3 ms·

For one thing, Lightning is smaller. That's not just a technicality from looking at Wikipedia. Its design is noticeably more compact and overall nicer in terms

• DaiPlusPlus 8y ago
  I understand Lightning is a worse connector because it places the “moving parts” (the bendable pins) in the recipient “female” socket in the host device which is subject to more wear-and-tear than the insertable plug which is on the cable which is more disposable. USB-C corrects this by placing more of the mechanical complexity in the plug again - though I’m wary of the thin plastic “tongue” in the socket.
  • MBCook 8y ago
    The rumor I remember hearing is that Apple designed USB-C after Lightning and gave it to the standards board because they wanted to get rid of USB-A on their laptops. But to get it to work they didn’t take credit and let Google have the first product with it (a Chromebook?).
    • akvadrako 8y ago
      A very interesting rumour, but considering how inelegant the USB-C connector is compared to lightning, I'm skeptical. Way too many pins and twice as many surfaces. Do you have a source?
  • matthewmacleod 8y ago
    This is technically true, but in practice I've yet to have a Lightning port fail. The worst thing is that they tend to accumulate pocket fluff quite easily, though they're not hard to clean.
  • astrodust 8y ago
    It's trade-offs. The pins are very durable, it's hard to push the connector in at an angle that'd wreck them, but that tongue can get bent by forcing it. Older micro-USB devices suffered the same problems.