USB-C Confirmed for the iPhone 15 | Hacker News Reader

USB-C Confirmed for the iPhone 15

macworld.com

65 pointsfasquoika70 comments

Finally.

Now I just hope they don't institute some dumb program where it only talks to Apple devices or some crap.

The EU has already said that would be illegal. Apple may still do it, but I expect they'd stop pretty soon after an import ban happens. (I don't think they do any manufacturing in the EU anymore)

> Now I just hope they don't institute some dumb program where it only talks to Apple devices or some crap.

The behavior will be the same as it is on iPads, which have had USB-C for 5 years.

to be fair, not even all iPads with USB-C have the same behavior. (The fancier Pros are Thunderbolt/USB 4).

They all support base level USB. Thunderbolt is an additional featureset. It's not like Apple is doing anything unusual or proprietary here.

how do you know?

Oh, they will. Apple will cripple the port with some BS excuse about "security."

I can only assume you pick up the USB sticks that litter your office parking lot and plug them in?

...apples USB security already works on the iPad, and only allows charging until you authorize the device.

And if you know anything about this stuff, that's better than other vendors.

I know something about this stuff, and Android does the same: charging only until you authorize the connected device.

I seriously have no idea what you're talking about.

I'm talking about Apple denying developers access to the USB port, the way they always have with the Lightning port and the iPod port before it.

They've even crippled Bluetooth.

> Finally

Besides the fact that USB-C didn't exist at the time, I can't see any reason for Apple developing Lightning in the first place. ;-)

USB-C has existed for almost a decade, ~2014.

Lightning has existed for over a decade, since 2012.

Indeed. Apple used the 30-pin dock connector for ~10 years and followed it up with Lightning for another ~10 years. USB-C came after lightning, and as I understand it Apple staff participated in the design and standardization process, being concerned with things like making the connector symmetric (like lightning) and being firm enough to not fall out but weak enough to yank out without sending your laptop crashing to the floor, and supporting high data rates/thunderbolt as well as high-power/fast charging.

My personal pet peeve with lightning is that the power pins seem to burn out after a while.

I've had issues with my past 2 usb c phones. the female connector has a hidden male part in the phone. when you insert the cable incorrectly, it can damage that internal male part. it is much harder to replace that part then just getting a new cable. the lighting cable was a classic male connector to a classic female part

This is exactly right. Lightning is more resilient to damage. Lightning also puts the fragile part on the charger side and not in the device. Two of my USB-C devices developed loose connections after a year or so that replacing the charger wouldn't solve, a camera and a Windows laptop.

Wait, do you have those reversed? Lightning cables have zero moving parts. The clips and other bits and bobs are in the phone. USBC is reversed, so that, with USBC, most failures mean replacing the cable, not the phone.

Look inside the USB c port. Do you see a little bar sticking out, that is the breakable part

Why haven't I ever had one break (since my first and last Samsung piece of junk in 2010)?

USB C was designed in 2014. How did you have it on your Samsung device in 2010?

Good point, that further proves mine!

I've never even had a USB C port stop working!

It was a micro USB.

Every part is breakable. But USB-C puts the little roller-ball grabby bit (technical term) in the cable, not the port. That's the real wear item. Not that I've actually ever had it fail on me, in either standard, but on a pure theoretical basis it is.

How do you "insert it incorrectly"? It's symmetrical and works in both possible orientations.

The correct orientation perpendicularly to the edge of the phone. No one gets exactly 90 deg. The more you are off, the more likely you are to break or wear down something. That something that breaks is in the phone, not in the cable.

The connector is designed with this in mind. When it was announced I was also worried about the middle part, but practically it has turned out to be no problem.

One bit of sand?

Please don't edit title as per guidelines.

There is no reason why the original title can't be used as it fits the character limit.

"USB-C confirmed for the iPhone 15 in new leaked part images"

Arguing for more-descriptive titles (and against shitty ones) is always good.

Meanwhile, "as per" is redundant.

"as per" is just plain ole snark

Thank you EU - those Lightning cables are so overpiced and rather fragile.

Cool, can we open up a virtual serial connection to an arduino without buying a mifi chip?

I've been envying iPhone users for the tons of lightning cables for headphones and IEMs. Hope the new generation USB C cables expands the options for Android users.

We will finally learn which is more rugged, lightning or usbc. The female lighting is so easy to clean from sand and lint.

It's funny how people adapt to bad design: usbc you don't have to clean. You can say it's "uncleanable" or that it is properly designed.

My experience was that lighting is a bit loose and the dimensions are a bit too big so it collects dirt and the you have to clean it. I have not experience this with usbc on multiple different devices.

They have been "forced" by EU (yay, fxck non standard connectors) but in the article seems like Apple made this choice to "upgrade" the functionalities of their products...

I have four USB C ports on my 2016 MacBook Pro, which also charges via USB C.

Hasn't the iPad Pro also used USB C since 2018? I think the iPhone and a few accessories like keyboards and trackpads are the last gasp of Lightning (which admittedly was a pretty effective replacement for the 30-pin dock connector that Apple used from 2003-2012.)

Though personally I'm surprised that Apple didn't decide to dodge the EU ruling by welding a USB C dongle to every EU iPhone. ;-)

Now I can finally throw away all of those perfectly usable lightning cables and buy a horde of new USB-C cables that do absolutely nothing to improve my experience. Thanks for that, EU.

??? Using a standardized cable that you'll always be able to find at a friend's place that also works with basically all modern devices doesn't improve your user experience?

Why would I find a cable at a friends house? I charge my phone at home, at night. With one of the cables that also work with my earphones and tablet.

Some people have sexy friends that invite them to stay the night. Some people stay with family. Some people use their phones a lot and need to charge away from home. Some people have worn out batteries that don’t hold much charge.

I carry an external battery and a cable when I know I’m gonna be gone long enough that my phone dying is a remote possibility.

I don't think anybody is saying that there are no people without friends, or people that have weird cable/battery obsessions. They're just a small minority so it doesn't make sense to make laws cater to just them.

Hard pass if there are no wireless chargers

Some people figure out how to carry their charger in 99% of those cases. Some of those people are still on lightning. Some of them have Qi chargers that already work universally.

This is absolutely not a problem for anyone over the age of 18 or with a modicum of personal responsibility.

But hey, at least you’ve legislated a solution that enhances nothing technical, but makes sure that someday you can… borrow a cable? Cool. Big add. Thanks, EU.

Lightning is standardised across my friends and family, so being the weird one out with usb-c doesn’t improve my user experience.

Why, are they also forcing you to throw away your old iPhone?

The battery will, at some point, necessitate getting a new phone, yes. As will other innovation. I know this seemed like a really smart dig, but it’s not like it only affects one year of devices. Come on, now.

Or you could just replace the battery. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

“As will other innovation”

I really didn’t use that many words.

The phones all come with a cable so if you buy a new phone you'll be getting the cable anyway.

Other than the iPhone and the ear pods, I can't think of a single Apple device that doesn't have USB-C. The Macs all have it, beats pro have it, homepod has it, even the Apple TV has a USB-C port.

I'm sure the universe of people who only have those two devices and don't have friends that own literally any other devices will be distraught that they have to add a $5 cable to their next phone purchase, but I don't feel very bad for them. Would you prefer it if the 15 had two ports instead?

Would you prefer it if the 15 had two ports instead?

Yes, because then I could plug in a charging cable and Apple's diminutive 3.5 mm headphone adapter (for old car stereo) at the same time.

>Other than the iPhone and the ear pods, I can't think of a single Apple device that doesn't have USB-C.

The keyboards and mice are still on lightning.

I can't wait to be using USB C in 15 years because of the EU.

You do know how standards work right? They get revised with time. Did you forget we had headphones jacks at least that long, USB A. Lightning has gone unchanged how many years?

If phone makers feel a need to change charging port now, it’ll likely be to go all-wireless. If wireless charging ends up nearly as fast/efficient as USB what’s the point of USB? (for devices that don’t need super fast data transfer)

EU doesn’t prevent going all wireless I believe. Apple Watch is not getting banned.

the term experience was used and only carrying 1 usbc cable from a fast charge portable power bank for an iphone and M chip macbook will be an amazing experience

Now I can buy good white Bluetooth headphones without having to retool my entire home's power banking.

Imagine complaining about standardization.

A friend got a new high end 2019 Samsung phone. The week it came, we were at the beach. I offered my USB battery. They used a USB-C to USB-C charge cable to connect it. They passed the phone-and-battery to me and I grabbed it by the cable , as I would with a lightning cable.

The USB-C detached from the phone and the phone fell 3.5 feet onto the rocky sand. It immediately broke the rear glass.

After that experience, I'm still skeptical if the friction available in the USB-C socket is up to the task of day-to-day phone use (vs lightning). Among other challenges, Apple must have been struggling with this all along.

As someone who hasn't owned a mobile apple device since 2012 or so (my ipod touch still had the old wide port that predates thunderbolt), my expectation of friction for a cable is essentially just that it requires more force to remove than you would normally exert by moving the phone itself.

This sounds snarky but I'm genuinely interested in the different perspective - is it a normal thing to hang your iphone off the cable to move it around?

Thank you for recognizing the perspective: holy downvotes! Anyway, the lightning cable design did/does allow it so people probably are used to doing it somewhat e.g. in bed. It was the one upside of lightning IMO.

Don't get me wrong: I do welcome USB-C but I hope Apple warns people or begins to make the rear glass out of the stronger material of the front glass if they haven't already.

Just don't grab things by the cable?

in this case yes; however.... usb-c connections become unreliable over time. cables need jiggling and such. the protocol might be better, but the physical connector sucks. not as bad as d-sub connectors, but bad.

In the last couple of years I've had a Pixel 2, Pixel 3a and Pixel 6, all of them had/have issues with the USB-C port. Plus the general issues around what cables can do what. Basically these days unless it's a Google charger and a Google cable I have zero confidence that I'm able to do whatever I want to do. It's a real bummer.

I get the feeling that half the problem is just shitty ebay cables. I have been plugging and unplugging apple usb-c cables in to my macbook and ipad for years now with absolutely zero issues. Still has a sharp and solid snap when it locks in to place. But I've absolutely experienced loose and flaky USB-C cables before.

That's probably part of the issue too. I did have to replace the USB port on my Pixel 3a though and even in my Pixel 6 sometimes I have to rotate the plug for it to work. I know that doesn't make any sense but it's what I have to do. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I have had experience where the cables/connectors are just a hair bigger than spec to provide a better connection to the shield, and they cause the receptacles to wear and become loose over time. Then you use an in spec cable and it's loose.

If we're going to base the reliability of a connector by a single example my 6 year old phone still holds cables as snuggly as day one. I can grab it from the cable and it doesn't fall. Maybe if I try to treat it like a whip it will but that's outside a reasonable use case. The cable is not 6 years old mind you, close to 3. But the connector aside from pulling gunk out with a needle a few times works perfectly.

Though it might depend somewhat on manufacturing tolerance, I suspect that USB C is designed a bit like MagSafe to prevent cord-tripping accidents. I've walked through my USB C charge cable for my (Apple) laptop several times, and thankfully each time the cable disconnected without sending my laptop crashing to the floor. Yet for the most part the connection has been solid and hasn't unplugged on its own. The exception is if dirt/lint/etc. gets into the socket and the plug doesn't go all the way in, but that has also happened with lightning.

Although I do think that MagSafe offers better cord-trip protection, USB C wasn't nearly as bad as I expected it to be.

MagSafe also has a weird issue that magnetic or metallic dust/grit can get stuck in the socket! You can usually clean it out though.

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