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One has to wonder what happened in Apple that it's EU that pushes them not to rely on on USB 2 speed standard from year 2000! in their flagship product..
The EU is only talking about charging - they're not going to force Apple to support anything faster than USB 2 as long as they use the USB-C connector for charging. Although a USB-C connector could support USB 3, USB 4 protocols or Thunderbolt it doesn't have to - the minimum requirement is USB 2 and I'm not sure even that is needed when it's used as a charging socket.

Lightning can support up to USB 3 - but Apple only ever implemented it on a few iPad Pro models, which have already switched to USB-C and do support USB 4/Thunderbolt - but then they're using M1 chips - which include Thunderbolt/USB4 controllers and fast storage that can actually use faster speeds. Apple are pushing the iPad as a laptop alternative.

As for why no USB 3 or better (I'm not sure Lightning can physically do "or better") support for the iPhone - Apple would very much like you to use its online services to save your photos and videos direct to the cloud, stream your media from Apple Music and download your Apps from the Apple Store. If you want to move photos from your DSLR to your iDevice, Apple would like you to buy an iPad Pro.

USB 3 or 4 would be a jolly good idea on the flagship iPhone - since it now seems to be a camera that can make phone calls at a pinch - but I wouldn't hold your breath.
 
I’ll believe it when I see it. Apple makes too much money off their proprietary lightning port to give it up unless they’re worried about antitrust laws.
Lightning is proprietary now ?
USB C is not proprietary ? owned by USB
HDMI is not proprietary ? licensed from HDMI
Display Port is not proprietary ? licensed from who ever.

What next iPhone is proprietary to Apple, so Apple has monopoly in iPhones ?
 
I can not wait! My iPhone is the only device I have left which uses the lightning connector. I don't even have a preference on the connector.. just standardise on one... how hard is that?!!? Pick one.. go with it across all devices.
EU forcing any company to use any single port is the definition of creating a monopoly.
 
USB-C is better, faster, and cheaper than the Lightning
USB C spec doesn't have anything to do with faster, USB C is just port specification, not protocol used for data transfer. USB C can use any protocol and USB had like 10 protocols in last 10 years,
2.0, 3.0, 3.1 Gen 1, 3.1 Gen 2, 3.2 Gen 1, 3.2 Gen 2, 3.2 Gen 2x2, 4.0.
 
No, I don't expect that. Yes, Apple have used various proprietary connectors in the past - usually because the 'standard' was deficient in some way - but where they've used standards they've generally played them straight (apart from, maybe, optional features). Apple already have machines with USB-C ports and make USB-C cables, and they're as standard as USB-C gets.
they actually used proprietary when they didn't like the standard options available, like developing Thunderbolt with Intel while USB was sleeping.
 
EU forcing any company to use any single port is the definition of creating a monopoly.
I was talking about Apple choosing.. nothing to do with the EU. Apple choose a single connector and use it across all their devices.
 
Such legislation, if passed, would require Apple to either ship specially designed USB-C equipped models of its products to Europe while keeping the rest of the world stuck with Lightning or adopt USB-C for all of its products globally.

Or just ship all of their iPhones in the EU with a Lightning > USB-C dongle, as they have done in the past with the Lightning > 3.5 mm earphone jack adapters.

How about a USB-C to lightning dongle for the US market only?
 
It was bound to happen. I’d rather that than going cordless/wireless.

Does this mean other devices (Keyboards, Trackpads, Powerbeats Pro etc) will follow suit? If not, then the EU has just wasted everyones time.
naturally it will as the last major reason lightning is still needed will be gone.
more and more accessories outside of Apple's wall gardened ecosystem will inevitably change to the standard USB-C.

The next universal connection standard which will be mostly a compliment, NOT a necessarily replacement that Apple wants many users to believe, will be a wireless standard.

I expect Apple to make some BS proprietary wireless connection that it can license, but I imagine this time it will lose early.
 
This year they should implement some improvements on transfer data… Lightning port speed transfer is very ridiculous when you Try to move heavy files (like prores videos).

Shame on Apple if they won’t change Lightning connector this year…
three is no point in upgrading lightning port spec now, as EU has already passed the law that USB C will be the standard, it is just when Apple will shift to USB C.
 
Unfortunately I feel like it's part and parcel of Tim Cook's Apple. They used to be proud to put the latest technologies into the iPhone where it mattered, like Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, they were on the forefront of the best display tech with Retina, even Lightning was an amazing connector when it came out & for the next few years. After 2012 well... It took a long time for iPhone to switch to OLED compared to it's competitors, now we hear the same song with USB-C, they still haven't put Wi-Fi 6E inside their flagship, the software quality isn't what it used to be... The difference is striking if you've been using Apple products for more than a decade.
It took a long time for iPhone to switch to OLED compared to it's competitors
i don't see any difference between OLED and LED on phone screen to be frank..
120Hz was a game changer though, it is night and day difference between 60 & 120, don't know how i lived my entire life with out 120Hz. :):):)
 
EU regulation says that every electronic device big enough to handle USB-C has to implement it. So your point is - pointless. No need to discuss pros and cons any further, over and out.

Right, that's why they haven't boxed USB A cables since when...? Plus, most devices are either fully USB C or USB C to Lightning now. Now, if you're arguing that Lightning should be discarded entirely for no other reason than immediate standardization, that's not eliminating but accelerating e-waste in the short-term for potential yet improbable long-term benefit. Overall, the best "power adapter" is the one that didn't need to be procured unless there was a need; eliminate the need, you eliminate the problem.

Meanwhile, for most of their consumer devices, Apple has steadily moved away from wired chargers altogether, stopped boxing them by default, and pushing toward Qi/MagSafe where all devices can charge on one common standard.

Personally, I have several Qi chargers (e.g., 5W-10W) and two MagSafe chargers, I can use any of them to charge anything that is Qi-compatible, and I don't need to buy an adapter for them. The only standing exception I see right now is/are the AirPods Max which are 100% USB C to Lightning. I'd love for them to be Qi or MagSafe compatible but I think they're unlikely to have it anytime soon, namely to retain analog pass-through.

Apple refused to implement a common charging standard and EU waited for 10 years.



MD820-185623135.jpeg


Now you're just trolling. ;-)

I think the answer you are looking for is wireless charging (Qi), and one might reasonably assume that's also why MagSafe is fully backwards compatible with Qi.

Meanwhile, USB C remains a hot mess of standards and interference glitches so it's not a surprise Apple remains reluctant to include it for small(er) portables (e.g., AirPods, iPhone, etc.).

No it is time for the Anti Apple Act. No way to circumvent it, no adapters, no portless, nothing.

This is nonsense.

Apple will tell u USB-C is the best and the only thing you‘ll need and that it is insane and awesome and you are going to buy it. Story told.

Macs and iPads have had USB C for years.

A more likely conclusion: MagSafe is far more likely to replace Lightning connectivity on the iPhone (and small devices) than USB C will.
 
So maybe my almost 6 years old lighning cable is made of gold, because is still working.
Mine only seem to last a few months. They always fray right below the small boot on the lightning connector end. The 30 pin connector for my older phone lasted years. It isn’t like I am putting a lot of force on them. I just usually have my phone plugged in while using it at work sitting in my office or lying down at home. And the cables have a lot of slack. Yet there still seems to be enough torque right below the boot to fray it. Maybe if I used it mainly in portrait mode they would last longer since there would be less torque due to gravity being inline with the cable but I usually prefer to use it in landscape mode which then places the direction of the cable 90 degrees to the direction of gravity.
 
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Honestly suprised its taking them this long to implement USB-C... its a bit ridiculous that a pro device with ambitions of 8K video capability won't have USB-C. I'm still anticipating the switch this year tbh.
There's a pattern here with Apple. It's about profits before functionality. By sticking with lightning, they make extra profits from overpriced genuine cables, and royalties for 3rd party cables.

Then they layer in some FUD. In this case it's the "It's easier to waterproof than USB-C". Obviously complete dog sh*t, considering all the waterproof devices out there that use USB-C.

Some other glaring examples of this are:
- Soldering in RAM/SSD. The profits are in charge\ing extraordinary mark ups on upgrades. The FUD is speed. [Note, for Apple Silicon, the RAM is on SoC, but watch what happens when the Mac Pro is released. I'll bet my left nut that there is both SoC RAM, and extra plug-in non-SoC RAM, so that it can at least match the Intel Mac Pro's up to 1.5TB RAM].
- Putting an extra SSD slot in the Mac Studio, but making it incompatible with non-Apple SSDs, and requiring Apple technicians to install it. Profits again are the massive markup on SSD upgrades. The FUD is "security".
- Locking down iOS to requiring the Apple App Store for all apps. The profits are the extraordinary 15/30% tax on developer's gross earnings. The FUD is security. [Note: you only have to look at macOS to realise that this "security" FUD, is indeed FUD].

This is a pattern with Apple, and it's a massive shame. Their products are better than other companies, and thus why we still buy them. But without the profits before functionality mantra, they would be insanely extraordinary!
 
This keeps getting rumored and then never happens. Hopefully we will soon see a usb-c iPhone, and never a port-less model. Think about it, the port is definitely necessary in the event of a recovery, external drives would no longer be an option, and some people still like using wired headphones (bring back the headphone jack!). Magsafe is cool and all (its amazing on the Macbook), but it doesn't solve everything for the iPhone and accessories are quite expensive.
 


Apple will ditch its proprietary Lightning port and switch to USB-C on all or possibly some models of the iPhone 15 lineup destined to launch in the second half of 2023, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said today.

iPhone-15-to-Switch-From-Lightning-to-USB-C-in-2023-feature-sans-arrow.jpg

Since the iPhone 5, Apple has kept the Lightning port on the iPhone, despite much of the industry moving to USB-C. In a tweet today, Kuo said that the latest supply chain survey indicates that Apple will ditch Lightning in favor of USB-C in 2023. Kuo noted that USB-C would improve transfer speeds on the iPhone and improve charging speeds.

Kuo had previously said that Apple would be sticking with Lightning on the iPhone for the "foreseeable future," saying that switching to USB-C would be harmful to Apple's MiFi business and has lesser waterproof specification. Now, Apple has reportedly changed its tone. One possible reason for Apple's change in heart is pressure being placed upon it by the EU.

The EU continues to move forward with passing new legislation that would force Apple to adopt USB-C on all iPhones, iPads, and AirPods sold in Europe. Such legislation, if passed, would require Apple to either ship specially designed USB-C equipped models of its products to Europe while keeping the rest of the world stuck with Lightning or adopt USB-C for all of its products globally.


Most of Apple's iPad lineup already features USB-C for faster transfer speeds from accessories such as cameras. For photographers and cinematographers, a demographic Apple has been keen to target with its high-end iPhones, the Lightning port represents a bottleneck for transferring large video and photo files. A move to USB-C would ease that workflow, make it easier to transfer files and be supported by a broader ecosystem of USB-C accessories.

Initial speculation was that Apple would keep the Lightning port on the iPhone until it's ready to go entirely port-less, relying simply on MagSafe to charge and transfer files. MagSafe was first introduced on the iPhone with the iPhone 12 in 2020, so it's still a relatively new technology to the iPhone. The pressure being placed by the EU may have forced Apple to reconsider its timeline for moving entirely portless, requiring it to comply with possible upcoming regulations and move the iPhone to USB-C.

Article Link: Kuo: iPhone 15 to Switch From Lightning to USB-C in 2023
 
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The best power adapter ever invented is this thing.

I don't know what it's called but it has been around since at least the early 1960's. I have a relatively modern Asus laptop that uses it.

It is best because I can plug it in, in less than a second, without looking.

Lightning is second best because I can still plug it in without looking, but it takes a few seconds, sometimes up to ten seconds.

USB, in all it's forms, is crap to plug in. microUSB, as we all know, is the worst ever in all history. USB C isn't much better.
You should show this to the EU it will blow them away!
 
I would like this. I might wait another year to get a new iPhone. But that will make my iPhone five years old. Is that unusual. Personally, I am hoping that the big news in tech this year is that Nintendo brings out a new Switch for Breath of the Wild 2
 
@people complaining about slow transfer speeds via Lightning on an iPhone: Maybe you could use wireless transfer instead? The iPhone 13 (Pro) features WiFi-6, which is specified to way higher speeds than USB2 …
 
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