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I understand your general point and think it holds true. However, I would say in my mind that the way Apple can decide to change their connector and suddenly ma

I understand your general point and think it holds true. However, I would say in my mind that the way Apple can decide to change their connector and suddenly make redundant a full range of downstream devices (house and car chargers, general chargers, audio equipment) is a real negative and one of the 3 or 4 things that keeps me from moving back over from Android.

bduerst 12y ago
3rd party market lock-in is one of the reasons I switched to Android too. I understand Apple is out to make money like everyone else, but skipping micro-usb is (from my perspective) not a product enhancement. Their delayed support on NFC arguably killed the user adoption for the tech as well, but i digress.
- benaiah 12y ago
  Using open standards would be an Android plus for me too, if micro-usb didn't suck ass compared to Thunderbolt.
  - jusben1369 12y ago
    Is that a technical term? :)
abalone 12y ago
But that's not true, is it? The old interfaces are generally still supported with adapters, like this. http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD824ZM/A/lightning-to-30-pin-adapter-02-m http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD824ZM/A/lightning-to-30-... So at worst you can complain that existing equipment may require an adapter. That seems like a fair price for progress to me.
- jusben1369 12y ago
  I mean if I buy an iPhone 6 my 3 chargers + 2 car chargers + Bose audio device are now junked. Thats all I mean.
  - astrodust 12y ago
    They kept the 30-pin connector around far, far longer than most companies kept their proprietary power or data connectors. When they switched it was to something robust enough they wouldn't need to fiddle with it for a long time. Standards change, but at least this one hasn't changed very often. I think "once" is an allowable amount of change.
  - evilduck 12y ago
    If you bought a Galaxy S5, 3 chargers, 2 car chargers and a Bose devise for it and then upgraded to a S6, how do you think you'd fare?
    - jusben1369 12y ago
      I don't know. (HTC One) Did they follow Apple's lead and change their approach too?
      - evilduck 12y ago
        Your inner fanboy is leaking. It wasn't Apple's lead. Samsung did it at least twice before Apple switched to Lightning, another time after Lightning and will probably also move to Type C soon. Same for HTC, they switched port choices before Apple did as well, the HTC Dream has a different USB port than the HTC Evo and both came before the iPhone 5, and they're also likely to change to switch to this as well. So basically Apple is the only choice that comes closest to behaving as you expressed a desire for and instead you shit on them out of complete ignorance. Good job.
        jusben1369 12y ago
        You really are an evil duck.
evilduck 12y ago
Android OEMs recently stabilized onto Mini-B but I've seen Android phones with Micro-B on them in the past and Samsung even had their own Apple 40-pin knock off for a while. Now all signs are pointing towards Android OEMs adopting the Type C port soon too, so you're getting a fourth port option for Android in the last 5 years.
- Stratoscope 12y ago
  Good point, but you have Mini-B and Micro-B reversed. Mini is the old thicker connector that you don't see much any more, and Micro is the newer thinner one. Samsung also had USB3 Micro-B (the wide connector) on the Galaxy Note 3, but went back to a regular Micro-B in the Note 4.
  - evilduck 12y ago
    Yeah. GP's point is just plain wrong, if he was concerned about 3rd party stuff lasting for more than one phone purchase, iPhones are clearly the winner with only have two connector options since 2008 while keeping their form factor consistent for two generations (and there are adapters for the first switch, and possibly a third switch this fall, where adapters are still plausible all the way back to original accessories). Samsung and most other Android manufacturers aren't even guaranteed to maintain physical dimension compatibility between different models of the same exact phone (S6 vs S6 Edge, for example), let alone if you were to just stay with Android as an OS and were switching between manufacturers each upgrade. No way in hell you're keeping any nice-fitting docks or cases around for more than one Android phone purchase.

bduerst 12y ago

3rd party market lock-in is one of the reasons I switched to Android too. I understand Apple is out to make money like everyone else, but skipping micro-usb is (from my perspective) not a product enhancement. Their delayed support on NFC arguably killed the user adoption for the tech as well, but i digress.

benaiah 12y ago
Using open standards would be an Android plus for me too, if micro-usb didn't suck ass compared to Thunderbolt.
- jusben1369 12y ago
  Is that a technical term? :)

abalone 12y ago

But that's not true, is it? The old interfaces are generally still supported with adapters, like this. http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD824ZM/A/lightning-to-30-pin-adapter-02-m http://store.apple.com/us/product/MD824ZM/A/lightning-to-30-... So at worst you can complain that existing equipment may require an adapter. That seems like a fair price for progress to me.

jusben1369 12y ago
I mean if I buy an iPhone 6 my 3 chargers + 2 car chargers + Bose audio device are now junked. Thats all I mean.
- astrodust 12y ago
  They kept the 30-pin connector around far, far longer than most companies kept their proprietary power or data connectors. When they switched it was to something robust enough they wouldn't need to fiddle with it for a long time. Standards change, but at least this one hasn't changed very often. I think "once" is an allowable amount of change.
- evilduck 12y ago
  If you bought a Galaxy S5, 3 chargers, 2 car chargers and a Bose devise for it and then upgraded to a S6, how do you think you'd fare?
  - jusben1369 12y ago
    I don't know. (HTC One) Did they follow Apple's lead and change their approach too?
    - evilduck 12y ago
      Your inner fanboy is leaking. It wasn't Apple's lead. Samsung did it at least twice before Apple switched to Lightning, another time after Lightning and will probably also move to Type C soon. Same for HTC, they switched port choices before Apple did as well, the HTC Dream has a different USB port than the HTC Evo and both came before the iPhone 5, and they're also likely to change to switch to this as well. So basically Apple is the only choice that comes closest to behaving as you expressed a desire for and instead you shit on them out of complete ignorance. Good job.
      - jusben1369 12y ago
        You really are an evil duck.

evilduck 12y ago

Android OEMs recently stabilized onto Mini-B but I've seen Android phones with Micro-B on them in the past and Samsung even had their own Apple 40-pin knock off for a while. Now all signs are pointing towards Android OEMs adopting the Type C port soon too, so you're getting a fourth port option for Android in the last 5 years.

Stratoscope 12y ago
Good point, but you have Mini-B and Micro-B reversed. Mini is the old thicker connector that you don't see much any more, and Micro is the newer thinner one. Samsung also had USB3 Micro-B (the wide connector) on the Galaxy Note 3, but went back to a regular Micro-B in the Note 4.
- evilduck 12y ago
  Yeah. GP's point is just plain wrong, if he was concerned about 3rd party stuff lasting for more than one phone purchase, iPhones are clearly the winner with only have two connector options since 2008 while keeping their form factor consistent for two generations (and there are adapters for the first switch, and possibly a third switch this fall, where adapters are still plausible all the way back to original accessories). Samsung and most other Android manufacturers aren't even guaranteed to maintain physical dimension compatibility between different models of the same exact phone (S6 vs S6 Edge, for example), let alone if you were to just stay with Android as an OS and were switching between manufacturers each upgrade. No way in hell you're keeping any nice-fitting docks or cases around for more than one Android phone purchase.