Just what we needed: another Apple dongle, this time for USB-C to Lightning

AppleInsider

Think the iPhone 15's transition to USB-C would simplify the contents of your cable drawer, or neaten up the bottom of your backpack? Think again.

Just in case there was any doubt, Apple's using the occasion of the release of the iPhone 15 to sell folks a shiny new, white dongle.

Priced at $29, the USB-C to Lightning Adapter is available to order from the online Apple Store today. Apple says the new connector will be available in its retail stores on Friday, a week ahead of the new iPhone's release.

"The USB-C to Lightning Adapter lets you connect your Lightning accessories to a USB-C-enabled iPhone or iPad to conveniently provide three key functions -- charging, data and audio -- with a single adapter. This adapter has a braided cable for added durability," said Apple.

The adapter sports a USB-C connector on one end that connects to the open port on an iPhone 15, iPad, or other Apple device so equipped. At the other end is a receptacle to plug in a Lightning cable.

Apple noted that the adapter provides a maximum of 24 watts when charging iPhone or iPad models with a USB-C cable. Data transfer speeds are limited to USB 2 speeds, which cap at 480 megabits per second (Mbps).

USB-C is already present on many Apple devices like the Mac and most iPads, but it's only making its iPhone debut with the new iPhone 15 models, introduced at Apple's Wonderlust event and available in stores beginning September 22nd.

Apple transitioned the iPhone to the USB-C interface following a European Union mandate passed in 2022 that requires new smartphones and most other small electronics to switch to USB-C by 2024.

Read on AppleInsider

JamesAstro

Your article comes across as a whiny complaint. Would you prefer that Apple not sell the adapter, or not switch to USB-C?

grouse675

I bought three of these a couple of years ago when I got an iPad Pro. They are pretty smart. Tiny, metal, and work perfectly. I think they were three for $10 or something. I knew they wouldn't but I hoped Apple would make their own version of this and stick it in the box.

JMaille

Seriously! WTF!  People complain the iPhone has a Lightning port and that's just to force people to buy cables.  They change the port because of a short sighted EU law and people are still complaining.  Seriously, why do people hate on Apple so much?  If you don't like Apple or their products DON'T BUY THEM.

And if you consider yourself a journalist don't whine about the products they sell like you're some consumer advocate that cares about people when all you really care about is getting clicks by bashing every last thing Apple does.

melgross

I don’t see the problem here. Of course they would have an adapter. Think of all the whiny people who would complain if they didn’t. Let’s be reasonable, Apple has done a pretty good job keeping us from having to change ports every few years as we’ve seen for Android. How many changes have they gone through? At least one more. And they had that crappy micro USB port for several years too.

so it will take a bit of time for people to get new accorded that use only USB C. So they will need that adapter. But now it’s the other way around. It was lightning to USB of various flavors. Now it will just be USB 3 to lightning. That’s less adapters and cables, not more.

avon b7

JamesAstro said:

Your article comes across as a whiny complaint. Would you prefer that Apple not sell the adapter, or not switch to USB-C?

Maybe include it as a FREE BTO option for upgraders? 

I'm not surprised they want upgraders to buy one but it would have been a nice gesture. 

Marvin

JamesAstro said:

Your article comes across as a whiny complaint. Would you prefer that Apple not sell the adapter, or not switch to USB-C?

It doesn't seem like it's needed. They give an example on this page:

https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213889

"For example, connect a USB-C to Lightning Cable to this adapter, then connect the other end of the cable to a USB-C power adapter."

This example is:
iPhone/iPad -> USB-C -> Lightning port -> Lightning plug ---- USB-C charger

Makes more sense to just use a USB-C -> USB-C cable that they supply in the box.

iPhone/iPad -> USB-C plug ---- USB-C charger

I suppose if people have mixed devices they might prefer Lightning cable + adapter vs two cables but there are multi cables that can charge at the same time:

https://www.amazon.com/Charging-Universal-Multiple-Lightning-Connector/dp/B09M3VG2R8

There's nothing wrong with Apple supplying an option but consumers would be better served knowing that they can use direct cables. Most people don't need a box of adapters and they are the more expensive option. Braided cables from 3rd parties can be bought for under $10. You can get 3 cables for the price of one Apple adapter.

kdupuis77

I think I'm going to miss lightning eventually when I upgrade. Yeah, USB-C everywhere will simplify some things but I really like the robustness of the lightning connector better myself as there is no board inside the female socket to break and lightning is just a big hole which I think makes extracting troublesome pocket lint that much easier/safer. Realistically, nowadays I use MagSafe for practically everything anyhow (iPhone, Apple Watch & AirPods) so I think the last 100 times I plugged something in via lightning was mostly my Magic Trackpad and Keyboard and then everyone once in a while off an Anker battery pack when traveling (as it is a more efficient use of the battery power than using my MagSafe Duo in a pinch). Would've been nice for Apple to chuck one tiny Lightning to USB-C adapter in the box... But we all knew that was not going to happen (Because what would MOTHER NATURE-lady think?!?!) lol. As another poster mentioned, plenty of cheap/reliable-enough adapters for sale in multipacks on Amazon at least... $29 is insane.

proto732

I would think these are more targeted at people with Lightning accessory dongles, not simply for a power cable.  

For example:  Lightning SD Card Reader, L to Camera Connector, L to HDMI video adapter ...  Buy this one converter dongle instead of replacing 3 or 4 other lightning accessories dongles.

macjbraun

I agree with the reviewer. We should make all vendors switch back to parallel connectors. /S No more technology upgrades.

Fidonet127

weird article. also weird of apple to show lighting cables as part of this. I don't see Apple pushing these adapters and it might be for people with the camera adapters, etc, though I would think they would replace their adapters. I don't get the whine.

hmlongco

Marvin said:

It doesn't seem like it's needed. 

There are a lot of Lightning accessories that people might have. Microscopes, inspection scopes, IR  thermometers and scanners, credit card scanners, and so on.

And they might, for some odd reason, not want to replace them right off the bat just 'cause the bought a new phone.

MplsP

I agree with the sentiment - The last thing I want is another dongle but unfortunately, any switch of standards necessitates them.

What I can't get over is the cost - $30 for this? Seriously? 

Japhey

JMaille said:

Seriously! WTF!  People complain the iPhone has a Lightning port and that's just to force people to buy cables.  They change the port because of a short sighted EU law and people are still complaining.  Seriously, why do people hate on Apple so much?  If you don't like Apple or their products DON'T BUY THEM.

And if you consider yourself a journalist don't whine about the products they sell like you're some consumer advocate that cares about people when all you really care about is getting clicks by bashing every last thing Apple does.

Finally someone speaks the truth. 

Japhey

hmlongco said:

Marvin said:

It doesn't seem like it's needed. 

There are a lot of Lightning accessories that people might have. Microscopes, inspection scopes, IR  thermometers and scanners, credit card scanners, and so on.

And they might, for some odd reason, not want to replace them right off the bat just 'cause the bought a new phone.

Exactly. And those people aren’t even going to be the ones making a big deal out of this. They represent a small subset of the market. It will be the bloggers and the tech journalists, fishing for clicks, just like JMaille said above. 

jeffharris

Moving to USB-C is LONG overdue!

Since iPad Pro went USB-C I’ve had to duplicate I don’t know how many cables, to be sure I carry USB-A, Lighting and USB-C.
It’s a real PITA, I must say! This simplifies the entire process!

Would I buy a bulky $30 Apple adaptor with a long tail! Nope. 

Not when there are more compact and much cheaper alternatives.

bestkeptsecret

AI opinions have gone from "snark" to "whine" now. So Apple released an adapter since they are changing the connector on the best selling electronics gizmo in history. Is it not warranted? Is everyone being forced to buy one, or is it an option to ensure Lightning accessories can continue to function for some more time before they are replaced?

If it's "just what you needed", then buy it and stop whining. JFC!

multimedia

grouse675 said:

I bought three of these a couple of years ago when I got an iPad Pro. They are pretty smart. Tiny, metal, and work perfectly. I think they were three for $10 or something. I knew they wouldn't but I hoped Apple would make their own version of this and stick it in the box.

Now these are 3 for $6.66 on Amazon.

omasou

Why in the world would I purchase an adapter for $29 over just buying a new USB C to USB C cable.

My last remaining cables holding up my complete transition to USB C are my lighting cables.

Once transitioned to USB C, I'll just throw them out. Not sure how this helped eliminate waste EU, it just accelerated it. /s

atonaldenim

A use case for this that I’ve encountered is wired game controllers. For the least amount of controller lag one might want a game controller that plugs in rather than a wireless bluetooth connection. All iPhone compatible game controller grips such as the Razer Kishi or Backbone One only have lightning connections, none come with a USB-C connector. The ones that do have USB-C are only compatible with Android, not iOS.

A year ago I spent about $10 on an Apple Pencil adapter they sold when iPad switched to USB-C that has a female lightning port and male USB-C port. After shaving down the plastic to fit a normal lightning cable into it (the Pencil’s lightning port is extra long) I found the pencil adapter completely failed to pass data for any device I plugged into it, controller or otherwise.

This new Apple adapter promises to pass data as well as power from a Lightning accessory to a USB-C device, which is actually a first. The existing adapters you can buy on Amazon will only pass power, not data.

For the game controller use case, of course you couldn’t use a Kishi or Backbone style grip on your new phone without some creative cable management, the adapter is too big for that. I’m excited to see some iOS-compatible USB-C game controllers hopefully hit the market, and crossing my fingers one of them will finally support an iPad Mini size device, which I’ve owned with a USB-C port for two years now. Of course we can use a regular PS5/Xbox controller with a USB cable, but I like the all-in-one idea. I want my iPad Mini to work like the new Playstation Portal handheld remote play device. We’ll see…

melgross

jeffharris said:

Moving to USB-C is LONG overdue!

Since iPad Pro went USB-C I’ve had to duplicate I don’t know how many cables, to be sure I carry USB-A, Lighting and USB-C.
It’s a real PITA, I must say! This simplifies the entire process!

Would I buy a bulky $30 Apple adaptor with a long tail! Nope. 

Not when there are more compact and much cheaper alternatives.

I don’t think people understand Apple’s thinking in offering this. It’s for convenience. Many people will just look at Apple’s site for a cable or adapter. This is for those people. If you want to buy something cheaper somewhere else, Apple is not trying to stop you.