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Comment by simonh | Hacker News Reader

Would ditching lightning really make finding a compatible cable easier. Which alternate cable should they have used? Mini-USB, Micro-USB A, Micro-USB B, USB Mini-b 4pin, USB Mini-b 5pin, UsB 3.0 Micro-B, Micro-USB AB, goodness knows what else.

Lightning was a revelation. Rotationally symmetrical, fast, auto-negotiating, compact. It set the benchmark for what a mobile charging cable should be like.

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Oookay. Nevermind that all modern phones use usb-c, I guess?

And Apple may well move to USB-C, in fact they already are for some devices at the pro end.

As for 'standard' and easy availability, I'm pretty sure Lightning cables are more ubiquitous, and probably cheaper than USB-C still. There's certainly no shortage of them, I've got about half a dozen chargers and cables in the house right now. Nobody is pushing for Apple to adopt USB-C for my convenience, that's for sure.

I’m going to go ahead and say it. Usb-c is a disaster. The promise of a cable that is universal ended up being a cable that looks the same as every other but u have no idea if it’s the right cable. Maybe in the next 10 years it will be fixed but from my POV this has not been a success or the panacea it was made out to be. You can actually brick stuff using the wrong usb-c cable and you will have no clue until it’s too late.

Apple definitely doesn’t have a monopoly then.

Of course it would. Any phone shop would have both kinds but lots of places only sell USB. USB C should be a required standard.

For how long? How would you manage improvements?

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