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MagSafe is back on new models, and Lightning is physically thinner than USB-C.

nuccy 4y ago
A surprise for me was that lightning is only USB2 and one-sided, so at any moment it is plugged half of the pins is unused. Additionally it has exposed wires, in case of charger failure, USB-C provides a better protection.
- rootusrootus 4y ago
  At the same time, it is starting to look like USB-C is still not going to be more robust than Lightning connectors. A vast improvement on micro USB, to be sure, but still. Recall that Lightning came out 12 years ago, and the alternative was micro-USB. It's so much better that we can actually debate it relative to USB-C today, which is high praise.
- micv 4y ago
  Some Lightning devices use both sides to get USB3 speeds. I really have no idea why Apple have left other devices at USB2 performance. It doesn't make an awful lot of sense to me.
  - eddieroger 4y ago
    Because what's their incentive to do better? Most people only use the port for charging, which has no data speed, and the number of people who sync via wire is lower than ever and declining. USB2 was good enough for a long time, and it's not like it changed.
    - seanmcdirmid 4y ago
      I expect Apple to do away with the lightning port eventually and just ship MagSafe (the phone kind) chargers with their phones for a completely wireless phone with no holes at all. We aren’t there yet (many people still like wired headphone solutions vs Bluetooth), but maybe in 2-3 years?
- seanmcdirmid 4y ago
  The exposed wires make lightning easier to plug into a phone than USB-C: you don’t have to line up the lightning connector with its port as precisely as you do USB-C because the connector is slightly smaller than the port, whereas it is almost flush in USB-C.
thinkindie 4y ago
I completely missed that part. What I don't understand is then why Apple doesn't open source their solution if they think they are superior and they care about the environment. Same with lighting.
doikor 4y ago
> Lightning is physically thinner than USB-C. The thinnest smartphones on the market currently are all USB-C phones so that does not really seem to be an issue. These are a good 2mm thinner then the thinnest iPhone ever made.

A surprise for me was that lightning is only USB2 and one-sided, so at any moment it is plugged half of the pins is unused. Additionally it has exposed wires, in case of charger failure, USB-C provides a better protection.

rootusrootus 4y ago
At the same time, it is starting to look like USB-C is still not going to be more robust than Lightning connectors. A vast improvement on micro USB, to be sure, but still. Recall that Lightning came out 12 years ago, and the alternative was micro-USB. It's so much better that we can actually debate it relative to USB-C today, which is high praise.
micv 4y ago
Some Lightning devices use both sides to get USB3 speeds. I really have no idea why Apple have left other devices at USB2 performance. It doesn't make an awful lot of sense to me.
- eddieroger 4y ago
  Because what's their incentive to do better? Most people only use the port for charging, which has no data speed, and the number of people who sync via wire is lower than ever and declining. USB2 was good enough for a long time, and it's not like it changed.
  - seanmcdirmid 4y ago
    I expect Apple to do away with the lightning port eventually and just ship MagSafe (the phone kind) chargers with their phones for a completely wireless phone with no holes at all. We aren’t there yet (many people still like wired headphone solutions vs Bluetooth), but maybe in 2-3 years?
seanmcdirmid 4y ago
The exposed wires make lightning easier to plug into a phone than USB-C: you don’t have to line up the lightning connector with its port as precisely as you do USB-C because the connector is slightly smaller than the port, whereas it is almost flush in USB-C.

thinkindie 4y ago

I completely missed that part. What I don't understand is then why Apple doesn't open source their solution if they think they are superior and they care about the environment. Same with lighting.

doikor 4y ago

> Lightning is physically thinner than USB-C. The thinnest smartphones on the market currently are all USB-C phones so that does not really seem to be an issue. These are a good 2mm thinner then the thinnest iPhone ever made.