered by the two wires coming out from the hole where your normal doorbell is. I had to return it, unfortunately, because my chime box is too old and low-powered to support the doorbell. I live in a rental that was built 50 years ago and I can't change the wiring.
 
szw-mapple fan said:
… which switched to USB-C last year.
Click to expand...
I got both SE and 7 last year (SE in July and 7 in December), both came with a USB-A charger. If they changed it after that it was a little too late. The fact alone that they were selling these with the USB-A charger till last year is a joke and I'm not gonna be spending 40€ for a new charger.
 
No5tromo said:
I got both SE and 7 last year (SE in July and 7 in December), both came with a USB-A charger. If they changed it after that it was a little too late. The fact alone that they were selling these with the USB-A charger till last year is a joke and I'm not gonna be spending 40€ for a new charger.
Click to expand...
Are you quite sure about your 7? The Series 7 launched with the USB-C fast charger as standard on all variants and never had USB-A. You probably either bought a previous generation by mistake or whoever sold it to you didn't give you all of what you paid for.
 
  • Like
Reactions: seek3r
I’ll be holding off on the Pros if they come with lightning, everything but the iPhone and AirPods are USB-C now and that’ll change next year.

my launch day AirPods Pro are still holding out, but the case is struggling to hold a charge lately.
 
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