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kenaustus

macrumors 6502
Jun 11, 2003
420
46
For me USB - C is pur crap. Too delicate and I generally order 2 replacements at a time. With old folks (like me) or kids it is far too easy to trip or bend the fragile little connection. Apple had a better idea and the goofy politicians in the EU have lost their commonsense or have been bribed. ?
 
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sdf

macrumors 6502a
Jan 29, 2004
862
1,169
From Apple's perspective, that would be a lot less profitable... There's a % of accessory sales that profit from that connector afterall.
Probably a push. The phone end is going to break a lot more than with lightning, but a lot of those repairs will be covered by warranty.
 

bb9

macrumors 6502
Apr 1, 2017
277
161


Apple may be forced to remove the Lightning port from the iPhone in favor of USB-C, according to legislation expected be presented by the European Commission next month, Reuters reports.

Apple-Prefer-Lightning-Over-USB-C-Feature.jpg

The legislation would establish a common charging port for all mobile phones and other relevant devices in all European Union countries. The move is expected to primarily affect Apple, since many popular Android devices already feature USB-C ports.

In 2018, the European Commission tried to reach a final resolution on the issue but it failed to come into law. At the time, Apple warned that forcing a common charging port on the industry would stifle innovation and create electronic waste as consumers were forced to switch to new cables.


A European Commission impact assessment study conducted in 2019 found that half of all charging cables sold with mobile phones had a USB micro-B connector, 29 percent had a USB-C connector, and 21 percent had a Lightning connector. The study suggested five options for a common charger, with various options that cover ports on devices and ports on power adapters.

Last year, the debate was reignited as the European Parliament overwhelmingly voted in favor of a common charger, citing less environmental waste and user convenience as the main benefits.

The executive branch of the European Union is currently drafting the legislation, according to sources speaking to Reuters, which is expected to be presented next month.

Article Link: EU Law That Could Force the iPhone to Switch to USB-C to Be Presented Next Month
Maybe 2022 will go completely wireless ?
 

coolfactor

macrumors 604
Jul 29, 2002
7,126
9,871
Vancouver, BC
I'll admit... I've warmed up to USB-C as I've used it more, and as I've had more failed Lightning connections than I care to admit. The older 30-pin connector was far more reliable for me than Lightning has been, sadly.
 

williedigital

Cancelled
Oct 4, 2005
499
132
Apple is against this because most of their devices use Lightning. I'm talking sheer numbers. Apple has sold over 1.5 billion iPhones alone along with hundreds of millions of Lightning accessories like AirPods, iPads, mice, keyboards, etc. Meanwhile, they've sold perhaps a tenth of that in USB-C devices. Most people who own Apple devices only own Lightning devices and accessories. A lot more people have iPhones that don't own MacBooks or iPad Pros. The sheer number of pissed off people who don't have USB-C Apple items would surprise you if Apple forced them to discard their existing accessories.

Personally, no matter what port Apple uses, I'd still have to carry multiple cables so it doesn't matter if it's Lightning or USB-C. I still carry micro-USB cables because so many things still use it. I also would have to toss a few Lightning accessories I would no longer be able to use. Like you, I also have every Apple product under the sun. Most of them use Lightning.
This, and when people buy a $0.99 usb-c cable that is of equal quality to the lightning cable apple refused to sell them for less than $19, it will be one more opportunity for recognizing how much they are being ripped off.
 
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0x0x0x0

macrumors 6502
The two-facedness of some people posting here is hilarious: "USB-C is inferior to Lightning" ??????

Where was your whining when Apple switched iPad Pro line to the USB-C connector with Thunderbolt, or iPad Air??? Bunch of two-faced hypocrites who would most likely sell their mother to appease Apple!
 
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Alwis

macrumors 6502
Jan 12, 2017
413
450
Where was your whining when Apple switched iPad Pro line to the USB-C connector with Thunderbolt, or iPad Air??? Bunch of two-faced hypocrites who would most likely sell their mother to appease Apple!

The criticism concerns the hardware of the hardware of the computer side socket and this is inferior to lightning. That USB-C may contain more usefull signals is an entirely other question.
 

dwaite

macrumors 65816
Jun 11, 2008
1,237
1,019
Apple‘s Lightening connector probably should have become the standard, USB IF probably copied the concept but simply reversed the mating…
Apple worked with the USB-IF on what became USB-C, but obviously didn’t get what they hoped for out of the deal. USB-IF also rejected thunderbolt as a contribution for ten years, until they adopted it as the basis for USB4. Also, remember how android and iPhone devices had different USB higher power charging standards because the USB-If decided to roll out something incompatible with how Apple had done it for about 7 years.

It is all cost IMHO. Apple is willing to invest more in the connector for things like slimmer device profile or higher IPXX ratings, but USB-IF has a lot of members trying to shave pennies off of flash memory sticks and the like.

the irony is that USB-C is basically what apple gave up with the 30 pin connector - a bazillion non-interoperable device modes. I’m sure those from the iPod era remember the plethora of accessories for AV hookup which were each only compatible with a portion of the iPod/iPhone/iPad range. It is like that with say HDMI adapters now on USB-C
 

dwaite

macrumors 65816
Jun 11, 2008
1,237
1,019
Please. Now that the iPad is USB-C, having lightning for ONE DEVICE is annoying. Everything else is either USB-C or Qi anyway, and most accessories people use these days are Bluetooth or AirPlay anyway.
Every non-computing device apple sells is lightning or wireless charging: mice, keyboards, headphones, remote controls, watches, etc.
 

dwaite

macrumors 65816
Jun 11, 2008
1,237
1,019
I have a suspicion the story is even more interesting than that.

For the record, I have no insider information. However, by reading the tea leaves, here's what I believe likely happened:
Apple was working with the USB-IF, who was looking to a next generation connector. I think it likely Apple already was looking at/experimenting with what was to become Lightning (because it is known that Apple had been working on various connector paradigms well prior--I imagine Apple had/has a "connector lab" with all manner of connectors having been imagined/examined). Apple showed Lightning to the USB-IF, and they liked it. This would have been in the waning days of Steve Jobs, say 2009 or 2010.
Timeline wise, lightning launched several years before USB-C. It is more likely the USB-IF didn’t like that lightning was `take-it-or-leave-it` since it was mechanically/electrically done and shipping - the IF wanted to add lanes, cut cost, etc
That small "tongue" in the receptacle is dainty! And that paradigm had already been known to be a significant longevity problem with the micro-USB connector system.

you likely mean mini USB, which was obsoleted by micro USB. You still had fairly large vendors like Amazon shipping mini 5+years after it was a known bad design - the connector on device failed at around 800 insertions average IIRC, and mobile phones often did not make it through a two year contract before failing.

To be seen how things could have been different in that area, and I, for one, really do appreciate USB-PD. But Thunderbolt 3/4 and USB4 most certainly could be carried over Lightning, the lanes they use are all there. Apple actually has a USB 3 implement over Lightning on their USB Camera Card Adapter.

USB has a lot of non-interoperable alt modes, including three charge modes. These all require additional hardware support.

Apple designed lightning so that it only had three modes - pure charging, usb data and ‘accessory protocol’ which is just a data stream. Hardware like a HDMI adapter have to use one of these modes - HDMI for instance used a data stream of H.264 and has a little ARM controller to decode it. This allowed Apple to maintain forward and backward compatibility, a the expense of higher dongle/cable cost.

USB-IF has vendors from all over the spectrum, and so a fair number of implementers are absolutely against even pennies of additional cost. the irony is that now conformant hardware has to implement craploads of backward compatibility as a result - all in hardware.

And Apple even tipped their hand with a double-sided Lightning receptacle in some iPad models. So, electrically, Lightning theoretically is just as capable as Type-C, with very few exceptions. Which is completely contrary, it seems, to much of what the tech punditry seems to imply.

So… it has to be asked: Why is the world moving/being forced towards a mechanically inferior, less durable, shorter longevity connector system with, at best, "arguable" electrical benefit??

Because it is highly likely that the powers that be at Apple decided (out of complete arrogant hubris, most probably) to pursue short-term—a decade of—profits. Thanks, Apple.
nah, there are real costs involved in the superior-designed lightning connector. those redundant usb-c pins were to make usb 2-only and Power delivery 1 only cables possible and dirt cheap, and to make usb-c to usb-a adapters dirt cheap.
 
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BC2009

macrumors 68020
Jul 1, 2009
2,238
1,414
I think it's 50/50 that Apple will respond by finally making the iPhone entirely portless. Not that I'm arguing in favor of this, but I think it's in the cards eventually.
I think the Pro iPhones will get USB-C to match the iPad Pro. I think the base iPhone goes portless. This is regardless of what the EU does.
 
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Michael Scrip

macrumors 604
Mar 4, 2011
7,931
12,487
NC
Wireless charging is bad for the batteries, since it produces more heat due to its inefficiency.

True.

But even with a cable... the battery can get pretty hot while charging.

I have one of those tiny Anker Nano 20W GAN chargers. My iPhone 12 Pro Max is cookin' when it is charging!

So it seems wireless charging *and* ultra-fast charging can heat the batteries.
 

Rigby

macrumors 603
Aug 5, 2008
6,225
10,170
San Jose, CA
True.

But even with a cable... the battery can get pretty hot while charging.

I have one of those tiny Anker Nano 20W GAN chargers. My iPhone 12 Pro Max is cookin' when it is charging!

So it seems wireless charging *and* ultra-fast charging can heat the batteries.
Well, if you have time you can always go back to one of Apple's old 5W charging cubes, which are roughly the same speed as wireless charging but should produce less heat. ;)
 

Michael Scrip

macrumors 604
Mar 4, 2011
7,931
12,487
NC
Well, if you have time you can always go back to one of Apple's old 5W charging cubes, which are roughly the same speed as wireless charging but should produce less heat. ;)

Exactly.

I've added the Anker Nano to my travel kit (not that I travel much anymore!)

And I use a "normal" charger around the house.

:)
 

RedRage

Suspended
Jan 18, 2021
229
501
I hope it lives forever. Best port ever for my iPhone and its accessories.

Its the best until Apple tells you next year what’s best for your iPhone and accessories. Then you’ll be ranting and raving about that.
 
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