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JuicyGoomba

macrumors member
May 20, 2021
93
267
Yup, I always said the USB-C port is a disaster vs. the secure and reliable lightning connector. Now it's confirmed: USB-C sucks. The connection is fragile at best:

https://www.reddit.com/r/iphone/comments/16putnb

Mine is the same.

Thanks, EU. You forced an inferior port on all of us. Horrible.

Ah yes, don't let irrational hatred of a port cloud your judgement at all buddy.

Oh and thanks again for both thinking and speaking on behalf of everyone. We couldn't have done it ourselves.
 

sw1tcher

macrumors 603
Jan 6, 2004
5,523
19,469
Ah yes, don't let irrational hatred of a port cloud your judgement at all buddy.
It's confirmation bias.

All my USB-C stuff is great. Have tons of USB-C devices, most which are Apple. Never had any trouble with them. I'm sure some ppl have issues with them, but I doubt its a significant amount.
I have 3 products that are USB-C, a Samsung smartphone from 2019 and two Anker Soundcore true wireless earbuds. I've never really paid any attention to them before, but I just checked right now and they all have a firm click when I plug in a USB-C charging cable.

There is a little bit of movement when I wiggle the plug up and down, but that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with them as the devices have always charged when I first plug in the USB-C cable, so I really don't get what the OP and transpo1 are getting on about with regards to USB-C being inferior.

It's like how some people here have said the Lightning cable is poorly made and don't last long. I've never had a single issue with mine.

Maybe it comes down to the fact that I'm gentle with and take care of my things. 🤷‍♂️
 

JDHiro

macrumors 6502
Oct 24, 2013
375
647
Seattle, WA
Seriously question here - why does MacRumors always recommend forum posts with people making absurd complaints on the front page?

Every day the top post is something like:
* USB-C sucks
* The M3 sucks
* Apple sucks and is going to fail any day now
* Tim Cook sucks
* I'm selling all my Apple stuff to go Windows/Android over Pretend Problem X

I enjoy my Apple hardware and I come here to learn what's next -- and the first thing at the top of the page is these obnoxious posts.
 

h.gilbert

macrumors 6502a
Nov 17, 2022
649
1,112
Bordeaux
From what I've read Lightning does indeed seem more robust than USB-C, however, USB-C far from fragile and has a host of other benefits that I think makes it the overall superior connector. If the USB-C on the iPhone 15 is starting to have issues, then Apple made it poorly. I've had some poorly made connectors that stopped working (Pixel 3) and some that have had no issues after 7 years (Macbook Pro)

(The only real testing of Lightning vs USBC durability that I could find...)

Screenshot 2023-11-11 at 21.23.31.png
 
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Kuckuckstein

macrumors regular
Mar 10, 2020
190
354
Yup, I always said the USB-C port is a disaster vs. the secure and reliable lightning connector. Now it's confirmed: USB-C sucks. The connection is fragile at best:

https://www.reddit.com/r/iphone/comments/16putnb

Mine is the same.

Thanks, EU. You forced an inferior port on all of us. Horrible.
Then all the Thunderbolt connectors would be rubbish too, all the Macs using them should have problems. None has.

None of the USB-C devices I have did had any problems. If it really is a problem in iPhones it most likely is a flimsy board design.

I remember my former company developing a new series of handheld devices using USB-C as charging and data connectors. We wanted to provide a docking station, but it turned out to be difficult because of USB C’s tight fit and grip. The docking had to be very heavy for users to just lift the device out. Otherwise the dock would stick with the device. Nothing flimsy and wobbly at all.
 
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transpo1

macrumors 65816
Jul 15, 2010
1,030
1,707
Or the fact that the iPhone use a daily utility that will see way more wear and tear on the port…
Absolutely. 💯 I wonder if Apple has factored in the increased cost and number of repairs due to USB-C as opposed to Lightning. Knowing Tim Apple, they must have.
 
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transpo1

macrumors 65816
Jul 15, 2010
1,030
1,707
Agreed—USB-C is trashy, always has been. Lightning is a more robust, solid connector. Apple should pull out of the EU or at least comply with their absurdities locally and nowhere else.
I think Apple saw the writing on the wall and even though they knew Lightning was superior in its robustness, the increased compatibility with other Mac products and speed was worth it. I wish they had developed a USB-C standard that was more like Lightning. ⚡️
 
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NervousFish2

macrumors 6502
Mar 23, 2014
340
633
FWIW, and others may have different experiences, and this is obviously only anecdotal, but I have myself seen a ton of lightning cables and their connectors (both Apple and third party) crap out over time, from regular use. I have never once seen a USB-C cable or connector go down.
 

transpo1

macrumors 65816
Jul 15, 2010
1,030
1,707
Realized I have a pretty good illustration of the difference in robustness and longevity of USB-C vs Lightning (see attached video): 1) is a MacBook 12” from 2017 with USB-C and 2) is an iPhone X from 2017 with Lightning. Both devices are in working condition but the MacBook cable has become looser over time and once plugged in, you sometimes have to fiddle with it to get it to charge. So it’s not that USB-C is awful, it’s just not as physically strong, durable, and ultimately reliable as Lightning.

 

jbachandouris

macrumors 603
Aug 18, 2009
5,805
2,944
Upstate NY
Seriously question here - why does MacRumors always recommend forum posts with people making absurd complaints on the front page?

Every day the top post is something like:
* USB-C sucks
* The M3 sucks
* Apple sucks and is going to fail any day now
* Tim Cook sucks
* I'm selling all my Apple stuff to go Windows/Android over Pretend Problem X

I enjoy my Apple hardware and I come here to learn what's next -- and the first thing at the top of the page is these obnoxious posts.
Really wish they would filter that stuff out.
 

ric22

Suspended
Mar 8, 2022
2,156
2,041
Also have to consider that some people might buy cheap, poor quality, trashy USB C cables with fragile connectors. Stick to U Green, Anker, Apple etc cables from reputable companies.
Cables do seem to massively vary. All 3 off-brand cables I bought this year (two were Anker) are an incredibly tight fit compared to either Apple cable I own... I have to use worrying force to get them in at all. Meanwhile, the Apple cables are loose enough to slip back out of my partner's Samsung Galaxy
 

Shirasaki

macrumors P6
May 16, 2015
15,747
11,100
iPhone 14 Pro/Max lightning port also loose or defective. Wide spread issue. Some threads on here about this too.

While charging, the power would disconnect and reconnect, most often if you pick up the phone to use it, but sometimes even if left on the table untouched.

I have switched to MagSafe full time because of this.

Subpar quality has been the new normal for Apple. I'm not even surprised or angry anymore.

Broken. That's iPhone. 🤷‍♂️
I suddenly remember I experienced the lightning port loose issue on my iPhone XS Max. So bad sometimes that I cannot even pickup my iPhone without running the risk of disconnecting my Personal Hotspot or corrupting data during transfer.

Broken, that’s iPhone. 🤷‍♂️
USB-C’s physical engineering robustness is inferior. We’re not in a court of law— we’re in a forum. You can’t prove it’s not inferior either. I’ve at least given my anecdotal evidence of experience with 5 MacBooks over the years. How many USB-C vs. Lightning devices have you had experience with?
You want anecdotal evidence right? Here you are. Me suffering more issue with my iPhone lightning port than my iPad usb-c port. So much so that I can’t even move my iPhone while transferring data or using Personal Hotspot. Before you say it, the wireless version works even worse but that’s not in the scope of discussion here.
 

h.gilbert

macrumors 6502a
Nov 17, 2022
649
1,112
Bordeaux
Realized I have a pretty good illustration of the difference in robustness and longevity of USB-C vs Lightning (see attached video): 1) is a MacBook 12” from 2017 with USB-C and 2) is an iPhone X from 2017 with Lightning. Both devices are in working condition but the MacBook cable has become looser over time and once plugged in, you sometimes have to fiddle with it to get it to charge. So it’s not that USB-C is awful, it’s just not as physically strong, durable, and ultimately reliable as Lightning.

View attachment 2311034

Oh yeah baby that iphone was so tight
 

TokyoKiller

macrumors member
Aug 2, 2023
93
217
Absolutely. 💯 I wonder if Apple has factored in the increased cost and number of repairs due to USB-C as opposed to Lightning. Knowing Tim Apple, they must have.

A part of me thinks they didn't account for this tbh they can be naive too often when it comes to design and practicality.
 

Shirasaki

macrumors P6
May 16, 2015
15,747
11,100
Seriously question here - why does MacRumors always recommend forum posts with people making absurd complaints on the front page?

Every day the top post is something like:
* USB-C sucks
* The M3 sucks
* Apple sucks and is going to fail any day now
* Tim Cook sucks
* I'm selling all my Apple stuff to go Windows/Android over Pretend Problem X

I enjoy my Apple hardware and I come here to learn what's next -- and the first thing at the top of the page is these obnoxious posts.
Well, those topics are controversial by nature, which drives engagement, which sends a signal to the program: hey, this topic must have been popular, let’s let everyone else also know its existence.

There you go. Unless MacRumors uses some sort of AI to intelligently analyse thread content, nothing much can be done.
 
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jonblatho

macrumors 68030
Jan 20, 2014
2,513
6,214
Oklahoma
What’s wrong with usb-c? My two cents: lightning is male to female. The cable is male, and there’s only a hole in the device, with the connectors.

The device socket has a tiny male piece floating barely attached to the chassis. It risks breaking.
Probably billions of USB-C ports in the world at this point and I genuinely don't think I've ever heard of this happening, not to say it hasn't happened before — almost as if the engineers who thought of the USB-C design were smart enough to engineer the port such that that isn't possible through normal usage. If you're aware of an actual case of this happening, I'd be interested to learn more.

Absent that, though, the "floating" piece is well inset into the port such that even if the connector is inserted partially and great lateral force is exerted onto the connector itself in an attempt to damage the port, the connector's more likely to break before the port does.

For what it's worth, I once got a dud Lightning cable where the connector broke off into a Lightning port even without great force — I take care of my cables. It hasn't happened on any of my USB-C cables.
 
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MacDaddyPanda

macrumors 6502a
Dec 28, 2018
954
1,112
Murica
My iphone 15 Pro Max most of my USBc cables seem pretty fitted. There is a very small negligible amount of movement. If it's an Apple cable I notice it's far less so vs non-Apple cable. And because of the Mujjo leather case some usbc cables don't fit at all. But other wise I'm not noticing any issues thus far.
 

XboxEvolved

macrumors 6502a
Aug 22, 2004
809
1,003
My daughter has this problem with my old 2017 MBP that she uses in one of the ports. It will just be strangely loose. I haven’t had any problems with my current MBP but those are the only USB-C devices I have owned so far. I feel like pretty much any port has its problems and Lightning cords, Apple’s as well tend to crap out and wear easily. Not sure about how the USB-C cords they sell are. Do you perhaps not remember (or weren’t a user) of the glorious 30-pin connector that would just crap out constantly?
 
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