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Apple is part of the USB-IF. They also have pushed USB standards to consumers since the iMac. Hell, Apple participates of every single industrial forum they can

Apple is part of the USB-IF. They also have pushed USB standards to consumers since the iMac. Hell, Apple participates of every single industrial forum they can benefit from. Apple has moved on to USB-C for almost every other product they have. They know Lightning is old and insufficient, even for their iPad Air. The only reason why Apple keeps Lightning around is for phones and some portable accessories, and the revenue from those, and their certifications, is not something they are willing to dismiss. Technically speaking, if you want something as simple as a cable, you have to go through Apple and their MFI program. So here we are, with Apple holding the keys to every Lightning accessory, and also keeping a degree of control of USB-C. If anything, the EU is trying to keep Apple honest.

misnome 4y ago
> The only reason why Apple keeps Lightning around is for phones and some portable accessories, and the revenue from those, and their certifications, is not something they are willing to dismiss. Technically speaking, if you want something as simple as a cable, you have to go through Apple and their MFI program. The other way of viewing this is that by not switching (yet) they haven't created instant e-waste out of every cable and accessory manufactured in the past decade. USB-C didn't exist when they released the lightning cable, and they have clearly been migrating every other product over the past several years. Seriously, you don't need to invent a conspiracy for every single move Apple makes.
- schmuelio 4y ago
  > The other way of viewing this is that by not switching (yet) they haven't created instant e-waste out of every cable and accessory manufactured in the past decade. Well no time like the present since time is linear and unless they're going to stick with lightning _forever_ then they'll eventually have to create a bunch of e-waste.
  - ragazzina 4y ago
    Not only this: the more they hold out, the more lightning cables they put in circulation.
- manuelabeledo 4y ago
  > Seriously, you don't need to invent a conspiracy for every single move Apple makes. How is this a “conspiracy”? It is literally what they are doing with the MFI program. If anything, the e-waste theory is less credible, as Apple have changed the iPad and MacBook charging ports three or four times in the past 12 years. They have also a long history of preventing third parties from fixing their products, latest of which is software locking of replacement parts.
- smoldesu 4y ago
  > Seriously, you don't need to invent a conspiracy for every single move Apple makes. On the contrary, over-simplifying the motivations of a multi-trillion dollar corporation often leaves you as the fool.
burlesona 4y ago
This is not the reason. The reason is, the last time they changed ports (from 30pin to lightning) it created huge blowback from consumers who had lots of 30pin accessories that were no longer compatible, and even though lightning is FAR better people don’t like switching. USB-C is not much different than lightning for charging / connecting a phone, so the blowback from consumers will be huge when all their accessories are no longer compatible with the next phone.
- nulld3v 4y ago
  Meanwhile apple switched the connector for both their laptop and their iPad. So clearly they aren't afraid of blowback.
  - pb7 4y ago
    iPhone sales are 10x that of iPad and MacBooks combined.
    - manuelabeledo 4y ago
      iPhones have come without chargers for a few years now. Ironically enough, they come with a Lightning to USB-C cable. Users would need to buy their own USB-C chargers anyway. And here we are, arguing about cables.
    - nulld3v 4y ago
      But it's not like sales of the MacBook cratered after the switch to C. There was hardly a blip. So no blowback.
      - pb7 4y ago
        You must not have been here for years that people whined about the MacBook getting rid of MagSafe and how it only had USB-C ports. How quickly we forget. "No blowback" is the completely opposite of the truth. Consumers aren't going to give a shit what some foreign government mandated, they're going to be pissed at Apple that they need to buy all new cables.

misnome 4y ago

> The only reason why Apple keeps Lightning around is for phones and some portable accessories, and the revenue from those, and their certifications, is not something they are willing to dismiss. Technically speaking, if you want something as simple as a cable, you have to go through Apple and their MFI program. The other way of viewing this is that by not switching (yet) they haven't created instant e-waste out of every cable and accessory manufactured in the past decade. USB-C didn't exist when they released the lightning cable, and they have clearly been migrating every other product over the past several years. Seriously, you don't need to invent a conspiracy for every single move Apple makes.

schmuelio 4y ago
> The other way of viewing this is that by not switching (yet) they haven't created instant e-waste out of every cable and accessory manufactured in the past decade. Well no time like the present since time is linear and unless they're going to stick with lightning _forever_ then they'll eventually have to create a bunch of e-waste.
- ragazzina 4y ago
  Not only this: the more they hold out, the more lightning cables they put in circulation.
manuelabeledo 4y ago
> Seriously, you don't need to invent a conspiracy for every single move Apple makes. How is this a “conspiracy”? It is literally what they are doing with the MFI program. If anything, the e-waste theory is less credible, as Apple have changed the iPad and MacBook charging ports three or four times in the past 12 years. They have also a long history of preventing third parties from fixing their products, latest of which is software locking of replacement parts.
smoldesu 4y ago
> Seriously, you don't need to invent a conspiracy for every single move Apple makes. On the contrary, over-simplifying the motivations of a multi-trillion dollar corporation often leaves you as the fool.

burlesona 4y ago

This is not the reason. The reason is, the last time they changed ports (from 30pin to lightning) it created huge blowback from consumers who had lots of 30pin accessories that were no longer compatible, and even though lightning is FAR better people don’t like switching. USB-C is not much different than lightning for charging / connecting a phone, so the blowback from consumers will be huge when all their accessories are no longer compatible with the next phone.

nulld3v 4y ago
Meanwhile apple switched the connector for both their laptop and their iPad. So clearly they aren't afraid of blowback.
- pb7 4y ago
  iPhone sales are 10x that of iPad and MacBooks combined.
  - manuelabeledo 4y ago
    iPhones have come without chargers for a few years now. Ironically enough, they come with a Lightning to USB-C cable. Users would need to buy their own USB-C chargers anyway. And here we are, arguing about cables.
  - nulld3v 4y ago
    But it's not like sales of the MacBook cratered after the switch to C. There was hardly a blip. So no blowback.
    - pb7 4y ago
      You must not have been here for years that people whined about the MacBook getting rid of MagSafe and how it only had USB-C ports. How quickly we forget. "No blowback" is the completely opposite of the truth. Consumers aren't going to give a shit what some foreign government mandated, they're going to be pissed at Apple that they need to buy all new cables.