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MacRumors Readers Hoping for USB-C Instead of Lightning in 2019 iPhones

macduke said:
I wonder if Apple is waiting for Micro USB-C for the iPhone. Otherwise I think they will stick with Lightning. I used to think they would stick with Lightning because of devices getting ever thinner, but that trend seems to be stopped and slightly reversing in recent years. I think the reason now is because when you have a foldable display, the space for ports will be way smaller because you're basically cutting it in half when it unfolds. If they move to USB-C then I don't think they could make it any thinner than twice the thickness of a 2018 iPad Pro, which is probably near the limit structurally for how thin you can go and still use USB-C. Lightning is even thinner by a decent amount.
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I have a USB-C to Lightning cable for my iPhone XS and the lightning port is indeed a little bit wider and thicker. I hope they will release a lightning version 2. I am against USB-C as I think the future is a wireless one. They might get rid of the charging port in the future, which I don't mind.
 
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cppguy said:
Quite the contrary. Lightning cable fray easily, and they're super expensive to replace. USB-C is superior by far. Yes, lightning is better than Micro-USB was, but no one uses that connector anymore. USB-C is the ubiquitous standard, it dominates the industry. We all use USB-C for every camera, laptop and phone, except the iPhone, which stands out like a sore thumb. Having to pack a separate charger just for the phone is ridiculous. Everyone who says otherwise is ignorant.
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I'm not defending Lightning over USB-C but here are my thoughts:

  1. We have 8 active iOS devices that use Lightning...and have owned several of these for more than 4 years...we do not have a single cable that is frayed or damaged. We unplug them and move them all the time. I have one in the minivan that's been there for 4-5 years and is wedged in the glove box door molding. We don't baby them...but we don't abuse the cables or adapters.
  2. Anything from Apple is super expensive to replace.
  3. You can buy plenty of Lightning cables for $7 on Amazon or similar stores and they work just fine. That $1.15 one on eBay from some person in China with 11 reviews? Mmmmm, probably not going to be happy with that purchase.
  4. We don't own a single device with USB-C. Apple people may, but I'm not sure about non-Apple fans. Besides our array of iOS devices, we have numerous Wintel laptops, Sony digital camera, some bluetooth speakers, etc. Stating "USB-C is the ubiquitous standard" is completely false, especially without any citations. And standard for what? And what industry is it dominating?
  5. If you've lived in the USA for the past 40 years you will know that there is a different adapter or a/c requirement for every electronic device. No manufacturer wants a standard power supply so that consumers can just use any old cord (for a lot of other reasons, too). The manufacturers thrive on the proprietary nature of power supplies and love charging you $39-$99 for a new supply when yours breaks/dies. This is true for everything that has a removable plug such as cordless phones, portable dvd players, Sony Walkmans, iPhones, laptops, wireless routers, printers, external hard drives, portable radios, rechargeable weed whackers, portable keyboards/pianos, dj mixers, etc. You name it, it's proprietary. And if you don't believe me, go ahead and play Adapter Roulette and see how your equipment works.
  6. Back in "the old days" of the late 70s, you could walk into Radio Shack and buy a Universal Power Adapter that came with about 10 various plugs and allowed you to also change the various wattages via a switch on the brick. I cannot find any pix of these on Google...just the ones from 10 or so years ago that don't do it justice. :) These were not super popular because there just weren't as many portable/chargeable things back in the 70s and 80s as there are now.
  7. Why are you complaining that you have USB-C that charges all of your devices except 1...and when you "pack" you need to bring the Apple charger? If you have USB-C powering let's say 6 devices on your trip, you're only packing 1 USB=C charger and 1 Lightning (unless you want to charge multiple at the same time). You really are stretching to complain about packing a 2 oz large Apple charger and tiny Lightning cable which my wife easily fits a few of these in her handbag. Moreover, you don't even need the power brick...just pack the Lightning cable and plug it into the trillion devices that supply USB power like power strips, wall outlets, hotel clock radios, cars, airplanes, etc.
 
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thejadedmonkey said:
Why would anyone want a proprietary lightning port when there's an industry standard port that does the job just as well?
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Why would anyone want to go to the great expense and effort to throw out and replace all of their Lightning cables, adapters and accessories, to replace them with USB-C, which may only be a short term transition to a fully wireless, sealed iPhone? Or worse yet, load up their life with even more Lightning to USB-C dongles to accommodate equipment they already have?

Why would anyone want to move to a standard which is far from easily accessible throughout the world, always running the risk of not being able to find a USB-C cable when they need it?

Why would anyone want to subject themselves to the confusion of buying the proper cables, and ensure they are not only compatible with the function for which they were purchased, but won't damage the device?

Why?.

mavericks7913 said:
Def no lighting. It's old and outdated. USB-C is way better.
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Better in what way?
 
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I want USB-C on the 2019 iPhones.....so I can use ONE CABLE to charge both my iPad Pro 11 and iphone....
Why make us carry 2 types of cables?
 
Why hasn't Apple embraced the thunderbolt technology for their iOS devices?
 
Seriously, some of these comments explain why Apple gets away with packing a slow charging, tiny 5W charging brick and an antiquated USB A to lightning cable with a fast charging capable $1000+ phone.
 
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PLEASE. It has been so nice to not have charging anxiety around the house. My MBP and iPad Pro as well as some PC gadgets all use Type C. It’s soooo nice.
 
ryanwarsaw said:
Where is the button for "I would rather gouge my own eyeballs out with hot pokers before following MR on FB or Twitter"?
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I've been divesting my self from my Apple stock holdings. Apple has forgotten how to innovate and have remembered how to return from the Scully management strategy that Jobs had to rescue Apple from. The big difference this time? Jobs is gone so there's no-one available to rescue Apple from it's own managerial incompetence which is more focussed on virtue signaling that technology, even the really easy stuff like a USB-C connector that can handle both charging and data speed. They would actually be better off getting rid of the lightning all-together by moving entirely to wireless charging and data connection technologies.
 
when I travel I like to carry a laptop, my phone, iPad, and sometimes a gaming system (switch or 3DS). my iPad is an air 2, so right now, lightening is fine. My current laptop (and the one I'm about to get) will have magsafe. But if I upgrade my phone, and iPad this year (and I'm thinking about it) and both have lightening so I can always just carry two cables, man that would be nice. so lightening can go. Also, the tech tubers will stop complaining about it when they talk about mac stuff.
 
thejadedmonkey said:
Why would anyone want a proprietary lightning port when there's an industry standard port that does the job just as well?
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Not quite... the lightning port is far more rugged and doesn't have a flimsy & breakable central section in the port (female side). It also sits tight - USB-C wiggles and it's really annoying - sometimes the connection breaks too.

I'm pretty sure Apple was involved in the development of the USB-C specs and Lightning precedes it by a while. It was introduced as Apple needed a connector that was robust, fast and small when it was clear the 30 pin dock connector was antiquated and USB-C just wasn't ready for prime time.
 
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Doubt they switch. It made total sense to do with the iPhone 7. If you’re gonna drop the stereo jack and and bring a new standard connector for audio devices, that was the time, especially considering that just a couple months later Apple would go all in on the connector on their laptops and was already sporting the 12” MacBook.

Now we have a mountain of Lightning earbuds and other things. While I’d love to see USB-C, I’ll be surprised if it happens.

The iPhone X would have been another good time to do it if you wanted to be half in, half out. Release the 8 with Lightning and the X with USB-C.

In my opinion Apple really botched the USB-C transition if they intended to do it on their phones. I think people are reading too much into the iPad Pro making the move. While both devices use iOS, the general use case where accessories are concerned don’t overlap a whole lot.

I’d love it if they did. I’m not a fan of Lightning at all. The exposed pins have lead to a lot of non or partially functional cables for me. I was happy to see something sleeker than the old 30-pin connector but USB-C is vastly superior.
 
Whatever Apple decides to do is fine with me. I'm looking forward to upgrading from my 6+ this year.
 
Mac 128 said:
Why would anyone want to go to the great expense and effort to throw out and replace all of their Lightning cables, adapters and accessories, to replace them with USB-C, which may only be a short term transition to a fully wireless, sealed iPhone? Or worse yet, load up their life with even more Lightning to USB-C dongles to accommodate equipment they already have?

Why would anyone want to move to a standard which is far from easily accessible throughout the world, always running the risk of not being able to find a USB-C cable when they need it?

Why would anyone want to subject themselves to the confusion of buying the proper cables, and ensure they are not only compatible with the function for which they were purchased, but won't damage the device?

Why?.



Better in what way?
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1. Fast data transfer 10gb/s
2. Can charge up to 100w and way faster than the current one.
3. USB-C port is protected unlike lighting port
4. World standard. More accessories and possibilities
 
The smart move would be to go to USB-C in September. Legacy accessories are always a pain point but lack of USB-C will hurt sales more than anything else. Lightning was great and has served its purpose but it's time to move on.
 
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