Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

oddmyth t1_jdqpmvm wrote

Because Apple wanted a smaller thinner connector and the industry was not able to produce one on the timeline Apple wanted. Lightning debut in 2012 and USB-C was not available until 2014.

Apple also prefers its own hardware designs for many reasons. Being able to control the full stack of hardware and corresponding software integrations has a wealth of advantages.

3

Riegel_Haribo t1_jdqr4fw wrote

Because Apple wanted to consolidate all the connectors into one cheap port, and then make you buy overpriced add-on dongles for features like headphone jacks or on-the-go devices that other phones support natively.

5

hemlockone t1_jdqsoed wrote

Have you actually had a phone with micro USB, the 2012 port on virtually all phones? It may not have consolidated everything (yay real 1/8" audio), but it was super fragile and hard to use

2

Riegel_Haribo t1_jdqu58t wrote

Of course. Micro USB is designed better vs mini-USB (of prior phones just after proprietary charger connectors), as effort was made to move the side with contacts most likely to be damaged out of the device. And of course USB-C connector solves the age-old complaint of orientation (and USB wasn't as bad as Firewire adopted early by Apple, where a wrong orientation could be forced into the connector to smoke the device).

1

hemlockone t1_jdubt8q wrote

True that. Micro USB was leagues beyond what existed before it.

1

everythingwastakn t1_jdqquyn wrote

This. People love to act like Lightning wasn’t head and toes above micro usb that was in all the Android phones. iPhone switched connectors ONCE in 16 fucking years and my parents still complain about how they had to buy new cables that one time after their iPhone 4 bought the farm. And that was close to a decade ago.

That said, they’re due for USB C transition and they’ve been moving there with all their other devices so it’s clearly happening (EU ruling helps, I’m sure)

0