I'm sure the iPad charging cable will switch to USB-C, but for the charging adapter! Not to replace the lightning port itself. That's in line with Apple moving to USB-C on all their laptops (and presumably the next iteration, if any, of the MacBook Air)
More recently, code in Apple's iOS 12.1 beta suggests the new iPad Pro will support 4K external displays, a feature that would likely require USB-C. Output at such a high resolution is not supported by any existing iOS device or accessory, including Apple's Lightning-to-HDMI adapter.
Ridiculous statement. A new iPad Pro would not be considered an existing iOS device, so that does not mean the Lightning port will not or cannot be upgraded to support USB 3.x. You do not need a USB-C port. For all we know Apple could've created Lightning 2.0, which uses the "same" physical port and connector, but makes use of all 16 contact points at once, rather than just 8 and make it backward compatible. This could easily support data buses that make use of more data lanes to widen throughput.
It's only been 6-7 years, since the Lightning port debuted. One of the main points of the Lightning port was that it was considered "future proof". The original iPod port lasted 10 years, you think when they said that they meant less than the duration of that original port? I'd much rather have a dongle then need two different cables to charge my iOS devices. Not to mention my Siri Remote, Apple Pencil, mouse and keyboard - all of which are charged using a Lightning cable.
Bit of a muddled start to this article: "Rumors ... suggest Apple intends to swap out its proprietary Lightning connector for the faster, more robust USB-C protocol". Both Lightning and USB-C are connectors, each can carry several protocols.
Looking at the connectors and comparing my MBP with iPad and iPhone, I see the Lightning, not USB-C, connector as significantly more robust. I have had issues on several occasions with 'connector wobble' upsetting communication over USB-C, I haven't experienced the same problems with Lightning and the latter has a much more positive plug-in/out feel to it. Lightning is a nice design.
Looking at protocols, Lightning can carry (faster) USB 3 data assuming that the host device supports it (I think we all wish that more iOS devices would), USB 3 can also give higher charging powers. USB-C connectors can (and do in Macs) also carry Thunderbolt but, IMHO, USB 3 is the obvious place for iOS devices to go next in terms of cost v performance.
So I would expect a Lightning connector capable of USB 3, not a USB-C connector, on the new devices. [I see that Ars Technica says that 2015 iPad Pro is already exactly this].
At the other end of the cable? I bought my MBP 2 years ago in the belief that its USB-C ports, almost totally incompatible as they were at that time, were the future. Last month, I bought an iPhone Xs and it continues to use a USB-A connector. I'm disappointed that Apple has yet to make a "courageous" decision to move from USB-A to USB-C or even an easier one to use backwards-compatible USB-A Superspeed connectors so that the USB 3 ports on modern iMacs (and MBPs with adaptors) can supply more charging power and /or higher speed data. My MBP has a USB-C connector on its charger so I guess there's a hint there.
Whatever is the actuality, if there’s a significant upgrade in capabilities I’m definitely getting a new iPad Pro. Absolutely the best “computer” I’ve ever owned from Apple.
This could be good combined with one software change.
Presently, you can't do much of anything off an external drive on iPad, to, say, edit a video, you have to import to internal storage, edit, then export again to external storage. If they let you work right off of USB C drives at the same time as moving to C, that would be golden.
Apple sure loves for people to have to carry around a bunch of cables.
Apple has done more than any other company to get ditch of the multiple cables. If it was for the PC industry we'd still have floppy disks and RS232 ports on top of all the newer stuff
That's the truth. It was Apple who popularised USB first with the iMac. 20-year later I can still hear the whining.
Apple sure loves for people to have to carry around a bunch of cables.
Apple has done more than any other company to get ditch of the multiple cables. If it was for the PC industry we'd still have floppy disks and RS232 ports on top of all the newer stuff
That's the truth. It was Apple who popularised USB first with the iMac. 20-year later I can still hear the whining.
And that's despite the fact there were PCs with USB onboard before the iMac came out. There just wasn't anything to plug into them, and everyone just kept using the legacy ports.
Then, the iMac comes out, and a whole bunch of Bondi Blue USB peripherals show up, and suddenly PC manufacturers start supporting USB properly. And yet, they keep shipping PCs with PS2 ports for another 15 years at least. You can probably still buy them now.
More recently, code in Apple's iOS 12.1 beta suggests the new iPad Pro will support 4K external displays, a feature that would likely require USB-C. Output at such a high resolution is not supported by any existing iOS device or accessory, including Apple's Lightning-to-HDMI adapter.
Ridiculous statement. A new iPad Pro would not be considered an existing iOS device, so that does not mean the Lightning port will not or cannot be upgraded to support USB 3.x. You do not need a USB-C port. For all we know Apple could've created Lightning 2.0, which uses the "same" physical port and connector, but makes use of all 16 contact points at once, rather than just 8 and make it backward compatible. This could easily support data buses that make use of more data lanes to widen throughput.
It's only been 6-7 years, since the Lightning port debuted. One of the main points of the Lightning port was that it was considered "future proof". The original iPod port lasted 10 years, you think when they said that they meant less than the duration of that original port? I'd much rather have a dongle then need two different cables to charge my iOS devices. Not to mention my Siri Remote, Apple Pencil, mouse and keyboard - all of which are charged using a Lightning cable.
The iPad Pro been using USB 3.x host since 2015 with double sided connector.
Comments
I don’t think Apple regards wired connections as that important. I reckon they’ll stick with lightning.
Ridiculous statement. A new iPad Pro would not be considered an existing iOS device, so that does not mean the Lightning port will not or cannot be upgraded to support USB 3.x. You do not need a USB-C port. For all we know Apple could've created Lightning 2.0, which uses the "same" physical port and connector, but makes use of all 16 contact points at once, rather than just 8 and make it backward compatible. This could easily support data buses that make use of more data lanes to widen throughput.
It's only been 6-7 years, since the Lightning port debuted. One of the main points of the Lightning port was that it was considered "future proof". The original iPod port lasted 10 years, you think when they said that they meant less than the duration of that original port?
I'd much rather have a dongle then need two different cables to charge my iOS devices. Not to mention my Siri Remote, Apple Pencil, mouse and keyboard - all of which are charged using a Lightning cable.
Looking at the connectors and comparing my MBP with iPad and iPhone, I see the Lightning, not USB-C, connector as significantly more robust. I have had issues on several occasions with 'connector wobble' upsetting communication over USB-C, I haven't experienced the same problems with Lightning and the latter has a much more positive plug-in/out feel to it. Lightning is a nice design.
Looking at protocols, Lightning can carry (faster) USB 3 data assuming that the host device supports it (I think we all wish that more iOS devices would), USB 3 can also give higher charging powers. USB-C connectors can (and do in Macs) also carry Thunderbolt but, IMHO, USB 3 is the obvious place for iOS devices to go next in terms of cost v performance.
So I would expect a Lightning connector capable of USB 3, not a USB-C connector, on the new devices. [I see that Ars Technica says that 2015 iPad Pro is already exactly this].
At the other end of the cable? I bought my MBP 2 years ago in the belief that its USB-C ports, almost totally incompatible as they were at that time, were the future. Last month, I bought an iPhone Xs and it continues to use a USB-A connector. I'm disappointed that Apple has yet to make a "courageous" decision to move from USB-A to USB-C or even an easier one to use backwards-compatible USB-A Superspeed connectors so that the USB 3 ports on modern iMacs (and MBPs with adaptors) can supply more charging power and /or higher speed data. My MBP has a USB-C connector on its charger so I guess there's a hint there.
Presently, you can't do much of anything off an external drive on iPad, to, say, edit a video, you have to import to internal storage, edit, then export again to external storage. If they let you work right off of USB C drives at the same time as moving to C, that would be golden.
And that's despite the fact there were PCs with USB onboard before the iMac came out. There just wasn't anything to plug into them, and everyone just kept using the legacy ports.
Then, the iMac comes out, and a whole bunch of Bondi Blue USB peripherals show up, and suddenly PC manufacturers start supporting USB properly. And yet, they keep shipping PCs with PS2 ports for another 15 years at least. You can probably still buy them now.