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Apple to put USB-C connectors in iPhones to comply with EU rules

cormack12

cormack12

Gold Member
Source: https://amp.theguardian.com/technology/2022/oct/26/iphone-usb-c-lightning-connectors-apple-eu-rules

5088.jpg


Apple will ditch the Lightning connector on its iPhones, the company has confirmed, after European regulators decided all smartphones should have USB charging as standard in two years’ time.

New EU rules require all phones sold after autumn 2024 to use the USB-C connector for their charging ports. The oval-shaped plugs are already standard on other consumer electronics such as e-readers, games consoles, laptops and the vast majority of new Android phones.
 
Slaylock

Slaylock

Member
With wireless charging, I don't see where this is such an issue for so many people. I very rarely ever plug my phone in. I couldn't care any less what cable it is.
 
LordCBH

LordCBH

Member
Yay USB C! That said it’s been years since I’ve plugged my phone in for any reason thanks to Chad Wireless Charging lol
 
ReBurn

ReBurn

Gold Member
newtypepilot said:
oh no, how will they milk their customers by making them pay for dongles???

the irony of apple saying switching to usb-c will cause more e-waste ROFL
Click to expand...
Apple is still gonna charge you 19 bucks for a 1 meter USB-C cable. They already do it with iPads. So it's not like this requirement will actually change anything. Around here you can already pick up a lightning cable anywhere for literally the same price as as a similar length USB-C cable.
 
TransTrender

TransTrender

Gold Member
Nice. Rather amazed Apple agreed.

Funny because I was looking at the power brick on my nightstand alarm clock and was wondering if these would ever be replaced. Like would there be a time when most consumer electronics which fell under the UCB-C (or whatever) protocol power limits would switch to that instead of the hardwired or removable but still practically proprietary (and hard to get an exact replacement) power brick.
 
spons

spons

Gold Member
Thaedolus said:
I’d actually upgrade my phone just to ditch lightning for USB-C. So dumb it’s taken this long.

But just watch them create a US variant that keeps lightning…
Click to expand...
Hell, US/EU editions of high-end Samsung phones are usually completely different in terms of hardware. I can totally see Apple pulling a fast one on everyone.
 
kapshin

kapshin

Member
ReBurn said:
Apple is still gonna charge you 19 bucks for a 1 meter USB-C cable. They already do it with iPads. So it's not like this requirement will actually change anything. Around here you can already pick up a lightning cable anywhere for literally the same price as as a similar length USB-C cable.
Click to expand...
I mean Google and Samsung do as well, I usually just get Amazon basics cords they're actually good.
 
NeoIkaruGAF

NeoIkaruGAF

Gold Member
Hallelujah.

I mean, they seem to like USB-C enough that it's on iPad already and MBAs come with nothing more than that (the day will come when they remove the headphone jack from computers become something something courage).

Keeping Lightning for the US models would allow them to sell dongles to charge your US phone in the EU and viceversa. It'd be win-win for them, so watch them actually do it.
 
daffyduck

daffyduck

Member
RoboFu said:
That’s pretty horrible but I guess it makes sense.

The lightning connector doesn’t have any little tabs to break off .. it’s very durable. Usbc has a flimsy middle tab connector that breaks after too much use.
Click to expand...
Lightning connectors are very much breakable, and the official Apple ones are even less durable than 3rd party.

Micro usb is the really flimsy one, yet device makers like to keep using it, even when there is no spacing issue.
 
Tams

Tams

Member
RoboFu said:
That’s pretty horrible but I guess it makes sense.

The lightning connector doesn’t have any little tabs to break off .. it’s very durable. Usbc has a flimsy middle tab connector that breaks after too much use.
Click to expand...

If you're breaking the tab connector in the middle, then you are doing something very wrong. It's very well and deeply encased in the plug housing. I've not had a single USB C middle tab break.

Though yes, the Lightning connector is more durable. Then again, it is more exposed to corrosion and Apple have always limited it to USB 2.0 speeds, so... Not to mention Apple's official cables are utter dogshit. I've had every single Apple cable have the casing degrade (actually, it's more like rot).
 
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sankt-Antonio

sankt-Antonio

:^)--?-<
About time, I absoluten hate that my company iPhone needs that shitty cable when every other peripheral I have to use uses USB-C. Plus USB-C is lightyears ahead of Apples poor connector (pun intended).

AJUMP23 said:
And it will take 20 years for the law to change so everyone will be stuck with C on their phones when the standard will be usb-double alpha pentanium.
Click to expand...

The EU is proposing for a single connector, the tech and even the connector shape can change as long as every device is doing so. If Apple comes out with Lightning X and it's better than anything the world has seen AND every other manufacturer agrees to use it. It's going to be the new standard.
 
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01011001

01011001

Banned
AJUMP23 said:
And it will take 20 years for the law to change so everyone will be stuck with C on their phones when the standard will be usb-double alpha pentanium.
Click to expand...

not true at all... the industry has to agree to a single standard, and that standard can change over time, if a new plug comes out that every manufacturer wants to adopt then that's gonna be the one you have to use.

also let's hope USB-C will stay. USB-A was around for decades so I bet USB-C is not going anywhere
 
nightmare-slain

nightmare-slain

Member
this is good but usb-c seems more fragile to me. could be nothing but i've had some phones (pixel) where the usb port ends up having issues after a while. even my ipad pro had charging issues recently and i had to get it replaced. i'd plug the cable in and it'd stop charging. if i lifted the ipad while plugged in causing the cable to move then it would lose connection.

to be fair i've never had issues on any other usb c devices like my kindle, ear/headphones, or nintendo switch.

seeing the bill to replace my ipad has me concerned. if i didn't have applecare it'd have cost me £375. now if this was my iphone, which is about to run out of coverage next week, then the price would be £630.

again, could be nothing but bad luck for me but this makes me think about buying any phone that is £1,000+ even if i do get 2 years warranty with it. my iphone is working perfectly fine and i expect to keep it another year or two but if anything happens to it i'm not paying that kind of money to replace it. i'll buy a new phone and not another iphone.
 
Hoppa

Hoppa

Member
A new selling point for the next phone 'Global dynamic port!'. It's weird though my iPad already uses USB-C and I got it about 5 years ago
 
Marvel14

Marvel14

Banned
cormack12 said:
Source: https://amp.theguardian.com/technology/2022/oct/26/iphone-usb-c-lightning-connectors-apple-eu-rules

5088.jpg


Apple will ditch the Lightning connector on its iPhones, the company has confirmed, after European regulators decided all smartphones should have USB charging as standard in two years’ time.

New EU rules require all phones sold after autumn 2024 to use the USB-C connector for their charging ports. The oval-shaped plugs are already standard on other consumer electronics such as e-readers, games consoles, laptops and the vast majority of new Android phones.
Click to expand...

Bloody EU making things better for consumers. Who wants that? Brexit came just in time!
 
01011001

01011001

Banned
Slaylock said:
With wireless charging, I don't see where this is such an issue for so many people. I very rarely ever plug my phone in. I couldn't care any less what cable it is.
Click to expand...

it is wasteful and slow...
I read a while ago (1 or 2 years ago) that some wireless charging phones use more than 40% more power for a full charge than via cable.

so you charge slower and waste energy, great technology indeed 🙃 it's hard to plug in a cable I guess
 
Tams

Tams

Member
01011001 said:
it is wasteful and slow...
I read a while ago (1 or 2 years ago) that some wireless charging phones use more than 40% more power for a full charge than via cable.

so you charge slower and waste energy, great technology indeed 🙃 it's hard to plug in a cable I guess
Click to expand...
Generates more heat, and therefore shortens the device's battery lifespan too.

But hey, most people only superficially care about the environment.
 
Slaylock

Slaylock

Member
01011001 said:
it is wasteful and slow...
I read a while ago (1 or 2 years ago) that some wireless charging phones use more than 40% more power for a full charge than via cable.

so you charge slower and waste energy, great technology indeed 🙃 it's hard to plug in a cable I guess
Click to expand...
I use a MagSafe charger that is very fast, efficient and cool. It may not be quite as quick as plugged in, but it charges my phone in less than an hour. For me, the convenience easily outweighs the drawbacks.
 
Melon Husk

Melon Husk

Member
Lighting was a fine competitor for micro-usb. In fact I wish it would have replaced all micro-usb ports. I'd love an alternative to micro-usb in peripherals like mice and keyboards where USB-C just adds unnecessary cost.

There are still applications where USB-C is a little too big, like watches. USB-C makes sense for smartphone-size devices and up. Forcing all phones to use USB-C hopefully drives down the cost a little, so it can spread to cheaper devices.
 
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Tams

Tams

Member
Melon Husk said:
Lighting was a fine competitor for micro-usb. In fact I wish it would have replaced all micro-usb ports. I'd love an alternative to micro-usb in peripherals like mice and keyboards where USB-C just adds unnecessary cost.

There are still applications where USB-C is a little too big, like watches. USB-C makes sense for smartphone-size devices and up. Forcing all phones to use USB-C hopefully drives down the cost a little, so it can spread to cheaper devices.
Click to expand...
USB-C is just the connector. It's fine for pretty much everything and modern small devices were never going to have any type of port.

You can spec USB-C as low as USB 2.0 if you want. But even higher speed USB using USB-C has now come down in price a lot unless you want USB 4.

Don't swallow the Apple bullshit that USB-C cost too much. aif Raspberry Pi could afford USB-C with their very tight margins, then Apple could.
 
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