> do you think Apple intended to stick with Lightning forever?
What?? Of course they did. Why do you think they are even considering USBC? Apple has zero incentive to use a common cable format; I'm sure they rake in money with their proprietary apple-only connectors.
Look at magsafe. Changed it twice so everyone had to get a whole new set of chargers. Sure, they changed it to C now, but I'm guessing that's just because that's the direction the laptop market was going. Apple has no reason to switch their phones to C unless a government entity forces them to.
> Look at magsafe. Changed it twice so everyone had to get a whole new set of chargers.
You can still use USB-C for charging macbooks that have the new Magsafe, just like you could with any macbooks since their introduction of USB-C.
Not sure what you were trying to say about everyone suddenly needing to get a new set of chargers either. I have two different M1 macbooks in my household (one from my workplace, one personal), charging both primarily using Magsafe, and have spent exactly zero dollars on "a whole new set of chargers". The magsafe charging cable that came in the box with the device seems very sturdy and has shown zero signs of issues in the past almost-2 years. Never felt compelled to purchase another magsafe cable either. And the new Magsafe cable has USB-C on the other end, so I can use it with any charging brick, and it will work just as well as with the Apple ones (provided the brick can output enough charging power to deliver the full charging speed).
Not sure what you were trying to say about everyone suddenly needing to get a new set of chargers either.
They are talking about the original MagSafe (2006) and MagSafe 2 (2012). These versions of MagSafe had incompatible connectors and the cable couldn't be detached from the adapter like you can do with MagSafe 3. So, if you bought an additional MagSafe adapter, it was useless with a MagSafe 2 MacBook.
When apple switched to lightning way back there was a huge outrage over “forced obsolescence” and “cash grab” making people buy new cables and other devices, as there was a huge number of docks and other devices in the wild
since the switch to lightning there is an even larger number of devices and docks all designed around lightning and very few of their customers wanted or asked for usb-c
It’s no surprise that for iPhones, with that large eco system they just didn’t change, while for iPads and macs they did because there just isn’t the same amount of accessories and usb a <> usb c is easy. You can’t use lightning dock devices with usd c at all. It’s far from as simple as “use a new cable” when the device is designed to fit over the base of the iPhone and plug in.
Otherwise they would have incentive to use usb c already as it’s been on iPads and many of their other devices for years and why keep around a separate set of product skus and parts just for iPhone?
So they simply waited to be forced to do it so now their customers will get mad at the eu and not them
since the switch to lightning there is an even larger number of devices and docks all designed around lightning and very few of their customers wanted or asked for usb-c
Data? I live in an Apple bubble (friends, family, myself included) and most of them wished that the iPhone used USB-C, everything else uses USB-C (iPad included).
The silliest time was (and lasted pretty long) when if you bought a new MacBook and a new iPhone, you couldn't actually charge/connect the iPhone to the MacBook. I mean, this was even derided in Mac podcasts, etc.
and most people i know in my apple bubble just don't really care and a number of them have lightning devices/docks and are not looking forward having to find/pay for replacements.
not gonna argue it isn't silly, it is, just that there is over a decade of lightning devices out there that will now become e-waste and good chance apple was trying to avoid taking the heat for forcing the change onto users. Now they get to blame the EU.
There's rumours Apple made a 10-year commitment to lightning, which wouldn't be at all unusual - especially giving all the moaning when they switched from 30-pin to lightning.
I find it hard to believe that cables are a core part of their business. It just gets thrown out every chance it gets. They put usb-c on their laptops, everyone said it was to sell dongles. They didn't put usb-c on the phones, everyone said it was to sell dongles.
All reminds me of people saying what a huge mistake it was that the original imac didn't have a serial port or a floppy drive.
It’s not rumours. The introduction for the lightning port said it was a standard for the next ten years during the keynote.
I don’t think they necessarily meant it that literally, but this year will be year 11. So if a switch happens this year, it’ll be exactly fulfilling that public commitment
When they switched from magsafe 1 to magsafe 2 there were affordable adapters that allowed original magsafe to be used with newer computers.
Apple still sells the adapter (and the original magsafe) despite being more than a decade since they sold original computers. If anything, this shows that apple very much doesn't want you to stop using your old charging blocks and computers.
Any current iPhone will work with a charging cable from 2012, which is very much not true for any other phone brand.
I don't know why apple resisted micro-usb, but I am glad they did. Its a bad standard. It has a lower power capability, and the number of insertion cycle and abuse it can take is WAY lower.
Apple want to stick to lightning forever? And they have no reason to switch unless a government entity forced them? Ha.
Apples own customers complain quite loudly about the inconvenience about USB-C and Lightning, dongles etc. The inability to charge their phone with the same cable as their MacBook or iPads... they are providing a very un-Apple experience.
They have an enormous customer base, using a legacy connector (which predates USB-C), to switch over as seamlessly as possible (in their own sweet time)
I assumed they took their sweet time and waited for a Goverment to force them so that large customer base will be angry at the eu for having to buy new cables and throw out their old lightning socks and devices instead of apple
They were just taking their own sweet time. The fact that their other products switched a couple of years ago should make this obvious.
Of course the EU will crow when the next iPhone has USB-C worldwide. I doubt this has had a significant impact on Apples internal planning. If any.
It seems to me this will be more significant post USB-C and it's much more difficult to predict how it will effect the market and innovation.
And this particular topic (MFI) is based on rumour and speculation...