Apple will frame iPhone 15 USB-C switch as a consumer win

AppleInsider

Apple's introduction of the iPhone 15 generation with USB-C will be framed as a win for consumers at launch, a leaker claims, with Apple keen to present itself as being in a position of strength rather than being forced into making the change.

Apple's switch

from Lightning to USB-C will be a major event for the iPhone history books, with numerous leaks indicating the component change is probably going to happen. However, there's still the question of how Apple will frame moving from its own connector design to a more common version.

In Mark Gurman's "Power On" newsletter for Bloomberg on Sunday, it is offered that Apple's announcement of USB-C in the iPhone 15 will be proclaimed as good for consumers.

The reasons for the change that Apple could mention includes the use of a single charging cable for iPhone, Mac, and iPad, with iPhones sometimes charging faster under certain circumstances. The compatibility with chargers used by non-Apple hardware is also thought to be a benefit, as well as a data transfer speed bump.

Apple will do this because the company will always talk about changes from a position of strength, Gurman says.

While Apple will cover the benefits of the change, it will almost certainly avoid discussing European rules about a common charger, which is one of the main real reasons for the update.

Read on AppleInsider

darkvader

It IS a consumer win.

And it's a win we wouldn't have gotten if the EU hadn't forced Apple to do it.

igorsky

People seem to forget that able was an early adopter of USB-C. 

mayfly

It would have happened sooner or later, even without EU pressure.

mikethemartian

They have to put a spin on everything.

S8ER95Z

darkvader said:

It IS a consumer win.

And it's a win we wouldn't have gotten if the EU hadn't forced Apple to do it.

Would have been better if they skipped usbc and did MagSafe like they did on the MacBook Pro honestly.  Being forced into anything is never a win and now we are saddled with this port until the EU dictates otherwise.  All hail the EU though.. 🙄

dewme

Umm, of course they will make the best of the situation.

When the EU hands you lemons - you make lemonade. 

Why would anyone expect otherwise? Apple has to answer to shareholders who really don’t care about debating technical details and purity as long as the stock price keeps going up and they get their dividends. Some battles are not worth fighting, especially Lightning in 2023.

Long live Lightning and thank you Apple for saving us from the heinousness that was micro-USB. 

macxpress

darkvader said:

It IS a consumer win.

And it's a win we wouldn't have gotten if the EU hadn't forced Apple to do it.

Apple would have eventually switched anyways. I still don't believe in government agencies making companies have specific features. It stifles innovation in the end as it may prevent Apple from developing and using a newer, better and more advanced technology going forward until the EU or any other government agency approves it and then Apple can't use it exclusively like it might want to do. 

Honestly, USB-C is a terrible connector for a mobile phone. Unlike lightning, if you break off the connector you're fucked and need the entire thing replaced because the connector is part of the connection whereas with Lighting if you broke off the connector you only needed a new cable and Lightning is a much more ridged connector for daily usage which could be why Apple stuck with it for so long. 

Of course Apple will spin it as a win for customers. Apple is an absolute master at marketing and releasing new products to get people hyped to buy them. They tell you why you need it even if you didn't know you did and they're very convincing when they do it for most people. This is what makes Apple a marketing master. 

designr

I suspect Apple will tell some variation of the following story:

• Apple was instrumental in the creation of the USB-C connector
• Apple was the first (major) to start using it exclusively on their computers
• Apple said, when the Lightning connector was introduced, that this was the connector for the next decade, and now it's time to update

And, yes, they will tout the consumer-friendliness of this change.

I doubt any mention of the EU (et al) mandates will be made. They likely don't want to be viewed as capitulating to the mandate.

This is their way of saying (without claiming it directly) that this was their idea all along.

  

wg45678

Apple doesn’t need to frame it as a Win. It is a Win for the Consumer. Apple has already adopted it on their chargers, most iPads, and Mac. It was plain stupid to have a partial adoption and continue to have it on the iPhone, AirPods (pro and other) and the bottom end iPad. And not just the connector but multiple interface and charging circuits. Tired of the plethora of cables for different devices including USBC to lightning. At this point I’d pay a battery replacement fee to have my iPhone 13 converted. 

For those saying use the magnetic charger, I want faster charging at times —which necessitates using a USB-C charger and a USB-C to Lightning adapter cable (or adapter on a USB-C double ended cable).

designr

wg45678 said:

Apple doesn’t need to frame it as a Win.

They might not need to, but they likely will.

Here's why: Apple is always looking for some little edge to persuade people to buy the product—perhaps to upgrade from a previous iPhone. For some people, this will be a "tipping point" to do so. Apple likely understands this and realizes that spending even a couple of minutes framing this out as a win by telling a winning story here could potentially move another million units this year vs. years in the future. That would be a decent ROI.

harrykatsaros

darkvader said:

It IS a consumer win.

And it's a win we wouldn't have gotten if the EU hadn't forced Apple to do it.

90% of consumers who are upgrading from an earlier iPhone will not feel this way. That’s suddenly a whole sh*t ton of cables and accessories and money invested into the ecosystem over the years, that are all suddenly rendered useless. Having to start over and re-buy these things will not be looked at positively. Most people aren’t video editors who need lightning fast transfer speeds, they just want their things to work. 

designr

darkvader said:

And it's a win we wouldn't have gotten if the EU hadn't forced Apple to do it.

That's debatable.

designr

harrykatsaros said:

darkvader said:

It IS a consumer win.

And it's a win we wouldn't have gotten if the EU hadn't forced Apple to do it.

90% of consumers who are upgrading from an earlier iPhone will not feel this way. That’s suddenly a whole sh*t ton of cables and accessories and money invested into the ecosystem over the years, that are all suddenly rendered useless. Having to start over and re-buy these things will not be looked at positively.

I suspect you're overstating the magnitude of this issue.

I know, personally, I don't have that many Lightning cables. Certainly not enough that an upgrade to a phone without it will cause me to kvetch much (if at all).

retrogusto

S8ER95Z said:

darkvader said:

It IS a consumer win.

And it's a win we wouldn't have gotten if the EU hadn't forced Apple to do it.

Would have been better if they skipped usbc and did MagSafe like they did on the MacBook Pro honestly.

They could still put something like laptop-style MagSafe on the iPhone, and I do wish they would. After all, the iPad Pro has USB-C and also a Smart Connector, and laptop-style MagSafe has several advantages over the current MagSafe on phones: much less bulky connector, more efficient, faster charging, and doesn’t require a relatively heavy, thick and fragile glass back to function properly. Probably requires fewer/smaller magnets, too. But I know they wouldn’t get rid of wireless charging at this point, even if I personally wouldn’t mind. 

macgui

retrogusto said:

S8ER95Z said:

darkvader said:

It IS a consumer win.

And it's a win we wouldn't have gotten if the EU hadn't forced Apple to do it.

Would have been better if they skipped usbc and did MagSafe like they did on the MacBook Pro honestly.

They could still put something like laptop-style MagSafe on the iPhone, and I do wish they would. After all, the iPad Pro has USB-C and also a Smart Connector, and laptop-style MagSafe has several advantages over the current MagSafe on phones: much less bulky connector, more efficient, faster charging, and doesn’t require a relatively heavy, thick and fragile glass back to function properly. Probably requires fewer/smaller magnets, too. But I know they wouldn’t get rid of wireless charging at this point, even if I personally wouldn’t mind. 

Adding a MagSafe adapter to the USB-C port would mean a bulky connector taking up more space, which is a problem with some connectors and adapters when using a lot of cradles that don't elevate the phone enough.

MagSafe for iPhone would used fewer/smaller magnets because the connector, as seen on MacBooks, is much smaller. No surprise. I think that would be a problem with trying to use the phone when connected to power via MagSafe, knocking the connector off when using the phone.

Now, if Apple designed a MagSafe connector like that for MacBooks, without having to have USB-C connectivity, I might be down with that. Slim, right angle, (lbi-directional?) etc.

But they can't. Not if they want to sell in the EU. And while less efficient, I find the current MagSafe for iPhone to be extremely convenient, particularly in the car, or at work, or just about any place I'd need to charge my phone.

Some third party may make an adapter for the iPhone, but I see that as the rare answer in search of a question.

I don't know that USB-C on a phone will be less durable in practice than Lightning connectors. Certainly it is a stronger connector, but will there be a rash of broken USB-C connectors?

That said, I much prefer Lightning over USB-C. Having an adapter or C-Lighting cable is no big deal for me. That an extra cable give some people pause is a personal problem. I was happy when Apple went from the 30-pin Dock connector to Lightning. But USB-C offers me nothing over my use case. So I'll try to hang on to my current phone or its current replacement for as long as I can.

9secondkox2

And?

it IS a consumer win. 

It’s just Apple that loses a bit with control and pricing add-ons to third parties. 

They’ll probably enforce another “made for iOS” gig where third parties pay for Apples chip to unlock full speed. 

But nothing wrong with an actual consumer win - nor is there anything wrong with Apple marketing it as such -regardless of the way it came about. Always good to turn a loss into a win. 

mayfly

harrykatsaros said:

darkvader said:

It IS a consumer win.

And it's a win we wouldn't have gotten if the EU hadn't forced Apple to do it.

90% of consumers who are upgrading from an earlier iPhone will not feel this way. That’s suddenly a whole sh*t ton of cables and accessories and money invested into the ecosystem over the years, that are all suddenly rendered useless. Having to start over and re-buy these things will not be looked at positively. Most people aren’t video editors who need lightning fast transfer speeds, they just want their things to work. 

Just what is it that those 90% of consumers would have to buy because something is rendered useless?? If all their other iOS devices are Lightning, they can just keep the cables and chargers. If they buy a new iPhone, they get a cable for nothing. As they upgrade other devices, they all come with USB-C cables. I just can't think of anything they'd have to buy. Maybe if they want to take advantage of the faster charging, they might want a 35W or better USB-C charger. Or they could just by a 10 dollar USB-C TO USB-A cable and use their old chargers, since they just want their things to work.

mayfly

Being able to implement Thunderbolt through the USB-C port on iOS devices seems to be a potential win to me.

williamh

mayfly said:

It would have happened sooner or later, even without EU pressure.

And who gives a damn?  This was supposedly intended to benefit the environment?  And how does it do that?  Another bunch of stuff is rendered prematurely obsolete and gets trashed.  The USB-C connector will itself be obsolete in due time and the EU bureaucrats will make sure it stays in use well past that time.  

freeassociate2

designr said:

harrykatsaros said:

darkvader said:

It IS a consumer win.

And it's a win we wouldn't have gotten if the EU hadn't forced Apple to do it.

90% of consumers who are upgrading from an earlier iPhone will not feel this way. That’s suddenly a whole sh*t ton of cables and accessories and money invested into the ecosystem over the years, that are all suddenly rendered useless. Having to start over and re-buy these things will not be looked at positively.

I suspect you're overstating the magnitude of this issue.

I know, personally, I don't have that many Lightning cables. Certainly not enough that an upgrade to a phone without it will cause me to kvetch much (if at all).

And then you have households like mine, that have 30+ lightening cables that will become e-waste during the next product cycle. We have them in cars, by bedsides, by workstations (some of us test mobile), in the living room, and kitchen, then a few for travel.

Then there are the card readers, splitters, and AV dongles. Not quite as bad as the shift from 30-pin, but still significant.

So, while maybe not maybe not effecting 90% of owners, I’m willing to bet it will be a high percentage. We’ll know how much when people buy aftermarket replacements.

We’re lucky in that I own a couple of each type of USB-C compatible cables (right down to USB-2.0) for testing. But that was no small chunk of change. I’m hoping that the USB-C devices I have primarily for Mac/Linux/Win will largely be compatible. So far that’s been the case for our USB-C iPads.

Still, the point remains; while in the past we’ve updated and adaptered in response to market and technological changes that have a clear benefit — this is the first time we’re doing so due to the dictates of a governmental agency that has muddied value. (Any one know if they forced all device makers to be USB-C compliant, i.e. car makers, cameras, TVs, AV equipment, game consoles, GPS units, and those millions of day-to-day devices still being produced with charge-only micro-USB? I did notice they didn’t force-sunset USB-A cable ends, even though there’s probably an electrical efficiency case to be made there.)

Personally, I think the EU would have been better off looking at improving its larger waste streams and levels of real recycling. You know, innovating and leading by example and all that stuff.