mpantone

caladanian said:

Why is the change from lightning to USB-C so slow after iPad Pro and MacBook (Pro)?!

My guess is that this is mostly a business decision based on how the products are being used but there could be other factors.

Apple knows how AirPods and AirPods Pro are being used, most frequently paired with an iPhone. Apple knows it will change over to USB-C, they just need to pick a time to do it. If the iPhone is being charged with a Lightning cable, it makes the most sense to have the AirPods charging case use the same connector since one cable can be used on both.

Undoubtedly prototype iPhones and AirPod charging cases using USB-C have been in their labs for several years. If it comes this fall, it's not like they made the decision to switch ports this summer.

Note that the two connectors -- Lightning and USB-C -- are physically different, not just in size. For Lightning connectors, the exposed male connector is on the cable (inexpensive to replace), the female part of the connector is in the device.

For USB-C connectors, the opposite.

This means that damage/failure of the male connector (more likely) is more expensive to repair in USB-C devices. There may be higher risk of debris (in one both sides, male and female) interfering with proper connection due to smaller physical clearances. It might work great sitting on a workbench in a lab, but real world usage is different, like shoving your phone into lint-filled pocket.

And don't forget there might be additional challenges in developing reliable water resistance in USB-C device ports.

If a currently marketed device has a certain degree of physical resistance, it's not likely that Apple will want to revert to a level that provides less resistance, like going from IP67 to IP65.

lkrupp said:

blastdoor said:

22july2013 said:

I was already preferring (and eager) to buy an Apple Car back in 2017, and was forced to buy something else instead. At least I got CarPlay. However now I live in a condo where I can't install an electric power station required for an all-electric car, so I wouldn't be able to own an electric vehicle anymore. You pretty much need your own garage to own an electric car, which leaves out roughly half the population (mostly the poorer half.)

We charge our Bolt using a regular outlet (aka level 1 charger). It’s slower, but we can still add more miles over night than we typically use in the day. So you don’t necessarily need to install a level 2.

Of course, if your condo has no outdoor outlet close to where you park then level 1 won’t work either. 

I probably wouldn’t have an electric car if I couldn’t charge at home, either.

Well then don’t move to California as the state is ready to pass legislation banning fossil fueled vehicles by 2035. Excuses, excuses for not going electric, and irrational ones at that.

That is NOT the policy being discussed.

The proposal is to halt sales of NEW fossil-fuel based vehicles in 2035. Existing fossil fuel based vehicles won't be prohibited nor will the sale of used ones. And they won't be turning people at the border either. They're not going to shut down gas stations on January 1st. It's not like the owners of 2034 Toyota Celicas will need to turn their keys in on New Year's Eve. A limited number of PHEVs (Plug-in Hybrids) will still be available.

https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/news/california-moves-accelerate-100-new-zero-emission-vehicle-sales-2035

Medium and heavy-duty vehicles will be given guidelines with a goal of phase out by 2045. Drayage trucks (like typical 18-wheelers that you see on the roads, Class 8 I believe) also have the 2035 target date at the moment.

So much misinformation in the comments section these days.

Appalling.

AppleInsider said:

Users just shouldn't have guess about it, or attach a home-made label to each cable, telling us what it's capable of when we've forgotten the specifics a month after we've stored it. Over the years, the spec has expanded so much, I've purchased a cable tester and identifier to be sure that what I've bought is what I got, and to guarantee my own labels are accurate.

Until then, users need to stock up on cable label stickers -- or that aforementioned cable spec tester.

I don't have a USB cable tester. I can recognize the Thunderbolt symbol but would someone else rummaging through my rat's nest of cables? This is a key point for Joe Consumer and it's not just applicable to USB-C.

HDMI cables are the same deal. I bought probably six or seven 4K HDMI cables and two 8K HDMI cables and I labelled them immediately after I received them. Joe Consumer isn't going to do that. They are going to just use whatever cable is the right length, the nearest one first.

There's a tradeoff here between convenience, compatibility, and better performance in terms of device ports and cable connectors.

emttim said:

“However, in a time where internet use as a whole is decreasing…” 
I did a search for this and found no reference to this. I’m interested in knowing more. Source?

It depends on what context and timeframes are being compared.

Recent surveys show that people are spending less time daily on their devices now that shelter-in-place orders have been lifted and people are leaving their houses to return to a greater variety of activities, including many that don't involve being on the Internet.

If you compare average Internet usage today from ten years ago, yes, the usage went up. But if you compare average Internet usage today versus a year ago, the usage went down.

Gaming focused services like Steam have metrics that show how many people are playing on their platform, which titles, purchases, downloads, concurrent players, etc.

Of course a company like Meta will know how much time is being spent using their services (Facebook, Instagram, Oculus Quest 2, etc.). That's what they do: track your activity so they can sell it to advertisers.

For Meta, it's not just how much time is being spent on their platforms but what percentage of total device usage is being spent on Meta platforms. If total Internet usage drops 10% but Meta platform usage drops 20%, that's a big problem for Meta. That means that people are spending more time elsewhere (YouTube, TikTok, Twitch, Discord, whatever) and Meta has lost marketshare.

If you look at hourly or daily graphs, you'd see peaks and valleys in the usage curves. The heaviest traffic days for app stores are December 25th and 26th in countries that observe the Christmas holiday because people are downloading new software for the gifts they've just received.

In a similar way there's heavy telephone traffic on New Year's Day and it's harder to get a restaurant reservation for Valentine's Day dinner or Mother's Day brunch.

From an app activity tracking standpoint, it's probably easier for Meta programmers to have fewer data sources (various Meta apps) versus one app that tracks everything you do with their platform.

mike1 said:

Oh Please. What would I connect with a wire anyway?! Wait, I found a Discman in a drawer with a headphone jack. Maybe I can use that.

You might make an argument that leaving out Bluetooth was wrong, but a wired input? Nope.

The audio quality from the line out jack on the Discman's rear is better.