Apple Now Shipping Lightning To 30-Pin Adapters 173
hcs_$reboot writes "Apple has started shipping the iPhone 5 Lightning connector to 30-pin adapters. Some iPhone 5 owners complained about its new connector being incompatible with the previously well known 30 pin connectors (iPhone 4S and before, iPod, iPad, and chargers). From the article: 'Apple's accessories page shows the adapter as available to ship in October, while one MacRumors reader said the e-mail notice pointed to a delivery day of October 9.'"
Micro USB? (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Why? (Score:5, Interesting)
Why is this news? The people who want the adapter have already ordered one, and they already received an email stating their adapter has been shipped. Is this just another excuse to rag on Apple for not going micro-USB (as if anyone anywhere thought they actually would)?
(Personally, I find the lack of standardized cables mildly annoying. However, I'm backward--I wish everyone would move to lightning cables, not micro-USB. Lightning is just nicer to use: it plugs in quicker without having to look, and you don't have to worry about orientation. Sadly, Apple will never work to make it a standard.)
See how you tried to spin that. Personally I think this is another minor Apple advertisement that we are constantly subjected to. I personally find it appalling that Apple have not followed the spirit of the EU directive, but then I'm not interested in defending them.
However I'm not biased--I wish companies would follow open standards...and work with others to improve and refine them. Rather than use their market share to create propriety, closed standards like Sony of old. Sadly Apple have no interest in working with others only taking them to court.
Re:Lockin (Score:5, Interesting)
At first, I was annoyed at the new connector (though I doubt I'll have any need to use it for a while, and when I do, I have practically no accessories to replace). It seemed to be a remarkable waste of engineering for something that could have just been standardized.
Now that I know more about the connector, I'm genuinely hoping that Apple miraculously opens up to the world and Lightning becomes the new standard. It's reversible, adaptable, sturdy (at least it appears to be), and smaller than the 30-pin connector. iFixit had an interesting perspective (that I'm too lazy to look up) that the smaller connector allowed more components to fit in the bottom of the new and slimmer iPhone.
I like the idea of adaptable connectors. Not just where you ground a certain pin to toggle the function of another pin, but where the cable and device actively communicate to negotiate what features are available on what pins.
Since my dream of Apple playing nice with others is probably impossible, are there any other well-defined connectors (preferably without patents) out there that offer the same (or even similar) amounts of adaptability?
Re:Lockin (Score:1, Interesting)
Because the MicroUSB connectors are ridiculously flimsy and prone to failure by mechanical stress?
Seriously, they are. I've gone through a handful of MicroUSB phone chargers trying to find the one that fits just right in my Android phone with a MicroUSB charging port. Bump the phone ever so slightly and the battery stops charging. And before you say "get a new phone", it's happened before on other phones. It does this because MicroUSB is terribly designed and terribly built. Maybe Apple wanted something that would actually stand the test of time. I have an iPod and various iPod cables from 6 years ago that still make a perfect connection despite thousands of insertions.
I couldn't stop laughing at this. It was the funniest thing ever. seriously even the cheapest cables off ebay fit and work. Your a liar. As for the old connector. I have a broken iPhone in a drawer which snapped at the connector. I had to get a new phone.
Mechanical improvement (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm $ure there'$ a perfectly good rea$on for them not to u$e a $tandard U$B connector format, but I can't for the life of me figure out what it i$. Anybody?
The real advantages to mini and micro-USB is that they are pretty much ubiquitous and relatively cheap - which are some big advantages. However the various USB connectors are kind of a crappy connectors from a mechanical standpoint. It is keyed in such a way that it isn't immediately obvious which way is the correct way to insert it without looking carefully or by trial and error. Also the mini and micro USB connectors themselves tend to be rather poorly made and need lots of external structural support. I've broken several and I'm not hard on my gear. My company manufactures some products that use them and IMO they aren't well designed mechanically. I don't love the lightning connector but from a pure mechanical design standpoint the lightning connector is better. Electrically and financially and socially I see no advantage to the new connector to most of us.
Re:Mechanical improvement (Score:4, Interesting)
I am very hard on my gear - my Droid X I dropped 6-7 times (twice in the water) never once did that Micro-USB connector ever fail to work properly. When I got rid of the phone it was covered in scratches and chips.
My GF's iPhone however - the connector housing developed a crack and began to fall apart.
I don't buy that Micro-USB is flimsy.