Twelve years after the EU started complaining about the variety of charger used by mobile phone manufacturers , the Commission has at last beat commonplace of await for voluntary normalisation . Alegislative proposalhas been set back which , if passed , will force maker of the most plebeian battery - power electronics to apply USB - ascorbic acid connectors and the USB world power delivery standard for the charge appendage itself .
This is ( arguably ) good . The Commission is exculpated that USB - C is just the latest technology today and that it expects the organisation that co - ordinates USB monetary standard to go on to tug technical evolution . In a few days ’ sentence , USB - C may be replaced by a honorable connector that is more dependable and capable of delivering even high currents .
The proposal apply not only to phone but also to tablets , cameras , speaker system , headphones and portable game consoles – but most raw gadgets in these categories already use USB - C. The full-grown exception is Apple ’s iPhone .
While the iPad now has USB - C in all but the cheapest model , the iPhone still has the same Lightning connector that it has had since the iPhone 5 . Which is still USB 2.0 for wearisome information transfer , and Apple ’s own standard for “ fast ” charging .
Over the year , there have been rumours about the decease of Lightning – either that Apple will throw to USB - C , or that the companionship will abandon physical connectors completely , and goportless . The EU nib is actually not entirely unclouded on whether it will be allowable to sell products covered by the law without any connector at all , but in any case I do n’t think the rumour of a completely wireless iPhone are peculiarly believable .
There are simply too many hardheaded reason to have a connector . Wireless courser are bigger and awkward , cost more and require more resources to cook up . They are more prostrate to loser and are not suitable for all places and situations . A physical connective is also more reliable for data transmission and connecting accessories via adapters , such as HDMI .
But above all , I think Apple understands that it would leave to huge critique from customers , and as we all know , one of Tim Cook ’s favourite figures is Apple ’s customer satisfaction . Even if MagSafe mother better and chintzy in a few yr , few client will desire to pay redundant for a slower charger .
Apple won’t lose face – and could make a killing
After years of fight back standardisation , there ’s a quite a little of prestigiousness in carry on to use the Lightning connector : Apple has consistently claimed that it ’s superior to USB - C for one reason or another . But if the EUforcesthe switch , Apple wo n’t have to admit it was wrong .
Moreover , Apple ’s PR people are experts at gyrate disadvantage into advantages and vice versa – and pretending that previous position never be . And USB - C ( or rather the high pep pill of USB 3.0 and later ) may not have been needed in the iPhone in the past tense but would now be pretty handy .
I would n’t be surprised if Apple presents theiPhone 14(or the iPhone 15 ) with USB - C as a major new feature article and advance , and makes it sound like it was n’t possible before .
Look at how Apple pop out switching to USB - blow in the iPad line with the launching of the2018 iPad Pro . Imagine the same affair with the iPhone : “ Thanks to a new I / O circuit in the A17 Bionic , the iPhone can plow USB 4.0 and Thunderbolt 4 for blaze fast connections . On iPhone 15 Pro , you may save video in ProRes format directly to an external SSD . It ’s magical . ”
Then let ’s not bury that every change of connectors leads to customers ask new accessories and adapters . A 1mUSB - C - to - Lightning adapterfor only £ 19/$19 – what a steal . Why not buy a four - gang so you could attach one to each old Lightning accessary ?
Many may think that the grounds for Apple ’s hesitation to switch is actually the restraint of the accessory market in theMFi computer program . To that I can only reply : Apple has not been able-bodied to stop other supplement with Lightning connexion , and nothing forestall Apple from adding unique data connection features to the USB - C connection on the iPhone . The EU nib explicitly refers to charging only .
Customers are demand USB - C. Apple has several safe excuses to make the switching . And in a few geezerhood it will be required by law to do so . It ’s time for Apple to throw in the towel .
unlike Think is a weekly column , bring out every Tuesday , in which Macworld writers expose their less mainstream opinions to public scrutiny . We’vedefended the notch , told Apple tostop being so successfuland argued thatnobody needs a foldable iPhone . This clause in the first place appear onMacworld Sweden ; translation by David Price .
