Posted on 10/24/2023 6:31:36 AM PDT by Cronos
... To comply with recent European regulations, the iPhone 15, unveiled Tuesday, will abandon the Lightning connector that has been the method for charging iPhones for 11 years. In its place will be a different oval-shaped connector: USB-C.
For the average tech user, change isn’t fun. This all means that when Apple customers buy their next iPhones, they will no longer be able to plug in all the Lightning accessories they have collected, such as charging cables, speaker docks and earbuds. They will have to replace those with new products that use USB-C connectors to plug into the new iPhones.
... most of us already have a USB-C cable. Modern headphones, game consoles and many laptops, including Apple’s MacBooks, long ago adopted USB-C as a standard charging port. The iPhone was one of the holdouts.
Why is this happening now? Last year, the European Union announced a mandate requiring all smartphone makers to adopt USB-C as a common charging connector by 2024. In theory, this will allow consumers to buy fewer power cables, which, regulators say, could cut down on environmental waste. Thierry Breton, a European commissioner involved in the legislation, said on LinkedIn this month: “A common charger is common sense.”
So we are heading toward an era of standardization in which one type of charger works with most of our electronics, which would be ideal. Many of us are familiar with the scenario in which someone is carrying an iPhone cable but a family member or friend needs a different one (likely a USB-C) to replenish their non-Apple phone or computer. Those days, in theory, will be no more.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Aw man...just get y’alls an a-dapter kit. It’ll git you right as rain.
I love standards. There are so many of them.
I abhor the idea of government mandating technology standards. But USB-C does seem to be the going standard and carrying additional lightning cables is a pain in the a**
Don’t throw out that box full of old cables and adapters, in case they decide to change the standard back someday.
Ditto my laptop...several jacks/ports.
Amazon has lighting-female to USB-C male adapters for $14.99 for a 3-pack. IPhone 15 users can just buy those and all of your lightning peripherals should continue to work.
Newer Samsung phones have deleted the headphone jack. To use analog headphones, you have to get a USB-C to analog audio adaptor. Not a big deal, but it’s one more thing to lose.
I have yet to have a USB-C cable fail on me.
I know. My comment was more toward all of us who keep all those old cables and such just in case. I think I still have one of those old four-prong rotary phone plugs around somewhere. I know I have some snap-in phone extension cords.
“To use analog headphones, you have to get a USB-C to analog audio adaptor. “
You can upgrade your sound quality with a DAC. Also, Buds and headphones are now being sold with USB-C.
The problem with standardization is that it crowds out innovation.
In 5-10 years USB-C will be obsolete, but we will be stuck with it for a long time...
The problem with standardization is that it crowds out innovation.
In 5-10 years USB-C will be obsolete, but we will be stuck with it for a long time...
Apple using a standard cable. The horror, the horror.
My wife needs one of those. She is still lamenting the loss of her black bake-lite rotor landline. 🤣
Any bets this might not come true?
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