Lightning strikes: Apple TV, Apple Pencil double down on proprietary port

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Comments

  • Reply 61 of 79
    inkling wrote: »
    One of my regrets about my iPad 3 is that I'm stuck with the last iPad that uses the old & clumsy 32-pin connector. I'm not going to repeat that again. My next digital devices, laptop and tablet going to be USB-C. I have nothing against a Lightning connector. I like the one on my iPhone. But I'm growing tired of proprietary.

    enjoy your Windows tablet.
  • Reply 62 of 79
    netrox wrote: »
    That power part of Apple Pencil just makes no sense. Why is it "male" when everything is "female" for accepting recharge? It's a bad design.

    it's obvious - so you can plug it into the iPad itself for charging.
  • Reply 63 of 79
    Funny every rumour is treated as the gospel truth.

    Time for all writers to take their heads out of where the sun doesn't shine and stop speculating but wait for the real thing from Apple.
  • Reply 64 of 79
    cali wrote: »
    Except AppleTV does have a USB C port, making things even more complicated.


    I think the lightning connector is awesome. Does USB C let you plug in at either orientation?
    Using mini USB is a huge step back as I've been spoiled by the simplicity of Lightning.

    ALSO:

    The power port behind the AppleTV is ugly. Why didn't they use a lightning port instead? Or is that asking for too much??

    400

    Thanks. I've screwed up almost every comment I've made about the AppleTV (reason given days ago) and will leave it alone now until I can get one in my hands and see for myself what it can/can not do for my clients here in Germany.

    I really need a break from these forums or need to change my sig pronto. Probably both :rolleyes:
  • Reply 65 of 79
    crowleycrowley Posts: 10,453member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by CustomTB View Post



    But the pencil has a male lightning so you will need a new female port for it. Is that included? Why no female on the pencil so we can plug it in on our existing chargers?



    The female port is included with the iPad Pro that is a prerequisite to use of the Pencil.

  • Reply 66 of 79
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by SolipsismY View Post





    He specifically mentions the charging cable, and the one end being USB (read: USB-A). He's not suggesting it be USB-C, but that the included cable be USB-C-to-Lightning. Personally, I want more USB-C, and I'm a little surprised the cable and PSU for Watch is USB-A when it's a new product that came out after the new MacBook which has a USB-C PSU and a USB-C-to-USB-C cable.

    The problem is for those people that don't want to charge the remote via the Apple TV box, almost all their computers and wall chargers won't be able to accept a USB-C plug (only the Macbook One owners could). At some point Apple will switch over (when all its computers ship only with USB-C ports, the lightning cables used for charging and syncing shipped with iOS devices as well as the Apple TV will certainly switch over to USB-C for the USB end of the cable). 

     

    But that switchover is something that affects all computers and all users regardless of brand. 

  • Reply 67 of 79
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by cali View Post

    The power port behind the AppleTV is ugly. Why didn't they use a lightning port instead? Or is that asking for too much??




    Because the lightning port is not designed to handle 110/230 volt. That plug on the Apple TV is for a simple cable (without any power brick transformer parts) that plugs into the electrical socket in your wall. In other words, the 'power supply' (ie, the transformer) is inside the Apple TV.

  • Reply 68 of 79
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by netrox View Post



    That power part of Apple Pencil just makes no sense. Why is it "male" when everything is "female" for accepting recharge? It's a bad design.



    Because then you can charge it from the iPad while on the go (or generally away from a charger). 

  • Reply 69 of 79
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by CustomTB View Post



    But the pencil has a male lightning so you will need a new female port for it. Is that included? Why no female on the pencil so we can plug it in on our existing chargers?



    Quite simple. If you have the pencil and you are going to use it, you have to have the iPad there with you. Therefore you can charge the pencil.

    However, you wouldn't necessarily have a charger there or even somewhere to plug the charger in.

     

    So, it seems odd at 1st but it actually makes more sense, especially when you see how quickly it can charge.

  • Reply 70 of 79
    Hugely disappointed that apple didn't bring USB C (with video!) to their latest mobile devices.

    Its inevitable that they will, and that's good, but it disappointing they didn't do it this year.

    Maybe next year, Apple?
  • Reply 71 of 79
    Hugely disappointed that apple didn't bring USB C (with video!) to their latest mobile devices.

    Its inevitable that they will, and that's good, but it disappointing they didn't do it this year.

    Maybe next year, Apple?

    You mean to the PSU end? If they aren't going to do it on that end for the Apple Watch charger, like they did with the MacBook, then I have to wonder if they would ever replace Lightning with the thicker USB-C connector.
  • Reply 72 of 79
    cnocbuicnocbui Posts: 3,613member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by truthmatters View Post



    Hugely disappointed that apple didn't bring USB C (with video!) to their latest mobile devices.



    Its inevitable that they will, and that's good, but it disappointing they didn't do it this year.



    Maybe next year, Apple?



    Apple have never, that I can recall, used an industry standard data/power port on an iOS device.  They probably never will as they make too much money from having proprietary connectors which gives them inflated Apple priced sales as well as income from licensing to third parties.

     

    I find it ironic that the micro, then nano sized sims were said to be necessary to reduce precious space in iPhones - LoL!  Now look at them.

     

    The OnePlus 2 android phone has a USB C port.

  • Reply 73 of 79
    sphericspheric Posts: 2,544member
    cnocbui wrote: »
    I find it ironic that the micro, then nano sized sims were said to be necessary to reduce precious space in iPhones - LoL!  Now look at them.

    As you say: to reduce precious space IN iPhones. Have you looked them? By all means: do!

    They are absolutely crammed.
  • Reply 74 of 79
    Originally Posted by Cash907 View Post

    Not moving to the much faster USB-C on the new IPad Pro was a silly choice that will ultimately hobble it as a professional tool.



    And you know the speed of the Lighting port... how?

  • Reply 75 of 79
    And you know the speed of the Lighting port... how?

    I can't wrap my head around such assumptions. Why would anything assume that the Lightning connector is only capable of (what I assume is their implication) USB 2.0 speeds, and that Apple would be required to use a completely different connector in order to get faster performance from that connector, regardless of any other HW.
  • Reply 76 of 79
    Originally Posted by SolipsismY View Post

    I can't wrap my head around such assumptions. Why would anything assume that the Lightning connector is only capable of (what I assume is their implication) USB 2.0 speeds, and that Apple would be required to use a completely different connector in order to get faster performance from that connector, regardless of any other HW.

     

    I wonder about the iPad Pro specifically. Since they’ve reportedly upped the NAND speed (if the actual write speed is listed somewhere, I haven’t seen it), could it possibly ship with a Lightning-USB 3 cable?

  • Reply 77 of 79
    I wonder about the iPad Pro specifically. Since they’ve reportedly upped the NAND speed (if the actual write speed is listed somewhere, I haven’t seen it), could it possibly ship with a Lightning-USB 3 cable?

    1) Possibly, but would they use a cable and PSU with USB-A or USB-C at the other end, like on the new MB.

    2) Look at the sequential read/write for the iPhone 6S-series on AnandTech. Are those speeds faster than what the USB 2.0 protocol can deliver?

    3) Remember a few years ago when Samsung put amicro-USB 3.0 port on a smartphone. No performance advantage, just a big stupid connector for spec sheet masturbators to get off on.
  • Reply 78 of 79
    Originally Posted by SolipsismY View Post

    1) Possibly, but would they use a cable and PSU with USB-A or USB-C at the other end, like on the new MB.

     

    Unless they plan to make a $15 USB A to USB C adapter, they’ll have to go with A. They’re not going to make it incompatible with hundreds of thousands of computers.

     

    2) Look at the sequential read/write for the iPhone 6S-series on AnandTech. Are those speeds faster than what the USB 2.0 protocol can deliver?




    Same chips there, huh? Looks like it’s over USB 2. Interesting.

     

    3) Remember a few years ago when Samsung put amicro-USB 3.0 port on a smartphone. No performance advantage, just a big stupid connector for spec sheet masturbators to get off on.


     

    Sure, but that’s Samsung. The lack of performance increase probably came from NAND not being any faster. Now we finally have something that can write faster than USB 2’s burst (read: never) performance.

  • Reply 79 of 79
    Unless they plan to make a $15 USB A to USB C adapter, they’ll have to go with A. They’re not going to make it incompatible with hundreds of thousands of computers.

    Apple doesn't like to include an adapter these days but this is an unusual device that perhaps they want to help set the stage. Is this something one is likely to connect with a Mac/WinPC much anyway? I'm not debating your point, and I doubt it would be USB-C, but I'm just trying to think through the possibilities.
    Same chips there, huh? Looks like it’s over USB 2. Interesting.

    I'm not sure. I know the 6S-series NAND is much faster over last year, but the iPad Pro could use extra chips with a controller that works pretty much like an on-board SSD, which could push even those random read/writes far ahead.
    Sure, but that’s Samsung. The lack of performance increase probably came from NAND not being any faster. Now we finally have something that can write faster than USB 2’s burst (read: never) performance.

    NAND faster than USB 2.0 certainly moves the "weak link" off the NAND so I would expect the USB controller for Lightning to be upgraded, Lightning get a change to accommodate USB 3.0 speeds (if required), Apple moving to USB-C (which is what I'd like to see, based on available info, even though its thicker than Lightning), or maybe that optical connector will come into play (perhaps from a magnetically linked dock, not unlike how the iPad Pro connects to the keyboard accessory, but an optical port in the center. The thing I dislike about Docks is that you can't just grab the device off it. You need two hands so you can pop it off the connector. This could solve that.).
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