JFC! So they create buzz that says Apple is going to get rid of the port and it becomes truth in the public arena, then they turn around and claim that it’s a bad idea. This is all horeshit. Apparently, it’s perfectly legal to leak information about a company to manipulate stocks, yet the current laws for whistleblowing (actual facts) are the worst now than in the past 50 years.
Seriously, this country—the laws and those who run it—are morally bankrupt.
mike1 said: Amazing how some people just can't visualize a use case that's not their own.
I am pretty sure that close to 100% of people who travel want to charge with a cable because there is nowhere to place a charging mat in the terminal or the plane or a restaurant, or a limo and you can't use the phone if it is on a mat. That is tens of millions of people every day that have the same use case as me.
I travel a lot so carrying a wireless charger is too bulky and would be very inconvenient on the plane.
It is not about charging only. But agreed that wireless charger can be bulky
Plus you can't charge and hold to use at the same time. Just a bad idea for my use case.
Amazing how some people just can't visualize a use case that's not their own.
So if the majority of people wanted this change, but it completely doesn't fit my use case..what then? My personal preference is now irrelevant and selfish? Seriously?
In my vehicle I relay on my iPhone for music.Sound is head and shoulders better plugged into the USB port in the console than playing via bluetooth. This is the iPhone that I pay for along with my T-Mobile service. I should be ok with losing the ability to use a device that I own,in a way that I want, because others use case is not the same and they are ok with the change we are discussing here?
"The past is the key to understanding the present. The future is best envisioned without preconception." EM
I can envision my future devices as being wireless and without ports. This includes displays, communicators (future smartphones), sound systems, etc.. Charging mats are only a stepping stone to contactless charging; and wireless, very secure, data transfers are now a reality (ApplePay and Airplay are examples). In the interim new devices will wirelessly communicate with other devices (such as older versions of CarPlay) via a dongle that wirelessly communicates and perhaps even charges.
It is all going to happen, the question is when. But the company that will lead that change will most likely be Apple.
The "sources familiar with the matter" must be smoking some of that legalized California weed. Apple would be extremely stupid to remove the Lightning connector, if for no other reason than it would render several high profile accessories, including CarPlay, useless.
I would look forward towards an iPhone with no port.
It’s time for iPhones and iPads to switch to USB-C. This is the new standard for all mobile, laptops, and other small devices and accessories. The Lightning port was an interim port that Apple had hoped to become the new USB-C port standard but lost out to the current port when the standards were finalized by the USB consortium of which Apple was and still is a member.
Eliminating all ports would help Apple make the device completely waterproof, which most users would adopt as The New Normal. Apple could place a diagnostic port inside the device to allow them a physical way to charge it and diagnose problems, but keep the information of the port out of the hands of third parties interested in hacking into the device, its networking and its data. Since it would be a port for internal use only, they would not have to publish the specs for the port, and they could insert hardware and software roadblocks to minimize reverse engineering.
I travel a lot so carrying a wireless charger is too bulky and would be very inconvenient on the plane.
It is not about charging only. But agreed that wireless charger can be bulky
Plus you can't charge and hold to use at the same time. Just a bad idea for my use case.
Amazing how some people just can't visualize a use case that's not their own.
So if the majority of people wanted this change, but it completely doesn't fit my use case..what then? My personal preference is now irrelevant and selfish? Seriously?
In my vehicle I relay on my iPhone for music.Sound is head and shoulders better plugged into the USB port in the console than playing via bluetooth. This is the iPhone that I pay for along with my T-Mobile service. I should be ok with losing the ability to use a device that I own,in a way that I want, because others use case is not the same and they are ok with the change we are discussing here?
The simple answer here is yes you should suffer, otherwise technology willl not move forward. Frankly this applies to many different technologies.
For example in the days of silver photography i invested a ton of money to support my hobby. Digital blew all of that away, should the move to digital photography have been halted to save my investment ? Dont even ask me how much money went down the drain since my first computer purchase ( a Vic 20)!
The point is your concerns are rediculous when considered against what good Apple can do moving tech forward. Your attitude frankly has been demonstrated by people having progress issues in many different technology fields and in the end has proven to be unwarranted thinking.
mike1 said: Amazing how some people just can't visualize a use case that's not their own.
I am pretty sure that close to 100% of people who travel want to charge with a cable because there is nowhere to place a charging mat in the terminal or the plane or a restaurant, or a limo and you can't use the phone if it is on a mat. That is tens of millions of people every day that have the same use case as me.
With all due respect, you aren't thinking fourth dimensionally (as Doc Brown would say). When Apple switched from the 30-pin dock connector to Lightning, if someone forgot their Lightning cable while in any of those situations you describe, they would have been just as out of luck. Eventually all of those locations ended up having Lightning cables to provide that service, whether you lost or forgot your own.
Starbucks have had charging mats at many locations for years, and with purchase an iPhone user could borrow a 30-pin wireless charging adapter to use with their phone such that they could continue using their phone as it charges. Even as we type back and forth on this forum, Starbucks is upgrading to the QI standard which Android has been using for years, and Airport charging bars are getting on board the bandwagon as well. Add to that, charging mats aren't the only solution. I presume you're aware of the Apple Watch? If Apple drops the Lightning port, I'd expect them to offer an alternative to the current wireless charging method -- essentially a magnetic puck that attached to the back to allow using the phone while charging, without an awkward pad. Something like the SmartConnector would serve this purpose well. Yes it might require an additional adapter for some purposes, but essentially this move would not ultimately inconvenience you any more than the switch to Lightning. In fact, as the rest of the world steps up to the QI plate, it's likely to make your life a lot easier.
The "sources familiar with the matter" must be smoking some of that legalized California weed. Apple would be extremely stupid to remove the Lightning connector, if for no other reason than it would render several high profile accessories, including CarPlay, useless.
While I am not ready for a port-less phone just yet, CarPlay needs to go wireless ASAP. Such a good feature being under-utilized due to connection requirement.
In the end the sooner Apple implements this the better, especially if it leads to a waterproof iPhone that can even handoe submersion. The nature of the iPhone demands that it be rugged in a variety of environments. For the worry warts out there Apples doesnt need to make every phone water proof id be perfectly happy with one model this september.
As for the other ports making them waterproof isnt a big issue. There are solutions for the mic, speaker and sim slot.
Does anyone else get the feeling that Apple is going to continue removing features from their products in a nihilistic ritual to see how far they can go before people abandon them completely? Because that's what it looks like. But hey, their margin will keep going up, so you know, FTW!
What features are you talking about that Apple is removing? And how can margins keep going up while "people is abandoning them completely"? If you're talking about the 3.5mm jack, I've seen just a couple new phones with this year and it is not that big of a deal.
AppleInsider said: Lightning is used for more than just charging. It is used for quick backups to a tethered computer and for some peripheral connections, like speaker docks. Importantly, it is also used to do software reinstalls on a recalcitrant device. There are SD-card adapters, iOS device to television connectors, speaker docks, and a whole host of other peripherals that rely on the connector. And, there is talk that USB-C is on the horizon for the iPhone at some point. And, wired CarPlay is only just now really starting to take hold. Wireless CarPlay is still the odd-man out.
I completely disagree with this editorial.
If Apple removes the Lightning port, they definitely won't replace it with USB-C. A more logical approach would be something like a SmartConnector, which should be able to handle the current Lightning standard of USB 2.0 speeds. Yes it means another dongle/adaptor, but for most, wireless charging will be the reward. Further, as Wifi, AirDrop, AirPlay, and BT technologies become even more robust, wireless is going to be far more preferable way to connect than wires in most cases. Wireless is already technically far faster than the current USB 2.0 standard the phone is using. But I also think Apple won't abandon a way to physically connect, at least to maintain the current standard. But they're not going to make it any easier, or a preferable alternative that detracts from their forward thinking, and IMO correct goal to eliminate all wires on a mobile device.
AppleInsider said: Lightning is used for more than just charging. It is used for quick backups to a tethered computer and for some peripheral connections, like speaker docks. Importantly, it is also used to do software reinstalls on a recalcitrant device. There are SD-card adapters, iOS device to television connectors, speaker docks, and a whole host of other peripherals that rely on the connector. And, there is talk that USB-C is on the horizon for the iPhone at some point. And, wired CarPlay is only just now really starting to take hold. Wireless CarPlay is still the odd-man out.
I completely disagree with this editorial.
If Apple removes the Lightning port, they definitely won't replace it with USB-C. A more logical approach would be something like a SmartConnector, which should be able to handle the current Lightning standard of USB 2.0 speeds. Yes it means another dongle/adaptor, but for most, wireless charging will be the reward. Further, as Wifi, AirDrop, AirPlay, and BT technologies become even more robust, wireless is going to be far more preferable way to connect than wires in most cases. Wireless is already technically far faster than the current USB 2.0 standard the phone is using. But I also think Apple won't abandon a way to physically connect, at least to maintain the current standard. But they're not going to make it any easier, or a preferable alternative that detracts from their forward thinking, and IMO correct goal to eliminate all wires on a mobile device.
You mentioned in post #29 above to use a magnetic charging puck. But what of the connection for digital signals? Does a SmartConnector (your words) need to be a direct electrical connection? Why not optical? Much like an optical SPDIF cable? If the charging puck is self-centering (like on the Apple Watch), you can put the optical cable in the center (over a lens in the iPhone case), obviating the need for a direct electrical connection receptacle. An optical transceiver/translator chip is needed on both ends (inside the iPhone and in the cable), but this is hardly rocket science.
AppleInsider said: Lightning is used for more than just charging. It is used for quick backups to a tethered computer and for some peripheral connections, like speaker docks. Importantly, it is also used to do software reinstalls on a recalcitrant device. There are SD-card adapters, iOS device to television connectors, speaker docks, and a whole host of other peripherals that rely on the connector. And, there is talk that USB-C is on the horizon for the iPhone at some point. And, wired CarPlay is only just now really starting to take hold. Wireless CarPlay is still the odd-man out.
I completely disagree with this editorial.
If Apple removes the Lightning port, they definitely won't replace it with USB-C. A more logical approach would be something like a SmartConnector, which should be able to handle the current Lightning standard of USB 2.0 speeds. Yes it means another dongle/adaptor, but for most, wireless charging will be the reward. Further, as Wifi, AirDrop, AirPlay, and BT technologies become even more robust, wireless is going to be far more preferable way to connect than wires in most cases. Wireless is already technically far faster than the current USB 2.0 standard the phone is using. But I also think Apple won't abandon a way to physically connect, at least to maintain the current standard. But they're not going to make it any easier, or a preferable alternative that detracts from their forward thinking, and IMO correct goal to eliminate all wires on a mobile device.
You mentioned in post #29 above to use a magnetic charging puck. But what of the connection for digital signals? Does a SmartConnector (your words) need to be a direct electrical connection? Why not optical? Much like an optical SPDIF cable? If the charging puck is self-centering (like on the Apple Watch), you can put the optical cable in the center (over a lens in the iPhone case), obviating the need for a direct electrical connection receptacle. An optical transceiver/translator chip is needed on both ends (inside the iPhone and in the cable), but this is hardly rocket science.
A Smart Connector type solution could also be used for charging as it powers the keyboard now, eliminating the need for a puck, though I'd still prefer it for an option -- I don't think most people using a mobile phone really need to carry a data cable around with them.
Optical is an interesting proposition, and as I understand it, optical could also deliver power. Regardless, without an extra case, any optical data connector would need a port of some kind, or some kind of magnetic attachment to position it over the receiver. That reminds me a little of my old Palm with its IR port. But sure, that would remove any data transfer limitations. Though I doubt it would be as inexpensive as the SmartConnector, which simply adapts electrical impulses to another connector.
I have several iOS devices dedicated to MIDI/audio input/output by way of the lightning port. In a pinch I can use an iPhone on a professional music gig. It would render my phone to being a phone and an alarm clock if there were no data port.
"There is too much user functionality, to say nothing of a troubleshooting need, for the connector to go away —at least today." Flexibility has been going the way of the Dodo for at least a decade...sadly.
Comments
I can envision my future devices as being wireless and without ports. This includes displays, communicators (future smartphones), sound systems, etc.. Charging mats are only a stepping stone to contactless charging; and wireless, very secure, data transfers are now a reality (ApplePay and Airplay are examples). In the interim new devices will wirelessly communicate with other devices (such as older versions of CarPlay) via a dongle that wirelessly communicates and perhaps even charges.
It is all going to happen, the question is when. But the company that will lead that change will most likely be Apple.
For example in the days of silver photography i invested a ton of money to support my hobby. Digital blew all of that away, should the move to digital photography have been halted to save my investment ? Dont even ask me how much money went down the drain since my first computer purchase ( a Vic 20)!
The point is your concerns are rediculous when considered against what good Apple can do moving tech forward. Your attitude frankly has been demonstrated by people having progress issues in many different technology fields and in the end has proven to be unwarranted thinking.
With all due respect, you aren't thinking fourth dimensionally (as Doc Brown would say). When Apple switched from the 30-pin dock connector to Lightning, if someone forgot their Lightning cable while in any of those situations you describe, they would have been just as out of luck. Eventually all of those locations ended up having Lightning cables to provide that service, whether you lost or forgot your own.
Starbucks have had charging mats at many locations for years, and with purchase an iPhone user could borrow a 30-pin wireless charging adapter to use with their phone such that they could continue using their phone as it charges. Even as we type back and forth on this forum, Starbucks is upgrading to the QI standard which Android has been using for years, and Airport charging bars are getting on board the bandwagon as well. Add to that, charging mats aren't the only solution. I presume you're aware of the Apple Watch? If Apple drops the Lightning port, I'd expect them to offer an alternative to the current wireless charging method -- essentially a magnetic puck that attached to the back to allow using the phone while charging, without an awkward pad. Something like the SmartConnector would serve this purpose well. Yes it might require an additional adapter for some purposes, but essentially this move would not ultimately inconvenience you any more than the switch to Lightning. In fact, as the rest of the world steps up to the QI plate, it's likely to make your life a lot easier.
As for the other ports making them waterproof isnt a big issue. There are solutions for the mic, speaker and sim slot.
I completely disagree with this editorial.
If Apple removes the Lightning port, they definitely won't replace it with USB-C. A more logical approach would be something like a SmartConnector, which should be able to handle the current Lightning standard of USB 2.0 speeds. Yes it means another dongle/adaptor, but for most, wireless charging will be the reward. Further, as Wifi, AirDrop, AirPlay, and BT technologies become even more robust, wireless is going to be far more preferable way to connect than wires in most cases. Wireless is already technically far faster than the current USB 2.0 standard the phone is using. But I also think Apple won't abandon a way to physically connect, at least to maintain the current standard. But they're not going to make it any easier, or a preferable alternative that detracts from their forward thinking, and IMO correct goal to eliminate all wires on a mobile device.
Optical is an interesting proposition, and as I understand it, optical could also deliver power. Regardless, without an extra case, any optical data connector would need a port of some kind, or some kind of magnetic attachment to position it over the receiver. That reminds me a little of my old Palm with its IR port. But sure, that would remove any data transfer limitations. Though I doubt it would be as inexpensive as the SmartConnector, which simply adapts electrical impulses to another connector.
Flexibility has been going the way of the Dodo for at least a decade...sadly.