Actually, MountainWalker, most Android devices use the MicroUSB-type B port, not USB-C, which Apple pioneered the use of as its default connector for the MacBook and iPad lines. The EU stupidly required standardization on the MicroUSB charging port for mobile devices about five or six years ago, which Apple ignored, refusing to be tied to a crippling, old, limited technology. Lately a few newer Android devices have adopted the USB-C port because of its superior specifications. Currently, 90% of Android devices are still being made with MicroUSB ports.
There’s a huge difference between USB-C and MicroUSB in both size and capabilities. Differences in USB ports and cables.
I too wish that Apple would move the iPhone line away from the smaller Lightning port to USB-C/Thunderbolt (they use the same jack now and can be electronically switched internally by the device). There are distinct advantages Thunderbolt such as it’s twice as fast as USB-C. Apple prefers the thinner Lightning port for its advantage of mounting on a printed circuit board in a chassis to keep the thinness of the iPhones. From what I’ve read, the Lightning port is about 30% thinner than the USB-C port.
It’s an engineering decision. That may disappear in the future now that they are not including a charger with the iPhones, just a charging cable, figuring that ALL purchasers already have a charger, or that chargers are so cheap they can buy one as an accessory if they don’t. Apple may go completely wireless in the future, relying on WIFI and Bluetooth for connectivity and magnetic resonance for charging.
Magnetic Resonance charging stands or pads are very inexpensive for iPhones from 3rd parties. I have one sitting on my bed stand so it’s easy to put my iPhone on it when I go to bed, and next to it is a stand for my AppleWatch. Neither is close enough to me to be a danger if I were to have an implantable medical device to worry about if I did (I don’t). Neither of the magnetic chargers has a field that will disturb a compass from four inches away. I tested that. I’ve also got a floating lamp that uses magnets to float the lamp... same thing. The magnetic field which is strong enough to overcome the pull of gravity locally, does not extend beyond its local effects, even though electromagnetism is infinite in reach like gravity and 32 orders of magnitude stronger than gravity.
Yes, wireless charging is nice, but since Apple adopted it so late it was really never going to work adopting anything other than the Qi standard. Lightning came along when they were the only game in town with reversible data/charging ports.
Apple now basically admits that the USB-C port is superior since they have adopted it on their higher end iPad devices. Yes, they like to serve up some BS about how it’s really about desktop replacement needs interoperability with USB accessories, but is a lie just like the removal of the AUX port as a space saving measure. There’s plenty of room on a 12 inch iPad for a minuscule aux port, but they don’t exist on any new ones.
While it may be true that most android devices worldwide still use micro USB, that’s because there are many older devices still in service as well as many budget devices geared toward older people and those with 50 million micro usb cables around their house. Most new android devices use USB-C.
MagSafe was a proprietary workaround to the EU mandate, but it also addresses the problem of going totally wireless with Qi in that it makes it much more difficult to use your phone while charging compared to a wired charging cable. It is an incredibly stupid business model to require two different charging cables for the top of the line iPhone and iPad or MacBook. There is no logical explanation other than apple trying to protect their customers from their biggest moneymaking product from switching to android.
My 18 month old Motorola uses USB-C. Much better than the previous generations for many reasons, the least of which is that is never upside down. Data rates are awesome, I can download my photos in comparatively no time.