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There should be a 30-pin iPhone 5S.

D

darkgoob

macrumors 6502
Original poster
Oct 16, 2008
315
305
I'm actually pretty annoyed with Apple about Lightning in general. I guess it didn't really hit me until I finally upgraded from 4S to 5S. I own about $300 in accessories that are designed for the 30-pin port: Line 6 Mobilekeys keyboard, a MIDI adapter and a guitar plug adapter, several extra cables, car charger, etc. None of that will work without this adapter, that doesn't work with my 5S and Apple Leather Case because the hole in the case is too small for the end of the adapter cable.

I guess I'll be returning my Apple Leather Case, since frankly I can get another case, but Apple's made it impossible to get another adapter by breaking compatibility with 3rd-party Lightning adapters. Nothing makes me more mad than when companies make proprietary stuff and then use security chips as a way to force you to buy their brand. Does the richest company in the world really need to do this to its customers to survive?

I also feel bad for manufacturers like RODE that spent years R&Ding 30-pin accessories like their cool mic that mounts onto the iPhone 4/4S directly, or Mackie who made a mixer the iPad mounts into directly, only to have Apple pull the rug out from under them BEFORE the products were even finally released! Good luck getting those guys to R&D anything like that for Apple again. Why would they? I'd bet they feel very, very burned.

It's really sad to see honestly. Lightning's connector doesn't seem to offer any advantage to me over 30-pin. So idiots can't plug it in upside down? Is that really worth breaking compatibility with a HUGE ecosystem of hardware, everything from stereo systems to cars to video projectors to professional recording equipment, that is designed to have the phone mount directly into it? They could've kept the same 30-pin port, and had 30-pin 2.0, just like USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 have done. But no, they had to burn bridges, ruin relationships, make things hard, make things incompatible. This was a bad, bad move.

Many devices don't work with the Lightning-to-30-pin adapter. Too bad if you own one of those. Buy another one. Right?

They should at least offer a 30-pin version of the 5 and 5S so that people who actually need to use their hundreds of dollars of stuff can do so reliably and without hassle.

Y'know, it's things like this that loses customers. I have a deep loyalty to Apple because they've treated me right many times over the years, but this is one thing they've done wrong that I just can't reconcile in my mind why they would do it (except purely in the name of money). I can't think of a single valid technical reason to completely screw over all of your third-party hardware developers and your customers.

This is different than changing the port from Firewire to Thunderbolt, because nothing mounted directly to the computer via Firewire, and Thunderbolt is 100% compatible with Firewire. I think people would even be willing to accept it if Lightning was 100% compatible with 30-pin, but it's not.

Cue the responses: "This thread has been posted a 100 times before." "Admin please lock this." "You're wrong because X Y Z." Go ahead and waste your lives trying to suppress free thought. I am simply trying to suggest Apple give consumers a choice when buying a new phone: get a Lightning version, or get a 30-pin version. Maybe release a 30-pin 2.0 port and scrap Lightning as a bad idea, and write apology letters to all the third-party companies who made things for 30-pin that were released when the iPhone 5 came out and have had crappy sales as a result of the dwindling 30-pin-compatible device ecosystem.

I'll be forwarding this on to 1 Infinite Loop in print, signed in blood.
 
Should there also be an iPhone 5s with an A6 processor? How about one with a 3mp camera? Or better yet what about one with just 3G (no LTE)? Oh and don't forget they should offer a 5s version with a non-retina display.

At some point a company has to embrace better technologies (lightning) and leave the old ones (30-pin) behind.
 
Nothing to cue at all, as your argument is inane.

Perhaps we should have also stuck with VHS and analogue, as you may have purchased thousands of dollars worth of equipment.

The new adaptor is fantastic and very robust, hence apple moving to this type. Apple didn't sit there and think, hmm how can we piss off this one guy.
 
The whole idea of choosing parts for your device goes against the core principles of Apple. It's as simple as that.
 
So you this knew going from a 4S to a 5s, yet you went ahead and bought the 5s? Now you are complaining after the fact? And now you expect Apple to somehow fix this for you? It's not going to happen. Your letter will be filed in the circular bin.
 
Lightning is one of the reason why iPhone is that slim. 30pin is old tech.It's gone. If you have accessories buy the cheap 30pin to lightning connectors and use them.They cost 1-2 bucks. And if you need 30pin so badly just get the phones which have it ;)
 
Onward and upward. The reason they did it was to make the phone slimmer, the fact that they designed one that could be inserted both ways was just a side benefit. 3rd parties can make connectors, they just have to do so properly.
 
darkgoob said:
I'm actually pretty annoyed with Apple about Lightning in general. I guess it didn't really hit me until I finally upgraded from 4S to 5S. I own about $300 in accessories that are designed for the 30-pin port: Line 6 Mobilekeys keyboard, a MIDI adapter and a guitar plug adapter, several extra cables, car charger, etc. None of that will work without this adapter, that doesn't work with my 5S and Apple Leather Case because the hole in the case is too small for the end of the adapter cable.

I guess I'll be returning my Apple Leather Case, since frankly I can get another case, but Apple's made it impossible to get another adapter by breaking compatibility with 3rd-party Lightning adapters. Nothing makes me more mad than when companies make proprietary stuff and then use security chips as a way to force you to buy their brand. Does the richest company in the world really need to do this to its customers to survive?

I also feel bad for manufacturers like RODE that spent years R&Ding 30-pin accessories like their cool mic that mounts onto the iPhone 4/4S directly, or Mackie who made a mixer the iPad mounts into directly, only to have Apple pull the rug out from under them BEFORE the products were even finally released! Good luck getting those guys to R&D anything like that for Apple again. Why would they? I'd bet they feel very, very burned.

It's really sad to see honestly. Lightning's connector doesn't seem to offer any advantage to me over 30-pin. So idiots can't plug it in upside down? Is that really worth breaking compatibility with a HUGE ecosystem of hardware, everything from stereo systems to cars to video projectors to professional recording equipment, that is designed to have the phone mount directly into it? They could've kept the same 30-pin port, and had 30-pin 2.0, just like USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 have done. But no, they had to burn bridges, ruin relationships, make things hard, make things incompatible. This was a bad, bad move.

Many devices don't work with the Lightning-to-30-pin adapter. Too bad if you own one of those. Buy another one. Right?

They should at least offer a 30-pin version of the 5 and 5S so that people who actually need to use their hundreds of dollars of stuff can do so reliably and without hassle.

Y'know, it's things like this that loses customers. I have a deep loyalty to Apple because they've treated me right many times over the years, but this is one thing they've done wrong that I just can't reconcile in my mind why they would do it (except purely in the name of money). I can't think of a single valid technical reason to completely screw over all of your third-party hardware developers and your customers.

This is different than changing the port from Firewire to Thunderbolt, because nothing mounted directly to the computer via Firewire, and Thunderbolt is 100% compatible with Firewire. I think people would even be willing to accept it if Lightning was 100% compatible with 30-pin, but it's not.

Cue the responses: "This thread has been posted a 100 times before." "Admin please lock this." "You're wrong because X Y Z." Go ahead and waste your lives trying to suppress free thought. I am simply trying to suggest Apple give consumers a choice when buying a new phone: get a Lightning version, or get a 30-pin version. Maybe release a 30-pin 2.0 port and scrap Lightning as a bad idea, and write apology letters to all the third-party companies who made things for 30-pin that were released when the iPhone 5 came out and have had crappy sales as a result of the dwindling 30-pin-compatible device ecosystem.

I'll be forwarding this on to 1 Infinite Loop in print, signed in blood.
Click to expand...

Of all the dumb things I have ever read, this might just be the dumbest. Thank you, as we are all now dumber for having read it.
 
Get an 30pin-lightning adapter genius and all your problems will be solved. Its not that big of a deal and for $39 all your "$3000" worth of 30-pin accessories will be relevant again.

Its called tech progress. I'm pretty pissed because USB was invented. Do you know how many serial and parallel accessories i had from all my win 95 and DOS computers? Gosh darnit.

The main reason for lightning was so they could make the phone thinner. But whatever, screw technology progress in favor of making sure everyones 10 year old accessories remain compatible.

Have fun using your Galaxy S4. Nobody here is going to miss you.
 
The lightning adapter is probably better off for the long run so the transition would have had to be done eventually. Whenever they do/did it, whether it be 5 years ago or 5 years in the future, the same argument will be had. You can't get around it. It will probably last just as long, if not longer, than the 30 pin adapter.

That being said, doesn't the lightning to 30 pin adapter work? :confused:
 
aka777 said:
The new adaptor is fantastic
Click to expand...

I disagree. While it handles the requirements of most users, it's not perfect. Notably it can't handle HDMI output and uses a lossy workaround, whereas the old 30-pin devices could do it losslessly. There are probably other features that have taken a step backward.

It'll be interesting to see whether the quality has increased with iOS 7.
 
Nermal said:
I disagree. While it handles the requirements of most users, it's not perfect. Notably it can't handle HDMI output and uses a lossy workaround, whereas the old 30-pin devices could do it losslessly. There are probably other features that have taken a step backward.
Click to expand...

i know. 720p instead of 1080p. whatever will any of us do? face it, 1% of iPhone users will be hooking up the phone to an hdmi 1080p tv. Was it worth the sacrifice for a thinner phone? i think so.
 
You guys are giving the OP a little to hard of a time....

OP I am sure most of your interfaces can work with the 30pin adapter. I know my Apogee guitar interface does. And even if not, the equipment you listed isn't that expensive....

I will agree with you on the Mackie aspect. I own 4 of those mixers. But at least it doesn't "require" a 30-pin device to operate, as you can operate the mixer wirelessly.
 
Yes, I too have spent extra money for lightning cables and a new car charger, I have a ton of 30 pin cables and 2 great sound systems that are basically obsolete for real use.

I think the real complain shouldn't be that they should make an iPhone w/ 30 pin connection, but instead apple should only charge $5 for the adapters... Chinese ones don't work great nor properly like the apple ones and the apple originals are ridiculously overpriced @ $29, for that I would just get a new sound system for the price of 2-3 adapters.
 
Col Ronson said:
i know. 720p instead of 1080p. whatever will any of us do? face it, 1% of iPhone users will be hooking up the phone to an hdmi 1080p tv. Was it worth the sacrifice for a thinner phone? i think so.
Click to expand...

If there were only some way you could PLAY media over the AIR to your TV. Apple should get in that.
 
wordoflife said:
The lightning adapter is probably better off for the long run so the transition would have had to be done eventually. Whenever they do/did it, whether it be 5 years ago or 5 years in the future, the same argument will be had. You can't get around it. It will probably last just as long, if not longer, than the 30 pin adapter.

That being said, doesn't the lightning to 30 pin adapter work? :confused:
Click to expand...

No, it doesn't. Lightning is digital-only. Many car stereo systems relied upon the "iPod out" over 30-pin for controls. Therefore it broke a lot of things. Apple's website says some things won't work with it. It's not 100% compatible. This is the worst thing about it.

The other things that are bad about Lightning are:
• does not let you mount your phone directly into devices that are made for 30-pin, which is like, almost all of them.
• being a much smaller port, does not physically support the attachment of devices to the phone
• cord is not capable of locking into place like 30-pin was, leading to unintentional disconnects during performances

All of your childish, impish responses about dot-matrix printers are nothing more than churlish trolling. Likening the shift from dot-matrix to laser printers (which involved an improvement in technology) with the shift from 30-pin to Lightning (which involved a loss of features and a devolving of technology) is ridiculous. The only difference between 30-pin accessories and Lightning ones (besides the fact that 30-pin ones exist, and Lightning ones don't) is that Lightning accessories are the same as 30-pin accessories.
 
iLukeJoseph said:
You guys are giving the OP a little to hard of a time....

OP I am sure most of your interfaces can work with the 30pin adapter. I know my Apogee guitar interface does. And even if not, the equipment you listed isn't that expensive....

I will agree with you on the Mackie aspect. I own 4 of those mixers. But at least it doesn't "require" a 30-pin device to operate, as you can operate the mixer wirelessly.
Click to expand...

Fair enough but the 30-pin adapter doesn't work with my phone unless I take off the case. Now why would Apple make a case that prevents the use of its own adapter? I find this supremely annoying. I'm not going to be using the phone without a case during performances.

gabrielignacio said:
Keep the iPhone 4S.

Problem Solved.
Click to expand...

No, I'm selling the iPhone 4S for $350 due to it being unlocked now. I don't really feel like costing myself $350 just because Apple can't make a cable that's compatible with their own case. Also, I don't want to have to deal with two devices. I often work on stuff on my phone because I have it with me, then later use that in performances. I'm not about to start carrying around two iPhones.

Hopefully they've made a new version of the adapter that works with their new case. If so I'll make sure to get a free one from the Apple Store. Or else I'll just return their $39 case. It's nice, but it's just a case. I can get one off of eBay for $0.01 that offers better protection anyway. I like supporting Apple's bottom line (as a shareholder) but I don't like all my stuff being rendered unusable.
 
Last edited:
darkgoob said:
No, it doesn't. Lightning is digital-only. Many car stereo systems relied upon the "iPod out" over 30-pin for controls. Therefore it broke a lot of things. Apple's website says some things won't work with it. It's not 100% compatible. This is the worst thing about it.

The other things that are bad about Lightning are:
• does not let you mount your phone directly into devices that are made for 30-pin, which is like, almost all of them.
• being a much smaller port, does not physically support the attachment of devices to the phone
• cord is not capable of locking into place like 30-pin was, leading to unintentional disconnects during performances
Click to expand...

Ah I see. That's a shame.
And yeah, I was just thinking how easy it seems to break the connector considering how small it is. I have a 4S though so I really don't have anything to back that up.
 
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