Apple fighting to keep legacy technology alive for the sake of its users - now that is courage?
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EU Proposes to Force Apple to Switch iPhone, iPad, and AirPods From Lightning to USB-C
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“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.” It says the creator of the thousands of dongles. What a BS!!!!
Agree with this, what happens in 3/4 years if apple or some other company come up with a better connection? It’s taken the eu this long to get this far how long would it take for a new standard to come through, that said why would Apple want to even create a better standard if they are just forced to share it with competitors anyway.
Imagine if this law had been around when lightning was introduced, I guess we would all have iPhones with Micro usb now.
Imagine being this clueless in 2021. Anyway, the UK will end up getting the same phone as the EU so have fun following a EU directive.
Apple is clinging to Lightning Bc they know iPhone will be portless soon, so the USB debate will be dead too.
like do these countries get tech at all? Look at how much the iPhone has changed in 14 years. Phone tech is moving so fast.
like do these countries get tech at all? Look at how much the iPhone has changed in 14 years. Phone tech is moving so fast.
They'll be done at the same time. This isn't anti Apple/Lightning it's to standardise the connector for all portable consumer electronics.
That’s my concern. We could end up with a better connector that no one’s allowed to use.
If that same consortium (which includes Apple) had actually got their **** together and agreed on a common standard then the EU wouldn't feel the need to intervene and the USB Consortium could continue to innovate as much as they wanted.
The intent of the EU directive will be standardisation, not specifically USB-C. Of course, it will give USB-C as the current standard, but I imagine getting that updated in the future, even with the bureaucracy of Brussels, will be child's play compared to getting agreement across the USB Consortium.
And actually although it's often misreported, the EU didn't previously try to standardise on Micro-USB - the proposal was a charger either had to have a permanently attached cable terminating with a Micro-USB male plug, or it could simply be the charger (without cable) with a USB-A female socket.
Don’t worry. Future Apple iPhones will be implants. Then where will the EU insist we stick the cable? ?
Careful wschutz, you're attempting to appeal on an intellectual level to a hard-core sycophant. Intelligent discourse will not work in this circumstance.
Interesting how these same Stans fails to mention removing the charging brick from the box (in the name of saving the environment) yet including a cable that would not work with the charging bricks previously shipped. Solution: order another, now compatible brick from the Cupertonians - in it's own packaging of course. Nope, no Apple generated waste there.
Alternatively, make a USB-C ported phone for teh EU and another connector everywhere else and charge more in the EU. Unlikely, but not out of the realm of possibility.
Depends on the directive text. If it requires a USB-C port rather than simply requiring it if it has a port, then a port must be included.
Exactly. It also means all those cheap phone manufacturers will need to redesign as well.
If it just requires the port, and not the USB standard for pinouts, Apple could design the port so as to use a USB connector but require a special cable for some features; much like in the old RS-232 where RS stood for "Relatively Standard."
I’ve been pondering this since I read it, trying to think of how Lightning offers me a superior experience over say, my iPad Pro with USB-C.
I’m going to be honest, I’m struggling to see how it does. Both reversible, both can offer the same functions. Other than their shape, there’s not really anything different. So much so that Apple have seen fit to include USB-C on many of their products. Which actually makes my life easier for connecting many peripherals.
The two are so inter-operable that Apple could easily release a USB-C to Lightning adapter, to ensure compatibility with existing peripherals. Just as they did when we moved from the old 30 pin connector.
Heck, the only difference I can come up with is Apple can’t charge a license fee for USB-C. They could still offer a MFI licence program of course, to assure end users of quality and charge manufacturers for that.
I’m, as always, happy to be proved wrong though, so if you’d care to elaborate on your statement, I’d like to read it.
You‘d still need the same number of cables, regardless of if they were different types. One charging brick and cable per device. It doesn’t matter if they are USBC, micro USB or lightning, it’s still one set of charging brick and cable per device. This is why I'm struggling to work out what the benefit of this legislation is unless they really do think people are going to use a single charging brick and cable for all of their devices.
Agreed. If the point of the legislation is to limit electronic waste, what will happen when Apple removes the port? Will that be a violation. That’s the type of innovation that this bill could be limiting.
Am I the only one that thinks the USBC connector that allows the cable to jiggle around in it, has a tiny male piece in the center that can easily break off, and gets as soft and loose over time like mashed potatoes, is a really crappy connector? I'm not talking about data transfer speed when the port is working perfectly - that is fine - but I think rectangular old school USB was a. better port. Lightning is an outstanding port, sturdy and clicks in solidly and doesn't degrade over time. Much more water resistant.
The EU wants to have some tech illiterates dictate ports, can you imagine if they did this with medicine? Leave it to the experts to figure out what port they need. Apple could've put any port on their product and they chose this one for a reason. People have been requiring different cables for different devices for all of tech history. My refrigerator uses a different power plug than my dryer. They have different requirements. Stay in your lane EU
The EU wants to have some tech illiterates dictate ports, can you imagine if they did this with medicine? Leave it to the experts to figure out what port they need. Apple could've put any port on their product and they chose this one for a reason. People have been requiring different cables for different devices for all of tech history. My refrigerator uses a different power plug than my dryer. They have different requirements. Stay in your lane EU
And at the same time Apple think locking down to USB-C only would inhibit innovation.
What a waste of legislation ? there are actual real world problems to worry about
Oh PLEASE with the environmental angle. Corporations waste FAR more resources than individuals combined ever could, exploiting the environment for profit. If the EU wanted to make environmental progress they'd focus on the corporations and leave individuals with their one cable alone. These smooth brain troglodytes want everyone in the world using USBC regardless of whether the manufacturer deems it appropriate and then what, we'll need the permission of a bunch of politicians to switch to a better port in the future? Give me a break, what a freaking joke!
Good luck getting large video files out of your fresh new iPhone pro max. Lighting in 2021 is an embarrassment, it’s hardly better than micro USB.
I'd welcome this, but it's pointless. All of Apple's devices will use USB-C well before this regulation (if it passes) would come into effect in 2024-5.
Also, while regulating one universal standard would be good for the environment and user, device makers would then probably require EU permission to move from USB-C to a more advanced port in the future.
Also, while regulating one universal standard would be good for the environment and user, device makers would then probably require EU permission to move from USB-C to a more advanced port in the future.
Apple didn't lie about the longevity of the lightnight port when they introduced it.