If you watch the video Joz says iPhones in the EU will have USB-C. The interviewer asks about other geos and he declines to answer saying he want going to give away Apple’s plans. So, AI spinning this as iPhones are getting USB-C is fairly inaccurate.
Actually until the beginning of 2025, but the fact that they are ready for this next fall proves -- at least to me -- that they were headed down this path all along anyway.
I’m all for one universal cable and I understand why the push for change happens. However…
I own a dozen of USB-C and lightning devices.
In half of my USB-C devices, like my Macbook Pro, ports have loosened to the point where cables don’t stay in, USBs and attachments have become wiggly, etc. USB-C design relies purely on friction, and when you use the ports frequently that friction slowly disappears. Plus, the ports are larger than lightning ports.
Lightning’s design has the connecting tabs on the cable, and its design causes it to snap into place because it has grooves that fit the cable tip, making it more secure, satisfying, and easy to use. I have never had an issue with a lighting port becoming loose, and I cannot break the inner port as easily as I can with USB-C.
So I just hoped that USB-C as a standard was designed a bit better with the above in mind…
I’ll always be surprised that Apple didn’t keep lightning up to date. Surely they could have added faster speed to it had they wanted to? So why let it languish?
Most of the complaints I hear about lightning are it’s crap speeds.
If you watch the video Joz says iPhones in the EU will have USB-C. The interviewer asks about other geos and he declines to answer saying he want going to give away Apple’s plans. So, AI spinning this as iPhones are getting USB-C is fairly inaccurate.
And Apple is at the size where having multi-market products isn't infeasible or uneconomic for them in a way that impacts the bottom line in a significant way.
That said, it seems unlikely Apple will go that route. Why? Some claim to preserve income from the Lighting stuff. Maybe. Seems like Apple has other fish to fry and other battles to fight. But who knows.
Apple has been making different models by region since the iPhone 3G or 3Gs. With the most recent phones the U.S got dual esim. While a bunch of the world kept support for a physical sim.
Why? That’s easy. Apple thinks they have a better solution. You are assuming they would stick with Lightning and to be fair that is what most people tend to think but Apple committed to Lightning for 10 years and that time is up. Perhaps they will go in an entirely different direction or maybe it will be USC-C for everyone. I certainly don’t know. I did find his working curious though.
Ok I don't get this. People moaning and wailing about how horrible it is that Apple is being forced to switch to a USB C port, complaining "what happens when the USB C port is outdated?" and then saying "well we should just remove the port!" (picture a toddler stamping his feet and pouting) If you think the phone will be fine without a port, what difference does it make what port it has? And how in God's name can you be concerned that the EU has locked the iPhone to a port that will be outdated and then argue that it doesn't need aport at all?
Governments should not be specifying hardware requirements. Some small towns still have outdate laws on the books from the 1700's and & 1800's. Are they enforced? Most times no but they are still there for lawyers to leverage as they see fit.
Governments are too slow to change and adapt. Will they now have to be included in future product design sessions when companies want/need to migrate from USB C? Silly right but how will that change happen? What if governments required all PC to have CD ROM drives or headphone jacks. They need to say in their lane.
Apple has always been on the bleeding edge adopting technologies when others don't, Firewire & Thunderbolt both Intel technologies but don't remember seeing it well adopted in PCs.
I feel this is just a start. How would you feel if the EU said next every phone will have a certain screen resolution, or be manufactured in one of the EU countries? Who owns the USB-C standard? What are the interests of the EU and their relationship with companies holding the USB-C standard? If this was a mandate in the US you could bet someone in Congress would be pushing a company in their portfolio would be awarded a contract to manufacture parts that companies like Apple and Samsung would need to comply.
Well, India told Apple they must manufacturer a percentage of iPhones in India if they wanted to sell iPhones in India. Where does it end? Global corporations like Apple have every swinging dick punching them in the balls to comply with their rules. We got Brazil ordering chargers be included while the EU mandates USB-C to save the planet. Bizarre to the max.
This should’ve happened years ago! Since Apple obviously haven’t cared about improving lighting, except some small incremental changes they did.
The current devices or protocols aren’t even close to max usbc has to offer.
Granted the switch will be painful for some. Or not really, my lightning gadgets won’t become obsolete or stop working when their usbc counterparts come out. I’ll either sell them or use them until they become inoperable.
People really need to step back and take a chill pill here. This is - will be an upgrade, win win.
This has nothing to do with devices, protocols, usb-c or any other technical issue. It’s about a foreign entity imposing its will upon an American company and forcing it to manufacture its products to their specifications. And those gloating over this will change their tunes when something better and more innovative comes along and can’t be implemented until that foreign entity gives the okay, which could take years of bureaucrats ‘studying' the issue.
Clearly you've never purchased a German car that's had to comply with US regulations. How dare the U.S. force a GERMAN company to abide by U.S. rules when doing business here! Clearly the U.S. government is nothing but a communist totalitarian dictatorship! /s
There is a problem with the car analogy. On the surface it illustrates your point, that it is far from unheard of that governments mandate things that affect companies from other countries or regions.
However, when the US mandated bumpers the requirement wasn’t to use a specific bumper that all car manufacturers had to use, it was left to the car manufacturers to make a bumper that met the requirements of the mandate.
Similarly, when the (I think) EU mandated taller front ends to reduce pedestrian injuries they put forth specifications that auto makers had to meet but, again, auto makers were free to meet those specs in their own way.
That is much different than what we have here with the mandated use of USB-C.
Side note: I don’t care either way what port we end up with on iPhones. I can see the pros/cons of USB-C and the pros/cons of Lightening. I DON’T see how there’s a reduction in waste, though (unless every device manufacturer stops including a cable in the box but that is something that could have been accomplished without a mandated port).
This has nothing to do with devices, protocols, usb-c or any other technical issue. It’s about a foreign entity imposing its will upon an American company and forcing it to manufacture its products to their specifications. And those gloating over this will change their tunes when something better and more innovative comes along and can’t be implemented until that foreign entity gives the okay, which could take years of bureaucrats ‘studying' the issue.
You do realize this is a common practice across many different markets(IE different governments)? Foreign carmakers have to align with American safety regulations, which are at times overreaching. They have to manufacture trucks in the USA or be subject to a 25% tax(chicken tax). Phone manufacturers must comply with the FDA and FCC measures, which at times can be draconian. There are so many examples. But its simple, if a company wants to access the customers in that market, they have to play by the rules dictated by that market. Look at all of the complaints about the 30% required to access the App Store, yet people comply with it because they want access to the customers.
While I am happy with the shift to USB-C, I personally don't like it being a regulation. But you seemed unhappy that a foreign government is dictating access to a market, when the country you reside in does the exact same thing.
Modern recording formats demand modern physical connectors. Fingers crossed that Apple introduces at least USB3.1 (and hopefully USB4) protocol on their upcoming USB-C iPhone port. As others have mentioned, a 4K ProRes and Raw-Stills capable camera with up to 1Terabyte of storage capacity is fundamentally bottlenecked when attempting to offload such heavy data through the archaic USB2 protocol of Lightning cables, or the (spotty and dropout-prone) WiFi protocol of Airdrop. The minimum 5-and-a-half hours to copy a full 1Terabyte iPhone 13/14 'Pro' through a USB2 Lightning cable has been positively outrageous-- The very antithesis of a professional device or workflow. --which is too bad, because otherwise, the current iPhone 'Pro's are remarkable devices.
The EU needs to remember they would be speaking German today if not for the United States.
I have several expensive charging stands for my iPhone and Apple Watch. I bet they are not gonna reimburse me for their cost when I have to buy new ones.
Apple should stop selling their product in the EU. See how long it takes for the people to raise enough hell with the EU that they change their tune.
Ask someone to help you with reading basic history, buddy! 27 million dead Russians/USSR (of which 10-11 million were soldiers) during WWII are the primary reason I don’t speak German! Compare that to the 405.399 dead American soldiers.
Or death toll as a fraction of population size:
Poland 16% Lithuania 14% Russia/USSR 14%
Great Britain 0,9% USA 0,3%
I am grateful for all who helped defeat the Third Reich—regardless of their nationality—but it is indisputable that it was the sacrifices made by the USSR that decided the outcome of WWII.
it was inevitable. But what's so amusing is seeing all of the pro-USB-C fanatics thinking that USB-C is the end-all-be-all of connections. News to you, folks. Things will change again in the future, and then your loyalties will switch once again.
Ok I don't get this. People moaning and wailing about how horrible it is that Apple is being forced to switch to a USB C port, complaining "what happens when the USB C port is outdated?" and then saying "well we should just remove the port!" (picture a toddler stamping his feet and pouting) If you think the phone will be fine without a port, what difference does it make what port it has? And how in God's name can you be concerned that the EU has locked the iPhone to a port that will be outdated and then argue that it doesn't need aport at all?
Does the EU ruling require that a phone have a USB-C, or if it has one, that port must be USB-C? That's an important distinction.
I've happily been using my iPhone with Qi chargers every day. No need for a cable.
I hope like hell they also add a Thunderbolt/USB4 controller while they're at it.
If they're going to be adding USB-C and allow users to take Pro Raw photos and ProRes video, they ought to supply a way to get the content off the phones in a reasonable timeframe.
They didn't do it for iPad Pro M1. I mean - they had the Thunderbolt port, but you can't get anything on/off it in a reasonable timeframe. If you connect it to MBP with Thunderbolt 40GB/s, the transfer speed is only 130 MB/s.
Ok I don't get this. People moaning and wailing about how horrible it is that Apple is being forced to switch to a USB C port, complaining "what happens when the USB C port is outdated?" and then saying "well we should just remove the port!" (picture a toddler stamping his feet and pouting) If you think the phone will be fine without a port, what difference does it make what port it has? And how in God's name can you be concerned that the EU has locked the iPhone to a port that will be outdated and then argue that it doesn't need aport at all?
The two things aren't mutually exclusive. If it has a charging port it must be USB-C. If it doesn't the law doesn't apply.
What this prevents is some new port, call it "Lightning-C", from being developed and used.
Ok I don't get this. People moaning and wailing about how horrible it is that Apple is being forced to switch to a USB C port, complaining "what happens when the USB C port is outdated?" and then saying "well we should just remove the port!" (picture a toddler stamping his feet and pouting) If you think the phone will be fine without a port, what difference does it make what port it has? And how in God's name can you be concerned that the EU has locked the iPhone to a port that will be outdated and then argue that it doesn't need aport at all?
I think it’s a bit more complex than that as to what the EU requirements are. Right now, it’s still confusing as to whether the EU will allow just wireless charging. After all, that, in itself, has numerous different pads, rings, etc. so if they require one connector type, what does that mean with wireless? Are they going to say it’s ok as long as it’s the Qi system (maybe that’s not the spelling)? But there are variations on that too, so will they allow just one?
what if Apple comes out with a “MagSafe” connector that magnetically clips the cable on, with tabs that are embedded into the surface of the phone case something like the keyboard connector on the iPads, with no slot for a connector to fit into? That would also be “wireless” and would also pass data. Would that be allowed?
this is why it’s a problem.
My point was about the hypocrisy of people complaining that the 'big bad EU' is dictating the port because a bureaucracy never updates its regulations but then in the next breath saying we should remove the port altogether. Clearly, their issue is that they don't like being told what to do and are trying to come up with some excuse as to why it's bad, even it's completely illogical and makes them look like an idiot.
As far as the 'what if xxx comes up with something better,' Like I said there's been no great outcry that lightning has been stuck on a 20 year old standard so complaining that they're being forced to use something that will be more than adequate for the foreseeable future is also quite disingenuous. If they're ok with lightning/USB 2.0 speeds they should be good with USB C for at least 20 years.
There's also nothing that says the standard can't be updated. The EU very pointedly tried to get the industry to solve this problem themselves. If a USB D connector should be developed and agreed upon then the law can be updated.
Bureaucrats take their time, and politicians, who were really behind this aren’t always rational about what they’re doing, or why. Remember if it weren’t for stiff industry opposition, the usb micro port would have been adopted for this several years ago, and no phones would have USB C now. But most phones then WERE using the micro connector, so you’d think they would have been happy with it, but they were looking forward, not wanting to be frozen in with it. How long would it have taken the EU to officially change their position, another year, two, three?
jt’s plenty obvious that Apple was moving towards this as the newer iPads went to it several years ago, before the EU got serious about this. While Joz can joke about how Apple loves Lightning, they loved the old 30 pin connector as well, but left it when it was clearly no longer useful, and was holding them back. With ProRex video and ProRaw 48MP files being so big, there’s no doubt they would be moving off Lightning in the next couple of years anyway, so this did nothing other than MAYBE moving them ahead by a year. But maybe not that either, as it doesn’t come into effect until the end of 2024, and it’s unlikely Apple would contend with slow transfers at that time, not with them pushing high rate encodes.
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I own a dozen of USB-C and lightning devices.
In half of my USB-C devices, like my Macbook Pro, ports have loosened to the point where cables don’t stay in, USBs and attachments have become wiggly, etc. USB-C design relies purely on friction, and when you use the ports frequently that friction slowly disappears. Plus, the ports are larger than lightning ports.
Lightning’s design has the connecting tabs on the cable, and its design causes it to snap into place because it has grooves that fit the cable tip, making it more secure, satisfying, and easy to use. I have never had an issue with a lighting port becoming loose, and I cannot break the inner port as easily as I can with USB-C.
So I just hoped that USB-C as a standard was designed a bit better with the above in mind…
Most of the complaints I hear about lightning are it’s crap speeds.
Governments are too slow to change and adapt. Will they now have to be included in future product design sessions when companies want/need to migrate from USB C? Silly right but how will that change happen? What if governments required all PC to have CD ROM drives or headphone jacks. They need to say in their lane.
Apple has always been on the bleeding edge adopting technologies when others don't, Firewire & Thunderbolt both Intel technologies but don't remember seeing it well adopted in PCs.
While I am happy with the shift to USB-C, I personally don't like it being a regulation. But you seemed unhappy that a foreign government is dictating access to a market, when the country you reside in does the exact same thing.
27 million dead Russians/USSR (of which 10-11 million were soldiers) during WWII are the primary reason I don’t speak German!
Compare that to the 405.399 dead American soldiers.
Or death toll as a fraction of population size:
Poland 16%
Lithuania 14%
Russia/USSR 14%
Great Britain 0,9%
USA 0,3%
I am grateful for all who helped defeat the Third Reich—regardless of their nationality—but it is indisputable that it was the sacrifices made by the USSR that decided the outcome of WWII.
Does the EU ruling require that a phone have a USB-C, or if it has one, that port must be USB-C? That's an important distinction.
I've happily been using my iPhone with Qi chargers every day. No need for a cable.
If you connect it to MBP with Thunderbolt 40GB/s, the transfer speed is only 130 MB/s.
jt’s plenty obvious that Apple was moving towards this as the newer iPads went to it several years ago, before the EU got serious about this. While Joz can joke about how Apple loves Lightning, they loved the old 30 pin connector as well, but left it when it was clearly no longer useful, and was holding them back. With ProRex video and ProRaw 48MP files being so big, there’s no doubt they would be moving off Lightning in the next couple of years anyway, so this did nothing other than MAYBE moving them ahead by a year. But maybe not that either, as it doesn’t come into effect until the end of 2024, and it’s unlikely Apple would contend with slow transfers at that time, not with them pushing high rate encodes.