They were updated more recently, with Touch ID and they changed the radius of the corners.
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
These Apple Products Are Still Sold With Lightning Following iPhone 15's Switch to USB-C
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
They were updated more recently, with Touch ID and they changed the radius of the corners.
It gives you the feeling that you own an obsolete device and that it is time for an upgrade.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
USB has always had that little thing sticking out in the middle of the port. Those first USB iMacs Jobs rolled out to "save Apple" had those tongues. How many have you broken in your entire lifetime?
I know, I know: mobile is different than desktop.
Laptops are mobile. iPads are mobile. Competitors have been USB-C for years now and I don't hear much at all about their millions of users suffering this terrible experience. My iPad mini with USB-C doubles as my phone too. I'm charging and/or plugging in to link it to Mac every day, sometimes in the dark just guessing where the port is located. Port is fine. Tongue is fine. No wobble. No lint. No "expensive repairs." Etc.
Can this happen? Of course... but so can iPhones spontaneously erupting or kids choking on dongles. If we try to find examples of anything, we can probably find it. That doesn't mean it is a big problem, widespread, etc. I suspect the actual numbers who break that tongue to be in the fraction of 1% of all users everywhere.
Lightning cables can't seem to hold together. Of all the cable types I've ever used, I've never had to replace any nearly as often as Lightning. The fray near the ends is ridiculous. So far, I've not had one USB-C cable fray... nor any USB-A cables... some now 20+ years old.
Last edited:
You dont carry laptops and iPad in your pocket while you charge it via powerbank.
Lightning will be in my future for a long time because I have too many existing items I don't see myself replacing anytime soon. However, I will only buy USB-C going forward. I was secretly hoping there would be an AirPods Max refresh since I'm on the lookout for over-the-ear headphones; alas, they're too expensive for "outdated" tech.
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
iPad (and iPhone) holds charges all day long, so I- and don't you- generally only need to charge it when asleep? This new one with this "at risk" tongue claims 29 hours of battery life. Most people sleep sometime during a 24-hour day. Charge it while asleep if you carry this worry?
Else, if I'm awake more than 29 hours in a day with no stationary time to charge my iDevice, I probably put it in a good battery case to jack up the 29 hours to another day or two worth of charge. If I don't sleep in 58-87 hour windows of time, I'll likely be dead long before I manage to break the USB-C tongue... or sleep-deprived insane such that I'll perceive my broken phone still works just fine.
Else, the same force to break off a tongue inside a USB-C port is going to rip those fragile lighting cable ends loose and deliver the shock of bare wires on pocket skin from that power bank. For your own safety and the safety of any part of you near your pockets, save the charging for better circumstances.
All that shared though: this ship has sailed. Apple has embraced USB-C in iPhone. Those worried about this can hang onto their Lightning phone as long as it can run... while laughing at the multitudes suffering all these iPhone tongue breaks over and over again going forward.
Last edited:
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
HobeSoundDarryl
macrumors G5
Yes, about $2 from various online sources...
However, proprietary Lightning hardware may have some kind of lock-in, atypical of standards-based connectors like USB. So, much like when an iMac conks taking a perfectly good screen with it because of proprietary lock-in, some may have to throw out a perfectly good car or audio system because of the same. Hopefully simple adapters will do the trick. Else, cling to the Lightning iPhone as long as you can and then dump the car when you go USB-C iPhone later.
My car has USB to ancient 30-pin and it's no problem. In fact, it resurrected a retired iPod with 30-pin to be a gigantic jukebox of all of my favorite music. For CarPlay-like functionality, bluetooth with a much cheaper iPad mini scratches all such itches for me... including taking/making phone calls with steering wheel controls. It's also much less expensive for iPad 5G than iPhone 5G.
However, proprietary Lightning hardware may have some kind of lock-in, atypical of standards-based connectors like USB. So, much like when an iMac conks taking a perfectly good screen with it because of proprietary lock-in, some may have to throw out a perfectly good car or audio system because of the same. Hopefully simple adapters will do the trick. Else, cling to the Lightning iPhone as long as you can and then dump the car when you go USB-C iPhone later.
My car has USB to ancient 30-pin and it's no problem. In fact, it resurrected a retired iPod with 30-pin to be a gigantic jukebox of all of my favorite music. For CarPlay-like functionality, bluetooth with a much cheaper iPad mini scratches all such itches for me... including taking/making phone calls with steering wheel controls. It's also much less expensive for iPad 5G than iPhone 5G.
Last edited:
Good move going to USB-C for the long run, but I'll miss Lightning.
Very durable and small. I've really enjoyed this long run of Lightning (and still going for quite a while for me)
Very durable and small. I've really enjoyed this long run of Lightning (and still going for quite a while for me)
I think the :"regular" iPad and all AirPods models will switch to USB Type C within the next 6-7 months.
You're right. I forgot Apple doesn't even bother to provide the lightning cable. So you'll have to purchase a new one.
They still sell 30 pin cables/ adapters and MagSafe 1/2 chargers, so it's going to be a long time yet before lightning disappears completely.
This is the PERFECT definition of a strawman, lots of them!
My opinion of the EU trying to force a standard is not going to change, and will most likely be reinforced in the future. I'm pro USB C, but anti slow moving governing body having anything to do with tech standards that are already slow moving...and is how we ended up with lightning to begin with.
I have never seen anyone "oppose" NFC, but Apple did come along and change the way it was done for everyone...and plenty of people still hate phablet sized phones. But this thing called the smart watch came along and gave us that little screen for alerts so the big screen can be put away or left at home. If a mini pro ever came along, I'd buy it. But the 12 mini was too much of a sacrifice of features.
8k anything seems like a waste of storage with current storage sizes, but when the time is right it should happen. A lot of companies need to differentiate themselves from the market leader and they do so by throwing things at the wall until something sticks. Being someone that wants a phone to be as small as possible while still having all the bells and whistles, having a big screen that folds out is completely in the wrong direction. But for that crowd who lives on a smartphone, doesn't have displays all over the place everywhere they go, I see why they want bigger and bigger. So maybe a foldable iPad instead?
Last edited:
They're treated like that because they don't have noise cancelling and all of the other features that revolve around that. They can't do any of it because of that different form factor not forming a seal in the ear.
I don't prefer either of them as neither fits my ears well despite trying a thousand third party addons.
And USB-C is still worse for connecting the cable to the device without seeing or in the dark.
Lightning has much more wiggle room when trying to get the cable into the port.
Magsafe is even better.
No doubt their reasoning for over a year now, and the next Apple event must be iMac related since it's so behind the rest of the Mac lineup.
It may be a joke now, but Apple went out of their way to move to lightning to USB C cables with no charging blocks on older iPhones when they released the 12. If they truly wanted to kill Lightning ASAP they would do similar.
Today, the size of the port being smaller (the older Apple TV remotes wouldn't have even fit USB C). Back in 2012 when it was introduced, it was reversible and could allow the same features of then Micro USB.
Conceptually it's not a bad idea as a Mac desktop user could just leave a lightning cord at their Mac and charge their iPhone(or iPad of Airpods), but occasionally switch to their mouse and keyboard when they need charging.
Lightning to USB C was only on the Pro models on the 11 series, it wasn't until the 12 in 2020 they did a USB C to lighting cord, 5 years after a USB C only Mac, 3 years ago today, and the same year they conveniently thought everybody already owned USB C power bricks to not include them with iPhones.
For one the report is fair as it's a reminder lightning is still around... for now.
Also given Apple silently updated the Apple TV remote to USB C last year, it wouldn't have been a surprise they continued that trend earlier this year with other lightning products.
They could update every product they sell to USB-C tomorrow ... and Lightning will still be a thing in wide wide use for 1/2 a decade + from now going forward.
I remember when rounded corners on a phone screen were considered absolutely horrible. They were an appalling design that only Android phones would use. Apple then introduced the iPhone X. You never heard that again about rounded corners on a screen.
Will take some time for all products to shift to USB C. But expecting the Magic keyboard and mouse that comes with the iMac refresh to have USB C