Apple Siri Remote now USB-C, as death knell tolls for Lightning
The Siri Remote has gained a USB-C port alongside the Apple TV 4K upgrade, signaling the beginning of Apple's departure from Lightning.
Siri Remote now uses USB-C
In addition to USB-C on the entry-level iPad, Apple snuck in a small but significant update to the Siri Remote during its Tuesday press releases. That Siri Remote now also uses a USB-C port for charging rather than Lightning.
There wasn't any reason provided for the change, but rumors suggest Apple will move away from Lightning across all of its products soon. Even the "iPhone 15" due in late 2023 may have USB-C instead of Lightning.
The Siri Remote was among the several holdouts still using the charging technology. Surprisingly, Apple updated the AirPods Pro in September and included Lightning in the Charging Case.
It is clear that the company is in a port transition, and will likely update more products with the universal port with each new release. No other changes were made to the Siri Remote, and it still does not support Find My.
The updated Siri Remote ships with either model of the new Apple TV 4K on November 4. It can also be ordered separately for $59 and will be available starting October 21.
Read on AppleInsider
Siri Remote now uses USB-C
In addition to USB-C on the entry-level iPad, Apple snuck in a small but significant update to the Siri Remote during its Tuesday press releases. That Siri Remote now also uses a USB-C port for charging rather than Lightning.
There wasn't any reason provided for the change, but rumors suggest Apple will move away from Lightning across all of its products soon. Even the "iPhone 15" due in late 2023 may have USB-C instead of Lightning.
The Siri Remote was among the several holdouts still using the charging technology. Surprisingly, Apple updated the AirPods Pro in September and included Lightning in the Charging Case.
It is clear that the company is in a port transition, and will likely update more products with the universal port with each new release. No other changes were made to the Siri Remote, and it still does not support Find My.
The updated Siri Remote ships with either model of the new Apple TV 4K on November 4. It can also be ordered separately for $59 and will be available starting October 21.
Read on AppleInsider
Comments
Any good reason to upgrade from the previous 4K version?
Do they plan on releasing the 1st gen. ATV 4K remote with a USB-C port? As a relatively new ATV owner my biggest disappointment is the lack of compatibility of games with the 2nd gen. ATV 4K remote. If Apple could do something about this, it would make this a much better product.
So, USBC is going to be around well into the next century, minimally as a lower power port, low data rate port. The protocol has pathways to 80 Gbit/s and 120 Gbit/s, and 240 W power is already in production. It will take several hardware cycles for laptops to standardize. It will take perhaps decades for the wall outlet and gadget makers to change, but they will, to make it something we assume every gadget will have.
Don't understand your 2nd question. If you want the Siri Remote with USBC, Apple will sell that to you once they have their volume production in order. It's Bluetooth and will work with the Apple TV model you have. But, there really isn't any reason to do that. As for gaming content on the Apple TV, well, that's a structural problem at Apple. They don't think of themselves as a games company, and don't want to push. They just want to have "enough". If they were serious, they would become a games publisher and buy some studios.
You still have to plug in the "wireless" charger. And you still need to have a wire running from the wall to the charger itself.