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Comment by ianmobbs | Hacker News Reader

MagSafe is really cool, but I'm incredibly disappointed they're sticking with lightning...

There's no point switching from lightning to USB-C now. The MagSafe (should make it just as nice to charge while using the phone) and dropping earpods in the packaging kind of confirms a suspicion I've had that they really, really want to get rid of the port all-together on iPhones. They've switched to USB-C on iPad.. there it makes sense, they're making it more like a laptop. But phones will go all-wireless. Like, there's no other logical explanation now considering they're going all-in on USB-C on MacBooks and iPads.

They don't want to do the switch now because they don't want to send the wrong signal to accessory makers. They want them to focus on Bluetooth and wireless charging.

If they knew it'd take this long to get here, maybe they'd have switched to USB-C at an earlier stage. I know there were many blunders and delays with things like wireless charging and Bluetooth 5 audio. So the situation has become kind of awkward.

Exactly charging by cable is basically out of date now. There's so many wireless charging options for nothing on Amazon, using a cable is the back up option.

The only place I could see this not being the case is in older cars which require plug-in for some features like CarPlay.

But eh, it's an expensive device. An extra cord (also for cheap on Amazon) isn't a big deal.

The one area where cables still win is speed. My 11 can be charged by 50% in seemingly about 20-30 minutes from a high output (i.e. iPad) charger.

On my wireless pad that much charge will take a couple hours.

That's fine overnight, but sometimes you need a lot battery ASAP

This is a good point. Though the battery management seems to have gotten good enough that these speed charges are less necessary.

Funny thing is the only time I run out of juice now is if I did not place my iPhone on the wireless charger straight enough. Apple spoke specifically to this pain so it must be widespread.

Yeah, that's the main cause.

Also occasionally when traveling, so combination of long days + higher than normal usage. I've got a battery case for those days that more or less doubles the built in capacity (at the cost of also basically doubling the weight)

Ya travel batteries are a good fill in for those circumstances.

I suspect Covid has had a big nerf on battery use overall.

There is wireless Carplay, my previous BMW had it like 2 years ago? I hope it will get more common. No cable required. There is also wireless charging on the middle console. Worked quite well.

The problem is that people don't upgrade their cars every few years like they upgrade their iPhones. There are many people out there who still don't have a wireless connectivity system whether just for Bluetooth music or CarPlay.

While I see Apple moving towards that direction, I don't know how it will play with things that DO need a connection: for example aux port in the car, or connecting a drone controller (these are two examples from my daily life, I'm pretty much sure there are many others)

The answer is Bluetooth dongles. I’ve got a Bluetooth to aux adapter in my car, and it works a treat. I much prefer it to when I had my (original) SE hooked up with a physical aux cord, since it doesn’t wear out from fiddling with it and it automatically turns on and connects when I start my car.

What accessory makers tho? Everything is wireless or usb-c now. They literally don't have to do anything.

Also Lightning was compact, now the wireless charger going to be bulkier to carry...

Give it a year (or two)! They probably want to go straight to full MagSafe rather than USB-C. However, if they drop Lightning right now, nobody will be able to charge their phones. It'll take a year or two for magsafe/Qi/etc to be ubiquitous enough that they'll feel comfortable dropping lightning.

We'll see! There are so many problems with wireless charging that I don't see it becoming truly mainstream. Not being able to use your phone while charging is the most visible one (maybe 15W via magsafe will make it fast enough it doesn't matter). I also have trust issues with wireless charging in general - I got a free wireless charger from TripleByte once that overheated my phone and only got it to 60%. I'm still hoping for USB-C

Wait till they put a mag safe on the end of a long chord.

Uhhh... https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MHXH3/magsafe-charger

I’ve given up, ikea has cheap Qi chargers now, bought three and put them in strategic places of the house. Wasteful laziness but it’s oh so convenient.

If it makes your life easier and more convenient, it's not wasteful. "Laziness" is a slur used against the efficient.

It seems like that MagSafe connector might be strong enough that you can use the phone while charging.

Since the new Magsafe charger is a slim puck on a long cord, I'm thinking you could still hold it and use the phone while charging, alleviating the 'can't charge while using it' issue which was one of my concerns too

Qi makes phone really hot and it's bad for battery life. I don't think it worth for benefit compared to just plugging a cable.

Maybe. Maybe not. They are now shipping usbc to lightning port cables with every phone, so they already expect most people to have usbc.

would probably be a lot easier to go full water proof with no usb connector

Also without speakers, SIM card tray and buttons.

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