USB-C vs Lightning: Why does Apple not care about just one cable?

[levander]

I was gonna get my Mom an iPad Air 4, till I saw it has a USB-C port, not a lightning port.

If both the iPhone 12 and iPad Air 4 had USB-C ports, I wouldn’t mind, cause I’d just figure it was time to migrate her. But having a different cable on each makes it a pain.

i could get into why the regular iPad isn’t a great fit for Mom. But that’s another thread.

Maybe Mom’s charging situation is worse than most, Does everyone else not have charging cables everywhere?

Mom has a charger by her sofa where she watches TV, by her bed where she sleeps, in her car, by her bed in her vacation condo, and by sofa in her condo. And occasionally a cable stops working and that’s a real hassle getting the right cable wherever...

Now Apple wants me to double the cables she has everywhere?

Does it just not matter to most users that they didn’t want different cables for different devices?

I’ll have to look into getting her a previous generation iPad Air 3 I guess.

Does Apple’s cable strategy make sense for consumers that I’m not getting? Or do they just not really have a cable strategy for consumers?

 

[HDFan]

If both the iPhone 12 and iPad Air 4 had USB-C ports, I wouldn’t mind, cause I’d just figure it was time to migrate her. But having a different cable on each makes it a pain.

The iPhone 12 ships with a USB-C to lightning cable. If you don't have a USB-C power adapter then you'll have to purchase one to use the supplied cable.

It is a mess.

I’ll have to look into getting her a previous generation iPad Air 3 I guess.

I wouldn't let cable issues decide which iPad you purchase. The transition to USB-C is maybe half way there. If you bought the older iPad then in some years time it would be requiring a different cable than a current iPhone.