We’ve known that the iPhone is switching to USB-C for a while now, but there was always a possibility that Apple would stick with Lightning for one more year. Based on the latest leaked images, however, Apple is all-in on USB-C for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models, with USB-C parts for the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, and iPhone 15 Pro Max all shown in a leaked image by X user fix Apple.
With the switch to USB-C, nearly all of Apple’s devices will have adopted the new standard, with only AirPods, Mac accessories, and the iPhone SE remaining aside from older iPhones and the 9th-gen iPad.
One of the good things coming out of the EU.
I still wonder if Apple will do a split between EU iPhones and the rest of the world, though. Lightning accessories make money.
It makes them a very small amount of money. But they’ve also been rumored to be making iPhones use a “Made for Apple” type of cable for faster charging speeds. I think that would be really dumb but here we are.
Don’t worry, Apple fans will happily buy an official charger for 3x the price even if third party work perfectly well.
That is absolutely ridiculous, but not surprising at all.
They can’t do that. The iPhone must comply with PD.
Yes they can. Its just all about labeling. They can label a cable that fits to the standard and say “made for apple”
No, the regulation isn’t just usb-c, it’s usb-c and power delivery. Apple can’t magically escape both of them with a “made for apple” cable. It must accept all third party cable and charger.
Of course they can:
USB -PD support at limited speeds.
A proprietary Apple chip enables higher speeds, either using USB-PD still or another proprietary charging protocol.
They can just have both
As I commented above, the regulation clearly states “any additional charging protocol allows for the full functionality of PD… irrespective of the charging device used.”
So they can’t have both unless they split EU & RoW devices.
I hadn’t heard this. Good on the EU not letting them squirrel out of this (hopefully)
The question is more about “how much” of PD they support right? Like PD has standards for charging at higher or lower currents.
My understanding of the current-gen MacBook Pro is that they support some kind of “fast charging”, but only if you use their MagSafe port. You can still charge on the USB-C ports, but not as fast as you could with MagSafe. I’m not sure if that’s a violation of the regulations, or if PD simply doesn’t have support for the amount of power they’re pushing through the MagSafe.
But I think the point is that they’ll continue to look for ways to offer a better experience with their proprietary stuff, even if they’re forced to support a standard in addition.
Laptops are being gradually added to the list of devices within scope of this change. It only counts for any new device being sold on the market after the changes take effect.
The clause only makes sure that chargers do not limit, when connected to competitors devices. The regulation is coming from an e-waste perspective, which the EU has made it clear that it is not interested in entertaining or letting companies push them around.
At least then there will be no more confusion over who’s fault it is when your iPhone doesn’t charge as fast as you’d like.
It’s always been Apple’s fault, but now there will be no more saying it’s because Lightning is somehow better.
I’ll give them some fairness. When lightning originally launched, it was a great interface for lightweight power delivery and was more sturdy than the deplorable micro USB. I can’t explain just how bad microUSB is. So it made sense. I think USB-C just put in the legwork to be a much better adapter.
Also the giant plot hole missing here is that Apple sits on the USB forum I believe and so has some say in what the billions of devices they produce use to charge. They just can’t make money off of a standard now.
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As someone that has soldered micro USB, mini USB, and USB c, micro and mini are absolutely horrendous. They fail constantly, so much so that they were literally deprecated one after the other due to their failure rates.
Lightning was perfect for the devices it was used in. Apple never split it out into laptops because that wasn’t its purpose, it’s incredibly thin and incredibly durable. USB C is pretty durable but not thin. I actually love the lightning port for how durable it is. The biggest problems with it are:
USB c is great, for laptops and headphones and general peripheral connectors. It’s got a fuck ton of problems though, because you can literally have identical cables that do not have the same features. I had to buy a device to test USB C cables to determine what features they support. Also, did you know USB C is directional? Well it can be at least. I didn’t know that until the cable I soldered up only worked in a single direction.
Well my anecdote is that every single micro USB device I have has either a stuffed port or stuffs the cable. Those things are so incredibly flimsy.
I hate microUSB so much. I always feel like I have to treat microUSB ports like fine china or they will break on me. That nervous anticipation every time you plug something in that this will be the time it finally breaks. Too bad mini USB ports had that problem with getting loose over time.