5 ms·

USB is a private organization and you pay a fee per connector. USB lobbying won over the EU. Nothing to celebrate indeed.

dvngnt_ 3y ago
I'm celebrating using one cord to charge headphones, mouse, laptop, android and iOS phones
CamperBob2 3y ago
Apple likes to shoot themselves in the foot by insisting on keeping things proprietary that don't need to be kept proprietary. This whole episode is one big unforced error on Apple's part.
- stouset 3y ago
  This is your regular reminder that the USB-C port design was published two years after devices with a Lightning port started shipping.
  - CamperBob2 3y ago
    So? Lightning is patented. The design aspects that made it better are literally illegal for anyone else to use. Apple was greedy when it came to something that didn't matter, and they ended up losing out in the long run as a result. An old tale, oft told.
    - stouset 3y ago
      Where and how exactly has Apple “lost out”?
      - CamperBob2 3y ago
        They are presently being ordered at gunpoint to redesign their hardware, but I can see how some people might consider that a win, given the right combination of drugs and talk therapy. Turning Lightning over to the USB Forum could have prevented this. Lightning is good enough to supplant the mediocre USB C connector, but it's not good enough on its own to sell phones.
buildbot 3y ago
This is actually pretty annoying in my opinion - almost a USA level of corporate welfare. Here’s your royalties forever! …
smoldesu 3y ago
Apple made their bed here, now they have to sleep in it. Supporting 2 different serial cables for no discernible purpose is borderline highway robbery and an insult to their userbase. If they didn't like USB-C, they shouldn't have designed protocols around it and used it for a decade in their Pro hardware. If they didn't want to adopt USB-C, they should have put more effort into making Lightning a viable alternative. You don't get to play the helplessness card when talking about the largest business in the world. I don't trust any of these companies as far as I could throw them. Circumstantially, I'd rather USB-IF hold Apple accountable, since Apple holding themselves accountable just leads to DRM for serial data.
- sbuk 3y ago
  You do realise that Apple offered Lightning as a design to the USB-IF? It was rejected by the other members in favour of the obviously inferior Micro USB. Lightning’s versatility did eventually turn heads at the USB-IF, leading to the development of USB Type C, which was driven largely by Apple and Google.
  - smoldesu 3y ago
    They were right to reject it. Lightning is encumbered with multiple royalties and implementation patents that made it more of a glorified prototype than a reasonable proposal. USB-IF would be mocked for accepting Apple's offering as-written.
coder543 3y ago
> you pay a fee per connector Hmm, going to have to put a [citation needed] on that. I do not believe that is true at all. Organizations that wish to use the USB logo and have a vendor ID will likely pay an annual fee and devices must undergo certification[0], but not on a per-device or per-connector basis. I've never heard of USB charging a fee per connector. [0]: https://electronics.stackexchange.com/a/450497 https://electronics.stackexchange.com/a/450497

dvngnt_ 3y ago

I'm celebrating using one cord to charge headphones, mouse, laptop, android and iOS phones

CamperBob2 3y ago

Apple likes to shoot themselves in the foot by insisting on keeping things proprietary that don't need to be kept proprietary. This whole episode is one big unforced error on Apple's part.

stouset 3y ago
This is your regular reminder that the USB-C port design was published two years after devices with a Lightning port started shipping.
- CamperBob2 3y ago
  So? Lightning is patented. The design aspects that made it better are literally illegal for anyone else to use. Apple was greedy when it came to something that didn't matter, and they ended up losing out in the long run as a result. An old tale, oft told.
  - stouset 3y ago
    Where and how exactly has Apple “lost out”?
    - CamperBob2 3y ago
      They are presently being ordered at gunpoint to redesign their hardware, but I can see how some people might consider that a win, given the right combination of drugs and talk therapy. Turning Lightning over to the USB Forum could have prevented this. Lightning is good enough to supplant the mediocre USB C connector, but it's not good enough on its own to sell phones.

buildbot 3y ago

This is actually pretty annoying in my opinion - almost a USA level of corporate welfare. Here’s your royalties forever! …

smoldesu 3y ago

Apple made their bed here, now they have to sleep in it. Supporting 2 different serial cables for no discernible purpose is borderline highway robbery and an insult to their userbase. If they didn't like USB-C, they shouldn't have designed protocols around it and used it for a decade in their Pro hardware. If they didn't want to adopt USB-C, they should have put more effort into making Lightning a viable alternative. You don't get to play the helplessness card when talking about the largest business in the world. I don't trust any of these companies as far as I could throw them. Circumstantially, I'd rather USB-IF hold Apple accountable, since Apple holding themselves accountable just leads to DRM for serial data.

sbuk 3y ago
You do realise that Apple offered Lightning as a design to the USB-IF? It was rejected by the other members in favour of the obviously inferior Micro USB. Lightning’s versatility did eventually turn heads at the USB-IF, leading to the development of USB Type C, which was driven largely by Apple and Google.
- smoldesu 3y ago
  They were right to reject it. Lightning is encumbered with multiple royalties and implementation patents that made it more of a glorified prototype than a reasonable proposal. USB-IF would be mocked for accepting Apple's offering as-written.

coder543 3y ago

> you pay a fee per connector Hmm, going to have to put a [citation needed] on that. I do not believe that is true at all. Organizations that wish to use the USB logo and have a vendor ID will likely pay an annual fee and devices must undergo certification[0], but not on a per-device or per-connector basis. I've never heard of USB charging a fee per connector. [0]: https://electronics.stackexchange.com/a/450497 https://electronics.stackexchange.com/a/450497