What went wrong with the AirPods and USB-C

[MathijsBo]

I am an apple sheep, I love everything apple makes. But sometimes I need to admit that they are pretty stupid.

Apple wants to go into the future with usb-c, they knew they where doing this when the iPhone 7 came out. Why didn't they make the 7 with an usb-c port?

They didn't do that because they already removed the headphone jack. To then also change the charging port would make there customers even angrier. You could consider that smart, but I think it's stupid. Now you can't charge your phone with your Macbook, you can't use your iPhone earphones with your new MacBook. And that is just straight stupid.

What drew the line for me was the wireless AirPods. Sinds you can't use your new apple EarPods with your macbook I would say the AirPods are the solution.

But what do you get with the AirPods, an USB to Lightning charging cable. You don't get a wall outlet. So out of the box you can't charge them, unless you have a usb to wall outlet port. This makes no sense.

This seems a bit hard to understand so you might think the solutions are difficult too, but no.







My solutions:



Make the iPhone charging cable lightning to USB-c and put a USB-c to wall outlet port with that.

This way you don't make your costumers more angry, you can charge your phone with our macbook. And then they could have given the AirPods the same cable, Making you able to charge your AirPods with your Mac or iPhone wall outlet.



Give the MacBook a Lightning port, on first glance this doesn't do you any good but it works.

With the first solution costumers might get mad that there cable has two port that look the same but aren't. So instead of switching the USB end to USB-c you change it to lightning and put a lightning port on the MacBook Pro.







What is the problem?

If they change the ports next year there is no problem right? Wrong, EarPods only get upgrades ones every 2 years minimum. If they don't upgrade the AirPods next year to have USB-c then they are already out dated. So they have the upgrade the AirPods next year, but some people will have just received there first Pair of AirPods, so the upgrade is to early, or to late. They can't do that upgrade right.







What can they do now?

The only thing they can do is sell USB-C to USB cables. Or give those cables to everyone who had a pare of AirPods.

 

[Whackman]

You're not the only Apple sheep who is more negative towards Apple these days. They are alienating themselves from their customers and lots of people are making the switch. I don't see myself doing that just yet, but i can see it happening. Everything becomes more expensive for less functionality and less power. Maybe it's time they hire a new designer who also has a sense of practical use. People are pissed.

 

[MathijsBo]

You're not the only Apple sheep who is more negative towards Apple these days. They are alienating themselves from their customers and lots of people are making the switch. I don't see myself doing that just yet, but i can see it happening. Everything becomes more expensive for less functionality and less power. Maybe it's time they hire a new designer who also has a sense of practical use. People are pissed.

I would never see myself making the switch because the free software is great. I just think they need to plan better what they are doing. Not rush and look at what other people say about them. If they rush production then you get problems. Thats why the AirPods where so delayed. I think they should have known better then to announce them then.

 

[Rafterman]

Yeah, including a standard USB cable and no charger with AirPods and not being able to charge them with your flagship laptop unless you get an adapter or cable is pretty head scratching.

 

[MathijsBo]

Yeah, including a standard USB cable and no charger with AirPods and not being able to charge them with your flagship laptop unless you get an adapter or cable is pretty head scratching.

Yeah its not a hard fix. Just ad a wall adapter and I would be like... okey sure.

 

[xraydoc]

In Apple's thinking:

iDevices: Lightning port
Macs: USB-C

But I agree Apple should be including USB-C to Lightning cables with their devices, or at least a tiny USB-A to C adapter.

 

[raqball]

Apple is all over the place right now and is becoming the dongle company...

- You can't connect an iPhone to a MacBook without a dongle
- You can't use the headphones from an iPhone with a MacBook without a dongle
- You can't charge the AirPods with your MacBook without a dongle

Dongle, dongle, dongle.... It's the new Apple I guess....

 

[Phil A.]

Apple is all over the pace right now and is becoming the dongle company...

- You can connect an iPhone to a MacBook without a dongle
- You can use the headphones from an iPhone with a MacBook without a dongle
- You can't charge the AirPods with your MacBook without a dongle

Dongle, dongle, dongle.... It's the new Apple I guess....

You can charge an iPhone or AirPods from a MacBook without a dongle - you just need a USB-C to Lightning cable (just as you needed a USB-A to Lightning cable before).

You could argue that Apple should have included one in the box, (which would be wasteful for the millions of people who don't own a MBPro or rMB), but you certainly don't need a dongle

 

[raqball]

You can charge an iPhone or AirPods from a MacBook without a dongle - you just need a USB-C to Lightning cable (just as you needed a USB-A to Lightning cable before).

You could argue that Apple should have included one in the box, (which would be wasteful for the millions of people who don't own a MBPro or rMB), but you certainly don't need a dongle

Yup.. So I need to carry 113 dongles or 113 different cables... What's the difference?

 

[jerryk]

Sticking with lighting was a dumb decision. Android phones have been on USB-C for 2 years so any issues with waterproofing and dustproofing have been worked out. And they already have the wireless charging working for 4 years.

Having USB-C on the iPhone 7 would have actually let you plug your new iPhone into your new MacBook/MacBook Pro with the cable that came with your new MacBook/MacBook Pro.

This definitely was a head shaker decision.

 

[Phil A.]

Yup.. So I need to carry 113 dongles or 113 different cables... What's the difference?

Would you care to list those 113 dongles or cables?

If you previously had an rMBPro, you'd need a couple of USB-A to Lightning cables to charge your phone, iPad or other lightning equipped devices. Now you need a couple of USB-C to Lightning cables

If you plugged in Hard drives, you needed USB-A to USB-B cables, now you need the same number of USB-C to USB-B cables

If you plugged into HDMI displays, you needed a thunderbolt to HDMI adapter, now you need a USB-C to HDMI adapter

Gigabit Ethernet: Was Thunderbolt to Ethernet, now USB-C to Ethernet

The only time you need an additional adapter is for memory sticks or other devices that don't have removable cables, so you'd need USB-C to USB-A adapters (which are tiny and cheap)

Yes, there is an expense involved and I can understand people being frustrated but as someone who has owned an rMB with only USB-C connectivity for 18 months, I can't help feeling it's been blown somewhat out of proportion

 

[raqball]

Yes, there is an expense involved and I can understand people being frustrated but as someone who has owned an rMB with only USB-C connectivity for 18 months, I can't help feeling it's been blown somewhat out of proportion

You completely missed the point the OP was making but all rightly ........

 

[daveak]

Having USB-C on the iPhone 7 would have actually let you plug your new iPhone into your new MacBook/MacBook Pro with the cable that came with your new MacBook/MacBook Pro.
This definitely was a head shaker decision.

Err, no. If iPhone 7 was USB-C the other end of the cable would still have been USB-A, so you could plug it into the majority of computers in use. You would then still need a dongle or different cable for MacBook/MacBook Pro.

 

[jerryk]

Err, no. If iPhone 7 was USB-C the other end of the cable would still have been USB-A, so you could plug it into the majority of computers in use. You would then still need a dongle or different cable for MacBook/MacBook Pro.

No, Apple could have went walled garden and said USB-C is the NEW one and only connector for Apple, period. If you want to use a non-Apple or older Apple device get a USB-C to USB-A cable yourself, or upgrade your Macbook/Macbook pro.

 

[daveak]

No, Apple could have went walled garden and said USB-C is the NEW one and only connector for Apple, period. If you want to use a non-Apple or older Apple device get a USB-C to USB-A cable yourself, or upgrade your Macbook/Macbook pro.

And then you would all be whining about how you couldn't plug it into anything other than a MacBook, which was the only USB-C Apple computer available at the time. They made the right decision.

 

[chabig]

Yeah its not a hard fix. Just ad a wall adapter and I would be like... okey sure.

A wall adapter...like the one that every iPhone owner already has?
[doublepost=1482270708][/doublepost]

Android phones have been on USB-C for 2 years...

One or two low volume phones, maybe. Nothing mass market.

 

[Phil A.]

No, Apple could have went walled garden and said USB-C is the NEW one and only connector for Apple, period. If you want to use a non-Apple or older Apple device get a USB-C to USB-A cable yourself, or upgrade your Macbook/Macbook pro.

I don't known if it's relevant, but the lightning socket is more robust than USB-C (due to the fact you have a thick male connector on the plug rather than a thin connector inside the socket.

Lightning also "clicks" in place and takes more removing.

It could be that Apple thinks these benefits make lightning worth keeping around and they do seem to be heavily pushing it for charging solutions (iPhones, iPods, iPads, mice, keyboards, trackpads, Apple TV Siri remote, AirPods and the Beats pill all use it)

 

[jerryk]

One or two low volume phones, maybe. Nothing mass market.

Well, until it caught fire, literally, the Samsung Note 7 was USB-C. They sold 3 million of those in a few weeks. And every Samsung Galaxy from now on will be USB-C. Then there is the Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, and China mainline phones like the LeEco and Xiaomi that sell in the millions. LeEco now has models in the US at under $300.

 

[SoyCapitanSoyCapitan]

Nagging about new standards and new technologies will never end.

 

[aristobrat]

What is the problem?

If they change the ports next year there is no problem right?

If they change the ports next year, it will make the iPhone 8 (and presumably all of the 2017 iPads) incompatible with the millions of third-party products sold from 2012 that let you plug Lightning devices into them.

So basically, you're proposing to screw with the tens of millions of people who own Lighting accessories like the ones below (by suggesting that Apple make the next iPhone with a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port), because it's too much of an inconvenience for you to go out and buy a $20 USB-C to Lightning cable for your MacBook Pro/AirPods?!?

 

[jerryk]

If they change the ports next year, it will make the iPhone 8 (and presumably all of the 2017 iPads) incompatible with the millions of third-party products sold from 2012 that let you plug Lightning devices into them.

So basically, you're proposing to screw with the tens of millions of people who own Lighting accessories like the ones below (by suggesting that Apple make the next iPhone with a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port), because it's too much of an inconvenience for you to go out and buy a $20 USB-C to Lightning cable for your MacBook Pro/AirPods?!?

This has happened before. The Lightning connector replaced the 30 pin in 2012. That change left many with 30-pin stands, clocks, and cables that would not work with their new device. Technology moves on. USB-C is an industry standard that is being adopted by more and more peripheral vendors and can be used for things like monitors, drives, and network cables, etc that Lightning cannot.

 

[CaptRB]

Can someone help me connect my Betamax to my new tMBP? I know there must be RCA line in on this thing, but so far all I see are the little flat ports. I tried to jam a S-Video connector in there, but it won't fit. And when will Apple adopt laserdisc so I can play them on my laptop?


R

 

[aristobrat]

This has happened before. The Lightning connector replaced the 30 pin in 2012. That change left many with 30-pin stands, clocks, and cables that would not work with their new device. .

Correct, and most people thought it sucked, IMO.

But like you said, technology moves on, and there were some major benefits that Lighting brought compared to the 30-pin connector:

Lightning was significantly smaller.
Lightning connectors have no top or bottom, either direction works.
Lightning cables were stronger ... more flexible where the cable meets the connector (from less wires).
Lightning allowed power to flow in both directions, allowing the iOS device to power accessories (and vice-versa).

So if you're saying that technology needs to move on again (and USB-C should replace Lightning on iOS devices), what are the actual benefits that USB-C brings compared to Lightning that would make it worth putting everyone that's purchased a Lightning accessory through the same hell everyone went through in 2012?

 

[Ghost31]

Yeah, including a standard USB cable and no charger with AirPods and not being able to charge them with your flagship laptop unless you get an adapter or cable is pretty head scratching.

Serious question. Do people really charge things with their laptop that much? I've never done it in my entire life. I always just plug it into an outlet. I always like having the ports available for other things.

 

[Immiddx]

Yeah, including a standard USB cable and no charger with AirPods and not being able to charge them with your flagship laptop unless you get an adapter or cable is pretty head scratching.

Wait, why are you charging them with your computer instead of a wall plug like a normal person?