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They just announced that the iPhone 12 will ship only with a lightning to USB-C cable. I don't understand why they don't switch from lightning to USB-C despite

They just announced that the iPhone 12 will ship only with a lightning to USB-C cable. I don't understand why they don't switch from lightning to USB-C despite already using it on the iPads.

oflannabhra 6y ago
At Apple’s scale, a decision like that has really big implications that from a single-user perspective aren’t that obvious. Not only do you bifurcate your entire product line and supply chain, your customers are not just individuals, but families. Think about a family who has one new phone that now won’t work with any of the chargers the rest of the family uses. On top of that, the new connector type won’t be compatible with any of the pre-existing “infrastructure”. While that might not be a big deal for some single users, it could be a major issue for others.
- seedless-sensat 6y ago
  They have to bite the bullet at some point
  - saagarjha 6y ago
    Perhaps not, if they move to wireless quickly enough.
  - sz4kerto 6y ago
    My bet is that wired charging will eventually disappear, you'll be able to get portable Qi charger.
  - dankoss 6y ago
    You mean to say they should have courage?
- amf12 6y ago
  I get your point. But then why not keep iPads consistent? Even MacBooks use USB-C.
falcolas 6y ago
Gods yes. Lightning isn’t bad, but it certainly complicates charging. I guess they’re really relying on wireless -everything-
balls187 6y ago
Probably to allow more people to use existing charging cables, and accessories, as a way to limit e-waste. I dunno if I buy that rationale, but they certainly were touting e-waste as the reason for omitting the pack-ins.
- avtar 6y ago
  And yet they dropped USB-A ports on all of their laptops and switched to USB-C on iPad...
kevincox 6y ago
My best guess is that they make a lot of money on lightning royalties. The other guess is that they are hoping to cost until a no-port future. However the fact that the iPad switched makes that seem odd. I expected the next phone generation after the iPad would switch but I was clearly wrong.

They just announced that the iPhone 12 will ship only with a lightning to USB-C cable. I don't understand why they don't switch from lightning to USB-C despite already using it on the iPads.

oflannabhra 6y ago

At Apple’s scale, a decision like that has really big implications that from a single-user perspective aren’t that obvious. Not only do you bifurcate your entire product line and supply chain, your customers are not just individuals, but families. Think about a family who has one new phone that now won’t work with any of the chargers the rest of the family uses. On top of that, the new connector type won’t be compatible with any of the pre-existing “infrastructure”. While that might not be a big deal for some single users, it could be a major issue for others.

seedless-sensat 6y ago
They have to bite the bullet at some point
- saagarjha 6y ago
  Perhaps not, if they move to wireless quickly enough.
- sz4kerto 6y ago
  My bet is that wired charging will eventually disappear, you'll be able to get portable Qi charger.
- dankoss 6y ago
  You mean to say they should have courage?
amf12 6y ago
I get your point. But then why not keep iPads consistent? Even MacBooks use USB-C.

falcolas 6y ago

Gods yes. Lightning isn’t bad, but it certainly complicates charging. I guess they’re really relying on wireless -everything-

balls187 6y ago

Probably to allow more people to use existing charging cables, and accessories, as a way to limit e-waste. I dunno if I buy that rationale, but they certainly were touting e-waste as the reason for omitting the pack-ins.

avtar 6y ago
And yet they dropped USB-A ports on all of their laptops and switched to USB-C on iPad...

kevincox 6y ago

My best guess is that they make a lot of money on lightning royalties. The other guess is that they are hoping to cost until a no-port future. However the fact that the iPad switched makes that seem odd. I expected the next phone generation after the iPad would switch but I was clearly wrong.