Usb C iPhone and sideloading is about all I need to consider switching from Android. Can only see this as a good move.
this post was submitted on 09 Jun 2023
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Yeah, it’s absolutely time for USB-C. Apple itself is switching since several years. More and more products switch to USB-C. Started with the iPad (I ignore the Macs as the never had lightning), and now even the AppleTV Remote has USB-C.
But on the other hand: I have a 14 Pro and I don’t really care about the connector. Charging only wireless (MagSafe), headphone also wireless (AirPods or Beats for cycling). I could live with no connector at all. ;)
Nevertheless I expect the 15 to come with USB-C.
My iPad is USB-C, I am expecting it to come to the iPhone due to EU regulations, they need to have USB-C on iPhones by 28 Dec 2024.
There's a good chance Apple would get rid of the port entirely and stick to wireless charging. My understanding is that the regulations doesn't requires a port. Rather, if it does have a port, it needs to be USB-C.
This would probably be better tbh
Usbc has some fundamental flaws that make it a bad choice for a phone charger port.
The main problem is how much more difficult it is to clean compared to a lightning port which is literally a hole you can wiggle a toothpick around in with impunity to make lint come out. Usbc ports are so narrow around the plastic tongue that you need a thinner than normal kind of straight pin to jostle the dust out. That’s not too bad but those tongues are more delicate than the rest of the thing which is made of metal, so it’s easy to bend em or break em entirely. The pin design on the tongue is also much thinner than those on the lightning port it’s replacing and they seem to be more exposed, because they’re very likely to be damaged during cleaning compared to contacts on the lightning port.
On the other side, the cord, usbc has an annular oval that may need to be cleaned from time to time, but it’s contacts can’t be directly reached because they’re on the inside of the oval. Everyone with an iPhone or iPad knows about the tarnished black pin on their lightning cord, second one from the right, that needs to be scuffed with a pocketknife so it’ll work. Man, maybe it’s time to replace that cord. Too bad you can’t reach the v+ pin on a usbc cable when it gets tarnished.
That’s not even the bad part though.
You know how it seems like lightning cables never last as long as other cables? They always break at that little circuit board behind the connector, need to be held a certain way to charge and eventually don’t work at all and you gotta go down to the gas station and spend $5 on a replacement.
Usbc will change all that! It’s got a much tougher connection to the little board that’s connected to the wires in the cable, and the annular ring connector makes a very strong connection to the port it’s plugged into. So strong that when you accidentally bend the cable end with it plugged into your phone, it breaks the tongue or pulls the port off it’s circuit board rather than just breaking internally like a lightning cord does. Now you don’t have to go to the 24 hour gas station and get anew cord, you’ve got to wait for a microsoldering shop to open up so you can pay them $150 to put a new port in your phone.
As a computer charging port, sure. A computer or headphone data port, sure. Something that’s gonna go in a pocket? No thanks.
I've had a phone with a USBC charger for years. Previous to that it was micro USB. I know several people who have done the same.
Nothing you have described has really ever been an issue for any of us. Your critiques are true, I suppose, but it's important to think about how often they are practical issues and not just theoretical.
And at that, USBC ports are in general repairable. The only time they aren't is when they are impossible to gain access to without damaging anything else.
My take away from your comment, personally, is that lightning cables burn out, are more expensive than USBC, are proprietary and not an open standard, but might be easier to clean. Though you can clean USBC ports using a needle, so not even crazy easier, just a bit.
I can understand being hesitant about change, but these feel like exaggerated critiques.
I can't imagine anyone arguing against USB-C iPhones. I've been hoping they'd make the switch for years. Having said that, I'll still be stuck with Lightning on my AirPods case and my Magic Keyboards and Trackpads. Totally worth it in the long-run to have everything on one connector.
Haha the apple subreddit has so many people who defend lightning. It’s such a toxic subreddit.
I'm not saying you're wrong, but I've never seen it. All the Apple-focused blogs/podcasts I consume are unanimously in favor of USB-C.
Lightning has some advantages over USB-C. No thin plastic lip that can break. No thin slot that can accumulate dirt. If a Lightning socket is dirty, you can pick it out with a toothpick and it’s good as new. No chance on USB-C.
However, I do like only needing one type of cable and the higher speeds of USB-C.
The one type of cable is a big plus for me. Laying in bed at night, or working in the kitchen I can just rotate the cable as needed.
My wife’s nest of cables can be reduced to just one cable. Im just hoping they don’t have a huge price increase on the 15.