That article explains nothing except the fact that 30 pin connector has Firewire's 8 pins, 3 pins for video out. At least on their shortened list. Move that to Micro USB, and it actually makes sense. But again, I think it's more of a greed and control issue, than technical.
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Lightning is so much better than micro/mini USB - why are ppl complaining?
- Thread starter AlvinNguyen
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That article explains nothing except the fact that 30 pin connector has Firewire's 8 pins, 3 pins for video out. At least on their shortened list. Move that to Micro USB, and it actually makes sense. But again, I think it's more of a greed and control issue, than technical.
All things considered, I think the lightening connector design is better than micro USB. It just is. It has detents to hold it in place, it's stronger, it's simpler, it'll probably last longer.
Now, for compatibilities sake, it would be nice to see micro USB. Apple's getting a hard time but to their credit they did use the same connector for 9 years. Not many other manufactures have done that. (If any.)
Now, for compatibilities sake, it would be nice to see micro USB. Apple's getting a hard time but to their credit they did use the same connector for 9 years. Not many other manufactures have done that. (If any.)
The downside for me is that I'll need to buy additional cables. The existing cables I have won't work. I have 1 at work that I can charge either the iPad in, or the iPhone (when I had one). Another I like to leave in the truck. One in the bedroom by the bed, and one at the computer for syncing.
When I went with my Android phone, I had to buy several additional cables (especially since I lost one on vacation), but I was able to buy replacements for that for about $3 each
Another problem I have is if I don't keep a good watch on them, they get bite marks from the cat.
When I went with my Android phone, I had to buy several additional cables (especially since I lost one on vacation), but I was able to buy replacements for that for about $3 each
Another problem I have is if I don't keep a good watch on them, they get bite marks from the cat.
Then you didn't read it very carefully. It clearly shows that Apple needs far more than just 4 pins for the functionality involved with controlling external devices. The other thing to remember is that this has to support all of their other devices as well as all of the third party devices out there.
Do you really think that Apple is willing to risk pissing off a lot of it's customers and get a bunch of bad press just so they can make a little extra money selling adapters?
Are you being serious??
DropBox
iMessage
I mean, that's just a few off the top of my head.
Nice try though.
I can't iMessage to my work PC. We don't have access to Facebook and Twitter on work PCs. The options left are DropBox and Email. Both of which will use quite a bit of my own data allowance to upload the 60 odd photos I took. Using a cable would have been quick, easy and cost me nothing.
I'm not trolling, but it's a serious pain in the ass. They could have at least made sure that a) cables were cheap and b) available to buy in all outlets.
You are correct about the pins.
It's only using USB when connected to a Mac, if that's all it had to do, then micro-usb would have been fine.
This is a really old article filled with speculation that turned out to be false. Apple ditched most of the pins that this article claims are essential for accessories
That. The 30-pin connector is ubiquitous by now, and cheaply available, so it would be understandable to keep that and not use the standard (Micro-USB).
It would also have been understandable to use the industry standard Micro-USB.
What isn't understandable is to just screw the customer with yet another proprietary connector that no one has, and everyone will now have to buy new cables for.
If they really "needed" more than 4 pins (which is BS, as every other phone on the market is just fine with Micro-USB), then they should have kept the 30-pin dock connector, and if necessary, re-purposed some of the really old and obscure pins for new stuff, while leaving the core ones alone (USB, power).
Let me say again, because I've posted it several times in this thread, that as of right now, lightning connectors are indeed using USB.
I am an MFi partner, with the official Apple lightning specification in front of me right now.
There are four connectors available for manufacturers to purchase from Apple right now, that mate to the lightning connector.
-USB Host
-USB Device
-Serial
-Power-only
That's it. There's nothing else. Those are the only interfaces available right now.
Connected to anything, lightning will be USB (or slower Serial, which is legacy device support).
There's no speculation here, or rumor, that's straight from Apple's specification.
If you are complaining about not wanting to use your personal data allotment, you probably should not be using a personal device for work. I'm not trolling, just stating that if you don't want to pay to use your devices for work, you shouldn't use your devices for work. Does your office not have a camera that connects to one of your 200 micro usb cables?
OK, so it's your contention that they could just switch from a 30 pin connector to a 4 pin USB connector and every device that currently uses a 30 pin connection to interface with the iPhone/iPod/iPad would work just fine with a micro-USB to 30 pin adapter? All they ever needed all this time was just a 4 pin connector? Man, 26 extra pins just for nothing, who knew?
These same complaints resounded throughout the "Interwebs" and Mac Universe whenever Mac macs a dramatic change...
"What?!?!?! No floppy? Apple will be over in 6 months..."
"What?!?!?! No 2 button mouse? Apple will be over in 6 months..."
"What?!?!?! No CD Drive? Apple will be over in 6 months..."
"What?!?!?! iPod? Apple will be over in 6 months..."
"What?!?!?! Apple iPod nano changed again? Apple will be over in 6 months..."
Now... "Everyone's got the micro usb... Apple will be over in 6 months..."
You know who loves the new Lightning connector... The manufacturers... New stuff to design and make a better profit off of. Creating new markets...
I've got 3 things I dock, but the only adaptor I want is so I can charge in the car. I've got iPods for the Docks and don't remember the last time I "docked" my iPhone 2, 4 or 5...
I agree with the OP, I think the Lightning connector is superior to both the 30 pin and the certainly the micro usb... I've got a Nikon camera that uses micro-usb and a BT headset... what a POS...
Relax people, the sky is not falling. You can by the adaptor or wait until someone offers it as a price your willing to pay or offers a "Lightning Dockable" thing you want...
Coachingguy
"What?!?!?! No floppy? Apple will be over in 6 months..."
"What?!?!?! No 2 button mouse? Apple will be over in 6 months..."
"What?!?!?! No CD Drive? Apple will be over in 6 months..."
"What?!?!?! iPod? Apple will be over in 6 months..."
"What?!?!?! Apple iPod nano changed again? Apple will be over in 6 months..."
Now... "Everyone's got the micro usb... Apple will be over in 6 months..."
You know who loves the new Lightning connector... The manufacturers... New stuff to design and make a better profit off of. Creating new markets...
I've got 3 things I dock, but the only adaptor I want is so I can charge in the car. I've got iPods for the Docks and don't remember the last time I "docked" my iPhone 2, 4 or 5...
I agree with the OP, I think the Lightning connector is superior to both the 30 pin and the certainly the micro usb... I've got a Nikon camera that uses micro-usb and a BT headset... what a POS...
Relax people, the sky is not falling. You can by the adaptor or wait until someone offers it as a price your willing to pay or offers a "Lightning Dockable" thing you want...
Coachingguy
OK, here something a bit more up to date.
http://brockerhoff.net/blog/2012/09/13/boom-2/
The bottom line is that micro-usb is just not "smart" enough to do what Apple needs to do, period, end of story.
I don't understand why people can get that though their heads. USB is fine for charging and synching but can't handle all of the things Apple needs. Why the heck do you think they made the original adapter 30 pin?
What I just LOVE about the new connector is
A. The fact that it is is reversible
B. it seems to have much better strain relief.
It is "annoying" to have to upgrade my plugs, but not to bad. More that I still need to carry around an old plug for my iPad.
A. The fact that it is is reversible
B. it seems to have much better strain relief.
It is "annoying" to have to upgrade my plugs, but not to bad. More that I still need to carry around an old plug for my iPad.
I'm looking forward to A! I hate having to look at which end is up on micro USB.
It is not "my contention", it is fact.
I have access to the connector specifications.
You don't.
Yes, there was much more functionality in the 30-pin connector.
Some of that functionality went away (thunderbolt, all analog signals).
The rest of it they broke up into four different flavors of the connectors.
as of right now, the only communications through the lightning connector are USB or UART!!!
Please stop spreading so much mis-information.
That link is wrong. It's all assumptions and conjecture, which isn't even close to the reality.
I'm sorry that you don't have access to the official Apple specifications that I have here in front of me, and I'm sorry that you have to believe what you read on some random blog, but it's flat out wrong.
And stop mixing up micro-usb with USB. One is a connector form factor, the other is a communications protocol.
The lightning connector is obviously not micro-usb, which is a connector.
It is however, using the USB protocol. Bottom line. End of story. That's it.
While the article shares your conclusions, the body itself disputes them.
As the article notes a sentence later, this is nonsense. Several devices, like the Nexus 7, support 2A charging over micro-usb. That the author doesn't understand how, is irrelevant.
As the article notes, the adapter has to contain extra circuitry (a digital-analog converter, for example) to make up for all of the functions removed from the switch to lightning. Features that can't be sent over USB are not supported by the adapter.
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This is exactly my solution. I've got a couple of iPod Nanos and could easily just dedicate one to my bathroom radio where I usually dock my iPhone and I've moved away from the dock in the car in favor of Bluetooth.
This is why I think we may see an early refresh of the iPad with Lightning connectors. I'll sell my current one and upgrade if they refresh the processor and make it thinner again.
It's a temporary hassle that we'll all eventually get over it and soon it will be commonplace. New connectors are always something to get used to along with extra charges to accommodate existing peripherals. If those changes never occurred, we'd have larger phones now with connections via SCSI.