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I yet have to find anyone in my family who cares about micro usb connectors. Their iPads and iPhones work just fine without them. Should we have SWAT team come

I yet have to find anyone in my family who cares about micro usb connectors. Their iPads and iPhones work just fine without them. Should we have SWAT team come to Apple HQ to force them redesign iPhones to include standard that you like? Note that I don't advocate any kind of violence to be applied to, say, Samsung or you to have the same adapter as Apple or anyone else.

microcolonel 13y ago
You realize that people buying iDevices have the power in this relationship, they decide whether or not to make their trades. I know at least three people who were just fed up with not being able to find appropriate connectors when on the go, and left for non-Apple devices as a result. I mean, iDevices are already losing in terms of market share and revenue, you'd think they would find new ways to cater to existing desires of returning customers.
- Samuel_Michon 13y ago
  > iDevices are already losing in terms of market share and revenue Citation needed.
  - Joeri 13y ago
    Market share for ipads dropped year over year in relative and absolute terms. I don't think the ipad air and retina mini are enough to change that trend. http://venturebeat.com/2013/07/29/apples-ipad-market-share-chopped-in-half-as-android-takes-over/ http://venturebeat.com/2013/07/29/apples-ipad-market-share-c...
    - Samuel_Michon 13y ago
      ‘iDevices’ aka ‘iOS devices’ = iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and AppleTV. Of those, iPhone is by far the biggest business (it accounts for over half of Apple’s revenues.)[1] Revenues from iOS devices are still on the rise.[2] The September quarter is not iPad’s strongest, wait for next quarter’s results for that[1]. Last year’s September quarter was exceptionally strong, as no-one expected new iPads 6 months after the last refresh and the iPad 3 had finally met demand in the September quarter. This year, new iPads were expected in September. The true impact of Apple’s new iPad line-up can only be seen when the company can meet demand (March quarter 2014.) Marketshare is trickier to measure, as Apple is one of the only companies that report on actual sell-through sales and breaks the figures out to phones and tablets. And even if others were open about it, you’d have to decide in what markets they are exactly competing. Is iPad part of the same market that sells $100 toy tablets? Is iPhone part of the same market that sells Android 2.3 and Asha feature phones? Cases could be made that iOS is losing marketshare and cases could be made that iOS is still gaining marketshare. I objected to GP stating iOS decline as an established fact. [1] http://techcrunch.com/2013/10/28/apple-4q13-earnings-charts/ http://techcrunch.com/2013/10/28/apple-4q13-earnings-charts/ [2] http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2013/10/28Apple-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-Results.html http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2013/10/28Apple-Reports-Four...
      - microcolonel 13y ago
        iOS is growing, but the other parts of the respective markets are growing faster and are already larger. Also, saying iOS device revenues are growing is like saying Freenode userbase and activity is growing... It may be true, but it is not indicative of the market, it just says that some more people are doing it than before.
        Samuel_Michon 13y ago
        I think you’re disregarding some key parts of my comment. iPhone marketshare continues to grow. Apple’s phones were never dominant in marketshare. iOS does however remain dominant in web usage share, that tells me that Apple commands actual smartphone share (compared to Android 2.3 devices with no Internet connection)
    - Samuel_Michon 13y ago
      > I don't think the ipad air and retina mini are enough to change that trend [of iPad market share dropping] On the whole tablet market, it depends on how many cheap ($100-$300) tablets are flooding the market. When comparing $300-$1000 tablets, I don’t think Apple is losing a lot of market share. iPad sales are still on an upward trend, and I think the new offerings certainly help.[1] [1] http://i.imgur.com/12i6WGe.png http://i.imgur.com/12i6WGe.png
- oleganza 13y ago
  I have no problem with people voting "no" with their money. I just don't want any regulation crap to ban those who want to vote "yes" from doing so.
  - Joeri 13y ago
    Which is why the lightning connector is not outlawed. It's just that the charger end of it must be usb to be in compliance with eu regulations, so you can use a different charger with the same lightning cable when apple's charger breaks.
    - Samuel_Michon 13y ago
      Which you can. You don’t even need a Lightning cable, only a Lightning-to-MicroUSB adapter. http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD820ZM/A/lightning-to-micro-usb-adapter http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD820ZM/A/lightning-to-mic... Anecdotal: my Lightning cables are holding up a lot better than my Dock connector cables ever did. As for chargers, I’ve never had an iPod or iDevice charger break on me.
Macha 13y ago
Apple's adapter is not an company independent standard used by every other phone manufacturer in the EU. People I talk to may not care about MicroUSB connectors specifically, but they do care about being able to use anyone's phone charger if their phone runs out of power. For that microUSB chargers are more common. And they're cheaper. MicroUSB cables are €3 + shipping (so €8 if you buy them individually, cheaper if you buy a few). Apple chargers are €20. Personally, the unreliability and expense of Apple's chargers were one of the reasons I stopped using Apple devices (though not the primary one, that honour goes to iTunes). The microUSB chargers weren't any more reliable, but they were a lot cheaper.
- carlob 13y ago
  MicroUSB can be much cheaper than €3 + shipping(< €1) if you know where to shop [0], because the USB per-device licensing fees are 0. [0] http://www.monoprice.com/Search?keyword=micro+usb http://www.monoprice.com/Search?keyword=micro+usb
  - Macha 13y ago
    So far the best place I've found that delivers to Ireland is Amazon UK. I've seen plenty of US sites that do them cheaper, but they either charge significant shipping to European countries, or else just don't bother. That said, I haven't looked very hard because I only buy cables about once a year.
- oleganza 13y ago
  I don't see why people should not be allowed to figure out what standard is better for them without violence-backed regulations. If micro-usb is better, then people will buy other products and Apple would have to adjust to that. Either by earning less or by adopting micro usb. What's the problem?
  - soperj 13y ago
    Lightning isn't a standard. One company uses it.
  - 13y ago

microcolonel 13y ago

You realize that people buying iDevices have the power in this relationship, they decide whether or not to make their trades. I know at least three people who were just fed up with not being able to find appropriate connectors when on the go, and left for non-Apple devices as a result. I mean, iDevices are already losing in terms of market share and revenue, you'd think they would find new ways to cater to existing desires of returning customers.

Samuel_Michon 13y ago
> iDevices are already losing in terms of market share and revenue Citation needed.
- Joeri 13y ago
  Market share for ipads dropped year over year in relative and absolute terms. I don't think the ipad air and retina mini are enough to change that trend. http://venturebeat.com/2013/07/29/apples-ipad-market-share-chopped-in-half-as-android-takes-over/ http://venturebeat.com/2013/07/29/apples-ipad-market-share-c...
  - Samuel_Michon 13y ago
    ‘iDevices’ aka ‘iOS devices’ = iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and AppleTV. Of those, iPhone is by far the biggest business (it accounts for over half of Apple’s revenues.)[1] Revenues from iOS devices are still on the rise.[2] The September quarter is not iPad’s strongest, wait for next quarter’s results for that[1]. Last year’s September quarter was exceptionally strong, as no-one expected new iPads 6 months after the last refresh and the iPad 3 had finally met demand in the September quarter. This year, new iPads were expected in September. The true impact of Apple’s new iPad line-up can only be seen when the company can meet demand (March quarter 2014.) Marketshare is trickier to measure, as Apple is one of the only companies that report on actual sell-through sales and breaks the figures out to phones and tablets. And even if others were open about it, you’d have to decide in what markets they are exactly competing. Is iPad part of the same market that sells $100 toy tablets? Is iPhone part of the same market that sells Android 2.3 and Asha feature phones? Cases could be made that iOS is losing marketshare and cases could be made that iOS is still gaining marketshare. I objected to GP stating iOS decline as an established fact. [1] http://techcrunch.com/2013/10/28/apple-4q13-earnings-charts/ http://techcrunch.com/2013/10/28/apple-4q13-earnings-charts/ [2] http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2013/10/28Apple-Reports-Fourth-Quarter-Results.html http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2013/10/28Apple-Reports-Four...
    - microcolonel 13y ago
      iOS is growing, but the other parts of the respective markets are growing faster and are already larger. Also, saying iOS device revenues are growing is like saying Freenode userbase and activity is growing... It may be true, but it is not indicative of the market, it just says that some more people are doing it than before.
      - Samuel_Michon 13y ago
        I think you’re disregarding some key parts of my comment. iPhone marketshare continues to grow. Apple’s phones were never dominant in marketshare. iOS does however remain dominant in web usage share, that tells me that Apple commands actual smartphone share (compared to Android 2.3 devices with no Internet connection)
  - Samuel_Michon 13y ago
    > I don't think the ipad air and retina mini are enough to change that trend [of iPad market share dropping] On the whole tablet market, it depends on how many cheap ($100-$300) tablets are flooding the market. When comparing $300-$1000 tablets, I don’t think Apple is losing a lot of market share. iPad sales are still on an upward trend, and I think the new offerings certainly help.[1] [1] http://i.imgur.com/12i6WGe.png http://i.imgur.com/12i6WGe.png
oleganza 13y ago
I have no problem with people voting "no" with their money. I just don't want any regulation crap to ban those who want to vote "yes" from doing so.
- Joeri 13y ago
  Which is why the lightning connector is not outlawed. It's just that the charger end of it must be usb to be in compliance with eu regulations, so you can use a different charger with the same lightning cable when apple's charger breaks.
  - Samuel_Michon 13y ago
    Which you can. You don’t even need a Lightning cable, only a Lightning-to-MicroUSB adapter. http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD820ZM/A/lightning-to-micro-usb-adapter http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD820ZM/A/lightning-to-mic... Anecdotal: my Lightning cables are holding up a lot better than my Dock connector cables ever did. As for chargers, I’ve never had an iPod or iDevice charger break on me.

Macha 13y ago

Apple's adapter is not an company independent standard used by every other phone manufacturer in the EU. People I talk to may not care about MicroUSB connectors specifically, but they do care about being able to use anyone's phone charger if their phone runs out of power. For that microUSB chargers are more common. And they're cheaper. MicroUSB cables are €3 + shipping (so €8 if you buy them individually, cheaper if you buy a few). Apple chargers are €20. Personally, the unreliability and expense of Apple's chargers were one of the reasons I stopped using Apple devices (though not the primary one, that honour goes to iTunes). The microUSB chargers weren't any more reliable, but they were a lot cheaper.

carlob 13y ago
MicroUSB can be much cheaper than €3 + shipping(< €1) if you know where to shop [0], because the USB per-device licensing fees are 0. [0] http://www.monoprice.com/Search?keyword=micro+usb http://www.monoprice.com/Search?keyword=micro+usb
- Macha 13y ago
  So far the best place I've found that delivers to Ireland is Amazon UK. I've seen plenty of US sites that do them cheaper, but they either charge significant shipping to European countries, or else just don't bother. That said, I haven't looked very hard because I only buy cables about once a year.
oleganza 13y ago
I don't see why people should not be allowed to figure out what standard is better for them without violence-backed regulations. If micro-usb is better, then people will buy other products and Apple would have to adjust to that. Either by earning less or by adopting micro usb. What's the problem?
- soperj 13y ago
  Lightning isn't a standard. One company uses it.
- 13y ago