It's going to suck for a while, but eventually, it will be one more thing we can thank the EU for.
Universal chargers, informed tracking consent, separation of accounts...
US and EU balance each other pretty well.
Universal chargers, informed tracking consent, separation of accounts...
US and EU balance each other pretty well.
The last thing I want is another App Store. I enjoy the privacy and security of its payment disintermediation. An App Store from Facebook or Amazon is just going to be 'yet another spying apparatus.' No doubt employers and schools will be demanding their use soon.
> the annoyance of needing new (expensive) cables for no real reason
A USB C cable is like $5 and one with a built in dac is $20
I hope everything will be with USB-C, all home appliances as well.
I'm not sure I want a kettle pulling 2400w over a usb cable
USB kettle is not a joke you can find plenty on Amazon.
But I'm thinking about cordless appliances: shaver, toothbrush, vacuum cleaner, etc.
My toothbrush is already USB charged. I think for those small / battery charged applications you mentioned we'll get there pretty soon.
2. USB-C cables are ludicrously cheap and massively preferable to needing to hunt for the Apple-specific proprietary cable. Not sure why you had to explain the purchase of a $2 cable to your wife.
3. Freedom of choice means you are free to continue using the walled garden, should you wish, but others are also free to explore alternatives which is currently impossible.
Shitty USB-C cables are ludicrously cheap. Quality cables are merely not expensive, and when you have to replace them in quantity [1], it leads to a decent amount of money having to be spent to replace otherwise perfectly fine non-USB-C cables and a whole bunch of electronic waste as those now-obsolete cables make their way to the trash bin.
— [1] I easily have over a dozen and a half Lightning cables between the ones in my bedroom, my living room, my laptop bag, and my home desk. At ~$10-12 for a pair of braided Anker USB-C replacements, I’m looking at nearly a hundred dollars to replace them all.
And don't tell me lightning is quality, I've seen my friends consume them by the dozen.
Third-party cables, for whatever connector, you get what you pay for. Is it a shame I have a good number of lightning cables that I will have no use for in the near future? Yes.
I also have countless other cables that I longer have use for. I still haven’t been able to fully remove micro-usb from my life but we’re getting close and I’m glad for it. It would be much nicer to only have one type of cable in my bag, that’s for sure.
And presumably you only have to replace them if you replace your phone? It's not like the change came in and you had to rush down the shops straight away for new cables.
Also, to your second point, because of the EU, everybody* who currently uses Lightning will be replacing all of their cables eventually. That’s money out of pocket sooner or later. Maybe it’s easier to swallow when it’s $12 every three months instead of $100 all in one go, but the sum doesn’t change.
As it was you had choices as a consumer; open, closed - whatever you want. But the thing I deliberately want to choose for is now taken away from me through one of the worst and most unfair business laws I’ve ever seen, that only does harm to the majority of consumers whose choice is taken away and whose privacy and safety is being weakened to destroyed. But “they have a choice to stay in their walled garden” (they just can’t use their phone the way they want and were always used to anymore if they do, but we don’t mention that part and we don’t care those millions of people are getting royally screwed over).
You know, true choice could’ve been achieved if the EU had made a fair law. They didn’t and now we as consumers are going to pay a very heavy price.
Besides, before lightning, apple obsolated all 30-pin compatible devices.
- Apple changed cable without the EU once and would have changed again (remember the 30 pins?). They even didn't bother providing one at a point. At least this way we all get a uniform version that is cheap and can charge non phone devices.
- "yet another spying apparatus". Apple is one of the biggest advertiser in the world, and was part of the PRISM program. Their genius is to make you believe they don't spy on you. And noone force you to use the alternative store. That's called choice. Something I know Apple users are not big on.
If only people spent 10% of the energy they use to defend billion dollar bullies on caring about freedom.
in my view, you’re the one defending bullies. wielding the power of the state to control free enterprise is like pointing a gun at somebody to get your way. "do what i say, or else" is what a bully does.
> noone force you to use the alternative store
i get the strong feeling you didn't really read what i wrote
> Remember 30 pin?
I’ll do you one better: The first 30pin was widely deployed to all sorts of cars, and the majority of those hardwired the end that plugged in to the car. Then Apple changed the 30pin wiring while keeping the actual connector the same. The 30pin still plugged in, but it no longer charged the device nor passed audio through to the stereo.
In theory I think people would thank the EU for this, but in practice people generally dislike the new cookie banner status quo.
We can quibble about whether the legislation necessarily dictates the shitty scenario we find ourselves in, but its the scenario it did lead to nonetheless.
Or drop the unnecessary ones.
2. Provide a simple "can we share your data with third parties Allow/Decline" box, and
3. Apply DNT value automatically so they don't need to ask.
They could also... not track you?
It's crazy that we have to explain that every time a thread about the cookie banner comes in.
Isn't HN supposed to be a forum full of tech saavy people?
What kind of blind spot people have to not be able to reach this conclusion themself and instead blame a protective law for what clearly is an abusive move from companies that have a long track record of abuses?
Or do they just repeat what the PR of those companies tell them?
I mean in what world have you been living in the past 30 years with companies lying, trying to escape all possible constraining laws, spying on users and generally bullying at every occasion they could? And your first conclusion is that they did the annoying banners because they are the good guys and took the best solution possible because they like you?
Most people do, and techies/HN people are people.
EU: “You need to respect PII”
The market: malicious compliance and obvious dark patterns
EU: sigh Ok, we’ll also have to tell you how you’re allowed to ask. drafts new legislation
It sucks, but it's less bad to let them do all the wrong things, and then say "not that", until only what's good remain.
I wish companies would not start by being assholes to save a step, but politicians is terrible.
I have 4 stores installed on my Samsung phone.
It's fair the average consumer don't want to deal with those things. It's not that we can't.
I do love GDPR's ability to download your data, but I am unsure of how much actual good that's done.
Universal chargers is great!