9 ms·

I agree with the overall tone in the comments here: yay in general, but what a shame a law needs to specify a specific port for ~iPhones~ devices. I really lik

• nottorp 4y ago
  Well i really like magsafe :)
  • jayd16 4y ago
    They're not incompatible. They make bootleg magsafe USB-C cables.
    • CGamesPlay 4y ago
      Beware, there is a lot of actual safety equipment that goes into a MagSafe connector that probably isn’t in the knock-offs. Moving 5 A of current can cause a spark and start a fire right in your lap. - http://www.righto.com/2013/06/teardown-and-exploration-of-magsafe.html http://www.righto.com/2013/06/teardown-and-exploration-of-ma... - http://www.righto.com/2016/03/counterfeit-macbook-charger-teardown.html http://www.righto.com/2016/03/counterfeit-macbook-charger-te...
      • nottorp 4y ago
        I have a "bootleg" magsafe usb-c cable for my 2018 "worst model in history" mbpro with emoji keyboard. When I bought it i did the research and random magnetic cables on amazon were reviewed along the lines of "this burned my laptop". I ended up getting an (expensive-ish) one from my local apple dealer. I'd rather have Apple do it thank you.
      • ploxiln 4y ago
        You don't have to use a counterfeit charger with your after-market usb-c to magsafe-2 cable. I use it with a newer real apple charger with usb-c (... since this is an older magsafe-2 macbook, not a new magsafe-3 one, and I don't want to buy any more magsafe-2 non-detachable-cable chargers). The only downside is that it's a bit dumb and always tells the laptop it has 60W, so you need to use >= 60W usb-c charger, and your laptop will only use 60W of it. That first link describing how magsafe 1/2 work is what convinced me it should be fine :)
        • nottorp 4y ago
          Who uses it with a counterfeit charger? I use it with my Apple charger. The cable itself can be dangerous.
• coffeeblack 4y ago
  Very much agree. The port design of lightning is superior, too bad that now a law mandates Apple to sell the inferior solution. But that’s what you get when laws eliminate competition.
  • ZiiS 4y ago
    Apple has been using the law to stop other phones coming with lightning ports. If they had left it open the market may well have chosen it.
  • pwpw 4y ago
    Bell Labs allowed others to produce transistor based hearing aids royalty free. Volvo allowed others to use a 3-point harness system royalty free. Apple created Lightning to solve a problem and wanted royalties on all products using it. Naturally, the market moved to another solution. While Lightning may be a good piece of technology, I think Apple is largely to blame for its demise. Standardization is good for consumers. Apple had control over its fate. I don’t blame them for wanting to collect royalties, but they were the only major manufacturer on the market not playing ball with a standardized port. Yet even their other products use USB-C, and the MacBook was actually an early adopter. Accordingly, I don’t think this law eliminates competition. It brings simplification to consumers for a simple, boring port that can now be shared with many of their other goods and a single cable.
    • a-user-you-like 4y ago
      USB-C, so good you’re forced to use it!
      • semi-extrinsic 4y ago
        Lightning vs USB-C is like VHS vs Betamax or HD-DVD vs Bluray, only Apple has sufficient market power it can abuse to avoid the inevitable convergence towards a common standard. It's exactly the correct thing to do for a regulator to step in and fix this.
      • anoonmoose 4y ago
• jorvi 4y ago
  • deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  • emaro 4y ago
    At the time I wrote my comment, I read/skimmed to the greater part of the comments and the pattern was pretty clear. Maybe now there are more voices who beleive the market (tm) would've done it's part.
• moffkalast 4y ago
  Honestly yeah, the standardisation part is fantastic but I absolutely hate that the industry at large settled on USB-C ports that are so pathetically easy to break it's hilarious. Micro-USB and Mini-USB were both far more robust. And also the part where there are a billion specs for the same cable so you never know what you're dealing with. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the bluetooth team came up with the standards...
  • schmuelio 4y ago
    > Micro-USB and Mini-USB were both far more robust. Micro-USB and USB-C both have the same minimum durability ratings, you may just be buying non-compliant cables (or you're encountering selection bias or something): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_hardware#Durability https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_hardware#Durability
    • moffkalast 4y ago
      Could be that I'm somehow an outlier, I suppose time will tell since they'll be around for a while and in literally everything.
    • ThePowerOfFuet 4y ago
      >the newer Micro-USB[4] and USB-C receptacles are both designed for a minimum rated lifetime of 10,000 cycles of insertion and removal. Micro-USB is an abomination from a durability perspective, and in no way does this reflect reality for the majority of Micro-USB plugs and sockets I've found in the wild.
      • eropple 4y ago
        I'm pretty sure that rated lifetime is for correct insertion, yeah. USB-C has a thicker cross-section and the rounded ends definitely help with correct insertion to reduce the likelihood of whomping on the socket when you plug it in.
  • eropple 4y ago
    This is the first claim I've ever heard that Mini-B is "far more robust" than USB-C. Mini-B is legendarily breakable, both from a pin standpoint (really low lifetime insertions) and from a physical one (the port profile put a ton of strain on the device side). Micro-B was created to resolve those problems, and did a decent job through the latching teeth on the back, but has fewer pins available for advanced connectivity and no room to add them in a backwards-compatible way. Even for small devices, the additional pins are beneficial for standardized high-rate charging via USB-PD. Both Micro-B and USB-C are similarly rated for robustness.
• notright 4y ago
• asgeir 4y ago
  USB-C has the springs in the plug while the receptacle is only fixed contacts. Lightning on the other hand has the springs inside the receptacle. This means that for USB-C you replace the cable when the springs wear out, but for Lightning you need to replace the port. Cleaning lint out of a USB-C receptacle with a toothpick is safe, but sticking anything into a Lightning port could damage the springs.
  • yoz-y 4y ago
    > Cleaning lint out of a USB-C receptacle with a toothpick is safe, but sticking anything into a Lightning port could damage the springs. Safe-ish because you can break off the inner plastic part. On USB-A this was a pretty common failure for me. On USB-C not yet
  • emaro 4y ago
    Thank you for the clarification. I didn't know that. In my experience, cleaning the lightning port with the end of a paperclip was never an issue (dust from my pocket liked the spot; always helped when charging got unreliable).
  • klausa 4y ago
    On the flipside, this means the thin logic board that connects to the pins is in the host device, not in the cable. Which means if you break it off, you need to replace the whole port, which might be difficult or expensive; instead of the (relatively) cheap cable. I _love_ USB-C as a concept, but this alone makes, in my opinion, Lightning the superior physical connector. And yes, I have had to replace / throw away entire devices because of a USB-C port breaking like this. Sure, I should be less of a clumsy oaf around my electronics, but I also don't think "not bricking the entire device when extra force is applied to the port" is unreasonable design goal for a physical connector as universal as USB-C is.
    • Lendal 4y ago
      Anecdotal evidence: I have had to replace a device because of a failed USB-C port, but I have never had to replace a device because of a failed Lightning port. I know, it's one data point, but there it is.
• dzhiurgis 4y ago
  Wireless charging is always secondary option after or before the physical port wears out.
• csmpltn 4y ago
  > "what a shame a law needs to specify a specific port for ~iPhones~ devices." The only shame here is that companies consistently chose lock-in over open standards, even when it's clearly detrimental to the user's experience and the environment. If the "adults in the room" can't figure it out (out of greed), it's fair game for governments to step in and make a choice for everybody. That's what a government should do: create clarity and accountability where there is none. This idea that we need dedicated connectors for every little piece of hardware we own is simply not sustainable.
  • barsonme 4y ago
    > even when it's clearly detrimental to the user's experience This is entirely subjective. Personally, I’ve never been bothered by the different port type. I’ve also never really known it to be a problem for friends and family. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t prefer USB-C for the iPhone. Just that for me it’s not been “clearly detrimental.”
    • csmpltn 4y ago
      > "This is entirely subjective." What's positive about having to buy different cables, chargers and converters every year for your phones, cameras, laptops and whatnot? Maybe you're just used to it, but if you truly think about what it means and the implications of doing this at-scale, I seriously doubt there's any benefit to it.
      • barsonme 4y ago
        I haven’t ever bought a lightening cable. Every device that uses one (iPhone, Magic Mouse, whatever) has come with one. And lightening cables don’t require unique chargers or converters. I don’t think it’s some great positive, but I also don’t think it is “clearly detrimental” to the user experience, either.
    • smoldesu 4y ago
      This is not. Apple has the opportunity to standardize all of their devices under one serial/power connector - they have neglected to do this for over a decade, and it overtly effects the user experience. Case closed, apologist anecdata will not be considered.
• tasuki 4y ago
  > It's sooo convenient to charge my notebook, my headphones, my phone, my everything with the same cable. This really works for you? When I try charging my laptop with my phone cable/charger, it not only doesn't charge, but the laptop requires a hard reset to start turn on again. When I try charging my phone with my laptop cable/charger, it just doesn't charge. So while it's great in theory that everything is USB-C, it doesn't solve that much for me...
  • vel0city 4y ago
    It does for me. When I travel, I only travel with my laptop's USB-C power supply. That charges my phone, my laptop, my Switch, my wife's phone, her headphones, and her e-reader.
  • frosted-flakes 4y ago
    When I travel, I bring one 30W USB-C charging brick and a 2m USB-C cable, in addition to a Dell battery bank that has a short integrated USB-C cable. These charge my phone, laptop, iPad mini, and Nintendo Switch. At home I have a dedicated 45W charger for my laptop, but the 30W charger is much smaller and works just fine. Unfortunately, I still need to bring a 6" microUSB cable as well, because my Logitech mouse, bicycle headlamp, and pocket flashlight (that uses 14500 lithium batteries) still don't have USB-C ports. I plan on upgrading all of them to USB-C when I can, but these rarely need to be charged so it's not as big a deal for me.
• pradn 4y ago
  I’ve tripped over an old iPhone, catching the cable and deforming the charging port. That made charging the phone difficult until I got a new one. Now I only use the MagSafe charger to prevent another such mishap. One more “moving part” that I don’t have to worry about.