6 ms·
I'm not someone who's shy about regulation, but even I think this is totally unnecessary. As an Apple user, I should be the first to complain about their own in
by _bxg1 7y ago
I'm not someone who's shy about regulation, but even I think this is totally unnecessary. As an Apple user, I should be the first to complain about their own internal (inexplicable) lack of a standard (Lightning for phones, USB-C for everything else). It's annoying, sure, but it's far from a material burden on my quality of life.
Is this really the problem we need to be spending our regulatory energies on in 2020?
- alt_f4 7y agoEvery time you are buying a charger, wired headphones or any other iPhone accessory, Apple collects a hefty license fee and you, indirectly, are paying it. Originally, the lightning port was a big improvement over existing tech. Currently though, the only reason the lightning port still exists is because it is a good way for Apple to use their market dominant position to milk consumers. It is not good for consumers, it is also not good for the environment. It is good just for Apple. It is generally the job of the govt to prevent these types of abuses. Is this particular law worded the right way for that? Maybe, maybe not, but it will do the job for this particular case.
- crooked-v 7y agoI suspect a major factor in keeping the Lightning stuff is also because of how intense the complaining would be if they switched it to USB-C. The introduction of Lightning got endless negative PR over all the old 30-pin accessories, and this would be that plus the extra complaining about how they keep "constantly" changing it. For similar reasons, I suspect there's at least some factions in Apple that would be secretly pleased with a mandated switch to USB-C, because then they'd be able to get past it by redirecting any complaints to the government involved.
- alt_f4 7y agoIt's not quite an apt comparison because the vast majority of people already own USB-C chargers and accessories, whereas lightning was a brand new thing. Also if Apple were that bothered by complaining, it would not have taken them 5 years and 3+ years of service programs to replace their laptops' butterfly keyboards with regular scissors switch keyboards.
- uxp100 7y agoThe vast majority? I suspect that is very very wrong. I own a single device that has a USB C port, and no peripherals that connect to it without an adapter, and I post on HN. It is very early for USBC yet.
- ksec 7y agoThank You. Apart from my "returned" MacBook Pro, I dont own a single USB-C cable or devices that supports it.
- tridentlead 7y agoTrust me, the vast majority of people do not own USB-C accessories.
- scarface74 7y agoThe vast majority have USB C cables? Why would I own any USB C chargers as an iPhone user? Not even most Android phones support USB C.
- thomasahle 7y ago> Why would I own any USB C chargers as an iPhone user? Maybe you own a USB-C laptop or tablet? Maybe even from the same company?
- _bxg1 7y agoThat makes sense, but usually they aren't so blatant about that sort of thing; usually there's some sort of pretense at least. Especially given how "brave" they've been about pushing USB-C on their laptops; I'd have more sympathy for that if they were at least self-consistent. But still, despite all of this salt I don't think it warrants legislation.
- alt_f4 7y agoI do somewhat agree that it is govt overreach. I think a more appropriate tool would be launching an investigation into why they've stuck with lightning when everyone else (including their other products!) use USB-C. That should essentially prove there is no good reason, other than making money off licensing, without regard to damaging the environment or exploiting the consumer. So they should get a giant fine for it and stop doing it. But I don't believe there is the legal framework for the EU to do that, so they're trying to get the outcome they want using the tools that they have.
- philwelch 7y ago> Originally, the lightning port was a big improvement over existing tech. One that wouldn't have been invented if this regulation existed at that time, incidentally.
- scarface74 7y agoHow “hefty” can the license fee be when you can buy a pack of five lightning cables for $14? https://www.amazon.com/Charger-AYNGWRNB-Certified-Lightning-Compatible/dp/B07VLLK7WZ https://www.amazon.com/Charger-AYNGWRNB-Certified-Lightning-... But if Apple is being “abusive” by having proprietary hardware, does that mean they should also force Nintendo to use standard media for the Switch? Should they also force Apple to allow iPhones to run a more standard operating system?
- mthoms 7y agoFully 40% of those reviews are 1-star reviews (mostly due to the cables not working out of the box, or failing after a short time). I get the feeling these aren't legitimately certified.
- scarface74 7y agoThe average rating is 2.8. They do data transfer and they charge the phone. I use them now.
- eigen 7y agofor comparison, the same company offers a 5 pack of USB-C cables for $12.99. https://www.amazon.com/Braided-Charger-Charging-Compatible-Samsung/dp/B07VQYLXJC/ https://www.amazon.com/Braided-Charger-Charging-Compatible-S... Also, the lightening cables now show $9.99 for me.
- FireBeyond 7y agoI guarantee you that those cables are faking the MFi authentication chip. Counterfeit cables aren't really an apt comparison.
- scarface74 7y agoWe can argue about how many pins are on the head of a needle or we can be more practical and admit that anyone can get a cheap lightning cable from anywhere and that you don’t need the government to insinuate itself in every area of our life unnecessarily.
- bpfrh 7y agoYes, because that regulation effort started ten years ago and led to less ewaste, something which we can all agree is good. Remember the time each new phone model had a new charger? And you had to replace the whole charger if the cable was broken? That changed because ten years ago the EU forced the companies to change their way and I think it didn't stiffle innovation but made developing a good standard even more important which lead to usb C. Of course it should be the default to keep it that way, but it seems companies need to have someone looking over their shoulders and regulate them to be sane.
- ksec 7y agoWhy does this keep coming up as if the EU law was the reason why all non-Apple Smartphone used USB? It is not, and the EU law has very little ( if anything ) to do with it. What you describe as different charger and cables were before the Smartphone era.
- markdown 7y ago> It's annoying, sure, but it's far from a material burden on my quality of life. It's a material burden on the rest of us though. Every home has a dozen cables where 2 would do. The reduction of eWaste is a noble goal.
- mianos 7y agoThe EU regulatory bodies are full time fully funded bodies whose job is to keep developing regulations. It is not like you and I who are trying solve each problem as it comes up and move on. Their job is to find problems to solve first. If they get harder and harder to find they look harder and harder or lower the bar.
- kmlx 7y agowhat a sad state of affairs
- Havoc 7y ago>it's far from a material burden on my quality of life. Sure. Now multiply it by half a billion people though (EU population). Suddenly considerations like "this creates e-waste" matter