Comment by brundolf

3 years ago

But even those non-tech people should have some USB-C cables lying around at this point

Android phones have used USB-C cables for many years. The Nintendo switch and PS5 controllers use USB-C cables. Chromebooks use USB-C cables. The alarm clock I just bought uses a USB-C cable. My keyboard uses a USB-C cable. Every MacBook made in the last five years (and most iPads sold in the last couple years) uses a USB-C cable.

It's very possible, if they're nontechnical, that they already have cables that will work with it and don't even realize it (which to be fair might be its own problem, but it's certainly a smaller problem)

21 comments

brundolf

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irrational  3 years ago

We have 5 iPhones (no usb-c connectors), 5 tablets (no usb-c connectors), 1 desktop (no usb-c port), and 6 laptops (only 1 of which has a usb-c charger). So, we have a grand total of 1 usb-c cable in the house. And that one is already in use charging a laptop. I sure hope Apple is planning on including a cable and charger with future iPhones so I don’t have to purchase a separate cable.

Frankly, hardware doesn’t become as obsolete as fast anymore, so there has been little reason to purchase usb-c replacements for our non-usb-c hardware.

tokamak-teapot  3 years ago

I have about twelve Lightning cables (2 in car, 4 permanently installed at convenient locations, a few in my work bag, an couple in another bag and some currently missing) and one USB-C cable, which I use for charging my laptop.

At some point soon, perhaps when I get a new iPhone, I am going to have to start buying more USB-C cables.

I will then spend years looking at the end of cables to see what the connector looks like. Just like USB-A and B where I had to make sure they were the right way up, which takes at least three attempts.

At some point, my iPad and iPhone - and my family’s iPads and iPhones - will all be dead, and replaced with USB-C versions.

We are quite good at hanging onto devices until they can no longer have new safe batteries (installed by Apple) or have no real use, so this could be around ten to fifteen years.

This drive by the EU seems to mainly talk about power adapters, and how it’s a waste to have separate ones, but all the power adapters I use for phone and iPad have USB-A sockets.

With USB-C on both ends of cables, I expect I’ll have to buy some new power adapters soon. I will then have to have two adapters everywhere (one for my USB-A to Lightning cables), or buy lots of USB-C to Lightning cables for the transition period. To go with the USB-C cables for post transition period.

I’m not at all inconvenienced by Lightning and not at all desperate to have USB-C, and USB-C will be replaced by USB-D in a few years, probably many years before the Lightning devices have given up, to USB-C, so I will probably carry several Lightning to USB-A, several Lightning to USB-C, several Lightning to USB-D, several USB-C to USB-C, several USB-C to USB-D and several USB-D to USB-D.

* not counting the Switch. I’m not gambling with that - it gets its original PSU only.

  • brundolf  3 years ago

    > With USB-C on both ends of cables, I expect I’ll have to buy some new power adapters soon. I will then have to have two adapters everywhere

    Recent lightning cables already have USB-C instead of USB-A at the other end; that's not a part of the EU mandate as far as I know. In fact I'd bet USB-A would be explicitly allowed, because it's a standard port.

  • fold3  3 years ago

    I'm using a power adapter that has 1 USB A and 2 USB C output. Theses new generation chargers are very small and powerful. I can charge a laptop, a phone and a ereader at the same time.

gnicholas  3 years ago

> But even those non-tech people should have some USB-C cables lying around at this point

I do have a couple of these, from my old MBP and my iPad Pro. What I don't have many of are USB-C bricks. I have tons of USB-A bricks that work with all of my micro USB devices (wireless keyboard, Beats, bike lights, etc.) and my Lightning devices (iPhone, several iPads, several AirPods).

If all of these devices move over to USB-C and don't include bricks, I'll end up going out and buying half a dozen of them to replace the ones we have around our house currently. We'll also need cables, and in all this will probably cost $100. Not a huge deal, but not something I'm looking forward to shelling out for, especially since there's no gain from my perspective.

> Every MacBook made in the last five years (and most iPads sold in the last couple years) uses a USB-C cable.

Current Apple laptops come with USB-C to MagSafe cables. They are USB-C in the sense that they fit USB-C bricks, but the cable itself (which is very nice/braided, and hopefully will last a long time) is single-purpose. It won't work in anything but an Apple laptop.

  • eropple  3 years ago

    > there's no gain from my perspective

    Maybe this'll broaden that perspective a little: Apple devices since the iPhone 8 support USB-PD with C-to-Lightning cables now, and it's much faster. Decent USB-C chargers are a noticeable quality-of-life improvement.

    • hot_gril  3 years ago

      I've never used one. In fact, my phone charges off a keyboard USB port so it's 0.5A and stresses the battery less. Of course not as much of an issue now that there's optimized charging.

    • gnicholas  3 years ago

      So you're saying my iPhone will charge faster? I probably won't notice, since I only charge overnight. My phone actually pauses charging until 7 AM to manage battery health.

      Also, if this is already available with USB-C to Lightning cables, is there an additional speed bump if the iPhone itself has USB-C?

      I also just realized this means I'll have to buy new power banks, since the old ones are USB-A. That's another $40-60 total.

      2 replies →

bobbylarrybobby  3 years ago

I am a tech person with an older MacBook Pro and a newer iPhone, and AirPods. I own zero USB C cables and am not really looking forward to the switch.

ksec  3 years ago

>But even those non-tech people should have some USB-C cables lying around at this point

This has got to be one of the best tech people response to a non-tech people question ever.

Most non-tech people living in Apple's ( or more precisely iPhone ) ecosystem simply dont have any USB-C cables lying around.

neither_color  3 years ago

But even those non-tech people should have some USB-C cables lying around at this point

Dont most people keep some devices permanently connected to the cable it came with though? I don't use my monitors USB-C cable to charge anything else. I don't use the quest link cable for anything but the quest. In theory it's "one cable for every device" but in practice the only place that happens is in a backpack power bank or car. Every device comes with its own cable and whether the new iPhone comes with a USB or lightning cable all it does is add one more cable to your collection.

dagmx  3 years ago

If they do have a usb-c cable they likely don’t necessarily think of it as one. It’s just generic charging cable that works with this device that they probably leave plugged in all the time.

But when you tell them that the thing they plug in and out every day is changing cables that ruffles feathers.

scarface74  3 years ago

And what are the chances that those Android phones with USB C actually support high speed data or video over USB C?

And those USB C MacBook cables definitely don’t support data transfers. The newest ones come with MagSafe

nanidin  3 years ago

I have a FLIR camera that plugs into the lightning port on my iPhone. I'm not sure if it will even be supported with an adaptor when/if I get a USB-C iPhone.