4 ms·

I can't see a single reason why iPhone shouldn't use usb-c at the moment except to build Apple's own walled garden to charge a surplus against its customer.

reaperducer 7y ago
Because lightning was available long before USB-C and there's no reason that hundreds of millions of customers should have to switch to new cables and throw billions of old chargers, wires, and accessories into landfills? When USB-C is superior for using on phones, then I'm OK with it. But right now it's just exchanging one plug for another because a bunch of bureaucrats say so. Does this mean in 20 years we'll still be stuck with USB-C instead of something better because just Brussels says so?
- ApolloFortyNine 7y ago
  Well right now, if you are not fully locked into the Apple ecosystem, you require two cables. That's quite a waste, no? We're quite lucky no PC manufacturer managed to get as big as Apple is today back in the 80s-90s. There's no way we would have universal RAM, universal Keyboards, universal Video Cards, etc, etc, today, if that was the case.
  - reaperducer 7y ago
    Well right now, if you are not fully locked into the Apple ecosystem, you require two cables. That's quite a waste, no? No. I am not locked into the Apple ecosystem. Having two cables enables me to charge two devices at the same time, no?
    - ApolloFortyNine 7y ago
      What if you want a cable in your office, and in the bedroom? One at work, one at home, one in the car? Are you going to make me list out every scenario that is doubled?
      - eanzenberg 7y ago
        Sigh these arguments are tiresome. I've already went full wireless at home, in the car and at work. Never been happier.
- happytoexplain 7y ago
  >no reason Standardization is a fantastic reason. Hundreds of millions of people have to switch to new cables, chargers, adapters, and devices every once in a while anyway, and if that never happened, these products would not have advanced. Progress is good. You may argue the environmental point, but there's no reason to connect that with this transition and not the many others.
- ewoodrich 7y ago
  The resolution doesn't require any specific connector and the implementation would be from a European Commission directive that could be updated as technology evolves.
gmac 7y ago
1. Existing iPhone users already have a bunch of Lightning cables (I probably have a dozen) but would have to buy a bunch of USB-C cables. That would be annoying, expensive, and wasteful. 2. Lightning is not a standard like USB-C, but is (subjectively) much nicer, as others in this thread have pointed out.
lostlogin 7y ago
When you have had a process fail because you have used the wrong usb-c cable, wrong USB-c port or wrong USB-c dongle it is really frustrating. The crazy stuff that goes on in USB-c land is a complete PITA.
chipotle_coyote 7y ago
The iPhone doesn't use USB-C at the moment in no small part because a large segment of Apple's customers would throw an incredible fit if they were asked to switch connectors "again," this "soon" after the switch from the original 30-pin connector to the Lightning. There were customers pissy about that for years and years. And there are still people real salty about them moving their laptops to USB-C charging rather than keeping the proprietary MagSafe. (There are, of course, also people salty about them getting rid of all other ports on laptops, which is more defensible, although it's still mildly ironic that the first laptops Apple shipped in the company's entire history that have zero proprietary connectors on them have made people so unhappy with the connectors.) Standardization and open standards are big deals to the kind of person who reads Hacker News, but I can absolutely guarantee you that if/when the iPhone actually moves to USB-C, we will be flooded with hot takes about how that shift is just another money-grubbing move by Greedy Evil Apple to make us all have to buy new cables and/or dongles.
- int_19h 7y ago
  Apple was quite willing to drop the 3.5mm audio port despite having plenty of customers with headphones that plugged into it - they simply included an adapter with new phones. Why should it be any different here?

reaperducer 7y ago

Because lightning was available long before USB-C and there's no reason that hundreds of millions of customers should have to switch to new cables and throw billions of old chargers, wires, and accessories into landfills? When USB-C is superior for using on phones, then I'm OK with it. But right now it's just exchanging one plug for another because a bunch of bureaucrats say so. Does this mean in 20 years we'll still be stuck with USB-C instead of something better because just Brussels says so?

ApolloFortyNine 7y ago
Well right now, if you are not fully locked into the Apple ecosystem, you require two cables. That's quite a waste, no? We're quite lucky no PC manufacturer managed to get as big as Apple is today back in the 80s-90s. There's no way we would have universal RAM, universal Keyboards, universal Video Cards, etc, etc, today, if that was the case.
- reaperducer 7y ago
  Well right now, if you are not fully locked into the Apple ecosystem, you require two cables. That's quite a waste, no? No. I am not locked into the Apple ecosystem. Having two cables enables me to charge two devices at the same time, no?
  - ApolloFortyNine 7y ago
    What if you want a cable in your office, and in the bedroom? One at work, one at home, one in the car? Are you going to make me list out every scenario that is doubled?
    - eanzenberg 7y ago
      Sigh these arguments are tiresome. I've already went full wireless at home, in the car and at work. Never been happier.
happytoexplain 7y ago
>no reason Standardization is a fantastic reason. Hundreds of millions of people have to switch to new cables, chargers, adapters, and devices every once in a while anyway, and if that never happened, these products would not have advanced. Progress is good. You may argue the environmental point, but there's no reason to connect that with this transition and not the many others.
ewoodrich 7y ago
The resolution doesn't require any specific connector and the implementation would be from a European Commission directive that could be updated as technology evolves.

gmac 7y ago

1. Existing iPhone users already have a bunch of Lightning cables (I probably have a dozen) but would have to buy a bunch of USB-C cables. That would be annoying, expensive, and wasteful. 2. Lightning is not a standard like USB-C, but is (subjectively) much nicer, as others in this thread have pointed out.

lostlogin 7y ago

When you have had a process fail because you have used the wrong usb-c cable, wrong USB-c port or wrong USB-c dongle it is really frustrating. The crazy stuff that goes on in USB-c land is a complete PITA.

chipotle_coyote 7y ago

The iPhone doesn't use USB-C at the moment in no small part because a large segment of Apple's customers would throw an incredible fit if they were asked to switch connectors "again," this "soon" after the switch from the original 30-pin connector to the Lightning. There were customers pissy about that for years and years. And there are still people real salty about them moving their laptops to USB-C charging rather than keeping the proprietary MagSafe. (There are, of course, also people salty about them getting rid of all other ports on laptops, which is more defensible, although it's still mildly ironic that the first laptops Apple shipped in the company's entire history that have zero proprietary connectors on them have made people so unhappy with the connectors.) Standardization and open standards are big deals to the kind of person who reads Hacker News, but I can absolutely guarantee you that if/when the iPhone actually moves to USB-C, we will be flooded with hot takes about how that shift is just another money-grubbing move by Greedy Evil Apple to make us all have to buy new cables and/or dongles.

int_19h 7y ago
Apple was quite willing to drop the 3.5mm audio port despite having plenty of customers with headphones that plugged into it - they simply included an adapter with new phones. Why should it be any different here?