I don’t have a problem with standards, but as a user of existing Apple products this change means that eventually I’ll have redundant, but otherwise still functional, cables I’ll once again have to throw out along with the cost of acquiring a whole new set with USB-C plugs. They’re also all going to need USB-A on the other end or we’ll have to throw out all our chargers too. That means all the single port and multiple port ones in the house along with the ones we use in the car.
Because USB-C is merely a connector it has created a minefield of cable choices.
I’m generally opposed to wireless charging. A waste of power to support not being bothered to push in a little plug.
My own suspicion is that Apple would like to avoid the situation in future, where someone asks: “Apple says that their iPhone runs very fast and efficiently… Why can’t I use my iPhone 15, to run MacOS? Clearly Apple is blocking this via software”. Personally, I think this would be a reasonable question, as adding USB-C would make an iPhone close to a stripped-down Mac mini: Wireless keyboard and mouse, USB-C monitor which also charges. Or MagSafe charging.
Or in the very distant future: “Why doesn’t Apple let us install Raspberry Pi OS on these ancient iPhone 15 phones, and allow us to use them as Raspberry Pi W servers, or as waterproof security cams? Apple clearly has the ability to allow iPhone users to ‘jailbreak’ their phones”. I mean… an old jailbroken iPhone would make a kickass security cam.
Sticking to Lightning, or portless phones, avoids these scenarios.
As for why iPads have USB-C: I guess because Apple just doesn’t sell as many of those as they do phones. Or people already can use iPads for computer-like functions.
I don’t think that’s there reason, because as you say then people would be making that argument for the iPads (which really are as powerful as a Mac – many use the same SOC). Indeed, some people do make that argument for the iPad, but I think Apple is pretty comfortable ignoring it.
I think that at a basic level, Apple isn’t lying when they bring up the sheer number of existing lightning cables and accessories as a reason. (I’m sure there are other reasons – cough, licensing, cough – that exist as well which they don’t mention.) There will be an outcry when the iPhone switches to USB-C. People complaining that Apple’s always switching connectors just to get them to spend more money on cables. Ignore that Lightning has been stable for a decade, there will be a vocal minority that complain loudly. There are a lot of iPhones around. A lot more than iPads, so a minority complaining is a lot of people.
I think that what is most likely is that Apple needs to continue to sell products in the EU. Apple has made it very clear they are extremely unhappy with this situation. They are not enthusiastic about being forced to jump on the bandwagon and not rushing ahead to make the switch,
I have been purging lately. I’ve been doing IT consulting, mostly Apple related, for a few decades.
In my purging there have been many boxes of cables that no longer have any use. 30 pin iOS. SCSI. Serial. ADB. DB15. DVI. Whatever that Apple DVI like thing was called. A shoe box full of video adapters. (Actually, multiple shoe boxes.) And so on.
I find the lack of “hub” implementation with USB-c frustrating. The old USB hubs supported multiple ports and Firewire (remember that!) supported multiple chaining of devices. USB-c seems to assume you only have one extra device beyond the device connected to the computer - if you are lucky.
Sorry I am drifting off-topic but forcing adoption of USB-c is not going to solve wired connection issues.
I believe it’s been said here before, but you seem to ignore the fact that the designation C refers only to the connector’s physical configuration or form factor and should not be confused with the connector’s specific capabilities, which are designated by its transfer specifications (such as USB 3.2). There certainly are USB 3.2 hubs readily available as well as so-called USB-C hubs with a USB-C connector on one end and multiple different types of ports on the hub itself. https://www.amazon.com/usb-c-hub/s?k=usb+c+hub
I have a nice, very inexpensive hub with a USB-C connector on one end and multiple regular USB ports in it that I use to connect my CCC and Time Machine drives to. It’s very reliable. And also includes an ethernet connector.
But only a few of the hubs linked by Al have multiple USB-c ports. I appreciate that USB-c offers similar performance to USB3 but it means carrying different cables.
Also these ports lack power-through (charging my Retina Macbook). It justs means that I have less flexibility than a few years ago.
We are currently living in the midst of Loyal Apple Customer Hell.
My wife’s iMac only has USB C ports for output. Her keyboard and mouse have Lighting ports. My MacBook Pro has USB-A ports. My iPhone is Lighting. Our Apple Watches use their own proprietary magnetic charging stand.
I need the following cables:
USB-A to Lightning
USB-C to Lightning
USB-A to USB-C
USB-C to USB-C
USB-A to Watch
USB-C to Watch
About ½ of my power bricks are USB-A and the other half are ISB-C. I now have one with two USB-A and two USB-C ports. It comes with a page sized chart about the power output of each port which can change if more than one is used.
When flying, my carry on bag is ½ full of just cables and various charging bricks.
My car has a USB-A port, but I carry a Lightning cable, a USB-C cable, an Apple Watch cable. Oh yes, a USB micro B cable because the battery jumper uses that.
This is the transition period from USB-A/Lightning to all USB-C. It is painful, and I wish it would hurry up and end.
Every decent USB-C hub gives you one power passthrough port. That means that hub can in principle be the only thing you ever attach to your MB while you work and keep it charged. That’s substantially more flexibility than you ever had before.
The other ports on that decent USB-C hub should give you 15 W which is not one watt less than any USB-A port can offer, and in many cases, actually more. So if that bus-powered 2.5" HDD worked through USB-A, it certainly will continue to do so over USB-C. Same for other equipment that draws power over USB-A.
USB-A (capped at 1.5 Amps) doesn’t provide nearly enough power (7.5 W) to charge a MB. It doesn’t usually carry video either. So in the old days you had to connect power, video, and a USB hub separately to get what you are now getting with just one port. To realize just how important that is, also consider how limited space is on your MB for ports. In the old days, you’d end up with perhaps one of each of the aforementioned, but now you get 2-4 that all can be used interchangeably and often one single connection will carry multiple signals (eg. that power passthrough USB-C will do your charging, video, and USB 3.x). Whatever you need, there will be always be a port available for it. No more lack of port A while ports B and C sit there unused.
USB-C has if anything susbstantially increased our flexibility. And indeed the transition phase is annoying where we need to keep adapters at hand. But that is a phase and at some point we will emerge. The main hold-up for us in Apple land remains Lightning and fortunately that will go away quite soon. So IMHO there is no question, in this regard we’re headed for an undoubtedly better future.
FW also supports “hubs”. I used a 6-port hub back when I was using my PowerPC Mac in order to connect my computer, 2 hard drives, iSight camera, tape drive and scanner. Worked great.
Yes. And today, that would work great for me, since nearly all of my USB devices use type-A connectors.
But we see the industry (and many users) calling for a transition of all peripherals to type-C connectors. Which means a pile of adapters if you want to connect them to a hub.
I think it’s about time we started seeing 6-10 port hubs with mostly type-C ports. But so far, I don’t think any such thing exists.
Yep. The iPad 10 requires Pencil 1 and isn’t compatible with Pencil 2. What makes that clumsy is Pencil 1 charges via Lightning which iPad doesn’t have. Hence this $9 masterpiece of artwork.
iPad 10 has its relocated camera where the Pencil 2 inductive charging goes on other iPads.
I have a very small pouch with all my cables for travel. I eliminate about half of your list by bringing along a few USB-C to USB-A dapters. Thus all my USB-A cables work on USB-C sources.
You can get them for about $2 or less each on Amazon.
