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Iphone Network Networking Apple Hardware Technology

Apple's Ultra Accessory Connector Dashes Any Hopes of a USB-C iPhone (theverge.com) 153

Posted by BeauHD from the boulevard-of-broken-dreams dept.
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Verge: Among all the iPhone 8 concepts and daydreams, my favorite scenario has always been to see Apple replacing its proprietary Lightning connector with the USB-C one that's taken over the entire rest of the smartphone world. Apple is already a strong proponent of USB-C, having moved to it aggressively with the new MacBook Pros in October, but the company also maintains Lightning for its iPhones and iPads -- which creates a lot of headaches for people desiring universal accessories that work with everything inside the Cupertino ecosystem. Alas, after yesterday's revelation of a new Ultra Accessory Connector (UAC), which is intended to ameliorate some of the pain of having both USB-C and Lightning devices, it looks like the dream of a USB-C iPhone will forever remain just that. The UAC connector is going to be used as an intermediary in headphone wires, splitting them in half so that the top part can be universal, and the bottom can be either a Lightning, USB-C, USB-A, or a regular old 3.5mm analog plug. The intent is to restore some of the universality of wired headphones -- which, until not too long ago, all terminated in a 3.5mm connector (or 6.35mm on non-portable hi-fi models designed for at-home listening). With UAC, a headphone manufacturer can issue multiple cable terminations very cheaply, making both the headphones and any integrated electronics, like a digital-to-analog converter or built-in microphone, compatible across devices with different ports. Why this matters with regard to the iPhone's sole remaining port is simple: if Apple was planning to switch its mobile devices to USB-C, it wouldn't have bothered with creating a Made for iPhone standard for UAC. It would have just made the port change.
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Apple's Ultra Accessory Connector Dashes Any Hopes of a USB-C iPhone More

Apple's Ultra Accessory Connector Dashes Any Hopes of a USB-C iPhone

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  • Why bother hoping? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Stormwatch ( 703920 ) <`moc.liamtoh' `ta' `oarigogirdor'> on Tuesday February 07, 2017 @05:26PM (#53821733) Homepage

    So what if Apple won't offer a sane, standardized solution? How about you just STOP BUYING APPLE CRAP!?

    • Re:Why bother hoping? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by geekmux ( 1040042 ) on Tuesday February 07, 2017 @05:41PM (#53821859)

      So what if Apple won't offer a sane, standardized solution? How about you just STOP BUYING APPLE CRAP!?

      That will not work. It's too late. You assume that others will offer a "sane, standardized solution". You can kiss that shit goodbye thanks to Apple.

      There's a valid reason Apple is opting for yet even more proprietary bullshit and that's because "courage" is THE profit model to have.

      And every other vendor in the world is about to follow suit with their own unique flavor of courage.

      • Then I guess it's time we grow a pair and have the courage to NOT be idiots who for some odd reason think they need that bling.

        Why do people buy something they don't want to impress people they don't like?

      • Horseshit. Several vendors have noted the hate apple is getting for its proprietary bullshit and have decided not to follow suit. Major phone makers have announced devices with USB-C and headphone jacks. Major gadget manufactures have decided to steer away from proprietary standards and switch to BLE or something equivalent. Standardisation isn't going away because Tim cook has a sadistic form of courage.

        • Horseshit. Several vendors have noted the hate apple is getting for its proprietary bullshit and have decided not to follow suit. Major phone makers have announced devices with USB-C and headphone jacks. Major gadget manufactures have decided to steer away from proprietary standards and switch to BLE or something equivalent. Standardisation isn't going away because Tim cook has a sadistic form of courage.

          We're already watching HTC, Motorola, and Samsung follow suit when it comes to removing a headphone jack standard that has existed for decades. Believe me, that shit will continue.

          As far as standardization going away, let's see how vendors respond as their Board of Directors demand more "courage", which translates into 30% profit margins and plenty more revenue streams.

          In this case, money will talk. A lot. It sure as shit did at Apple. The only thing that is truly horseshit here is Design being a slave

          • We're already watching HTC, Motorola, and Samsung follow suit

            So when the very first half of your very first sentence is demonstrably wrong, I won't believe you me about any of the rest of what you said. In the mean time Samsung will remain on my to buy list complete with it's headphone jacks, and HTC ... well I'm sure I can avoid that one model that they trialed without it, I mean it's not like they have a myriad of other concurrent models to chose from if that one feature is a killer feature for you. Kind of like Motorola released a bunch of phones at the same time

            • We're already watching HTC, Motorola, and Samsung follow suit

              So when the very first half of your very first sentence is demonstrably wrong, I won't believe you me about any of the rest of what you said. In the mean time Samsung will remain on my to buy list complete with it's headphone jacks, and HTC ... well I'm sure I can avoid that one model that they trialed without it, I mean it's not like they have a myriad of other concurrent models to chose from if that one feature is a killer feature for you. Kind of like Motorola released a bunch of phones at the same time and a single model omitted the jack too. Oh noes!

              Apple has one model of smartphone; the iPhone. Design changes are therefore inherently an all-or-nothing decision, and their profit margins driven by an undying legion of iLemmings allows them to sustain enough corporate arrogance (a.k.a. "courage") to push a take-it-or-leave-it design change. You are fortunate to still have choice with other vendors, but this hardly discredits the obvious; they are following with certain design changes, as no one removed the headphone jack prior to the iEvent that starte

          • In this case, money will talk. A lot. It sure as shit did at Apple. The only thing that is truly horseshit here is Design being a slave to Greed.

            Bitch, please.

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by Anonymous Coward

      Oh fuck off. You think somehow Android crap is better? And standardized? Like how many versions are now floating around of Android? Most are severely crippled with malware and exploits.

      Nope - hate Apple all you want, but don't claim they aren't sane. Their shit works, yours doesn't.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by gl4ss ( 559668 )

        well, android accessory manufacturers don't need to pay anyone(maybe usb blabla consortium only).

        thing is, with apple, they can't go to a standard port because they want money from every fucking cable - and the cables break and they know that and they want money for them, because fuck you.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AC-x ( 735297 )

        You must be using a slightly different definition of "works", because I can plug my headphones into my Android phone and my Android phone into my laptop without having to buy overpriced adapters and dongles [thenextweb.com].

    • It's also not an "Ultra Accessory Connector", it's an "Apple Gratuitously Incompatible And We'll Litigate To Keep It Incompatible Oh Did We Mention Its Incompatible You'll Have To Buy It From Us At 10x The Price Its True So Sad" connector.

    • Well there are many reasons.
      1. In the grand scheme of things those connector problems isn't an issue at all.
      2. Apple started the current smartphone market so many people are stuck with Apple because if they switch then they will loose their apps that they have.
      3. Companies often do not support Android apps as well as for Apple.
      4. Apple echo system has more high quality apps then android.

      Apple will be a major phone product unless they really screw up or someone else can successfully get something past the sq

    • that's how it was invented, that's what it is. not a 6.35 mm connector. so there!

      correcting mistakes on The Connected Internet, that's hard work.

  • Would mandate an iPhone without a single external connector.
    • No, true courage would be recommending your customers just switch to Android. ;)

    • Not a terrible idea (perhaps as an option). I've always thought that a sealed phone would be desirable. It would be much easier to water- and dust proof and maybe more reliable (fewer connections). Could get a much higher waterproof rating (definitely for swimming and maybe sport diving). Not sure how well bluetooth works underwater.

      Charging, headphones and data sync could all be wireless. (And does anyone ever use data sync).

      Maybe not for everyone, but it would seem like a way for a second-tier Android man

    • Yeah, no connectors, bluetooth for any additional devices, inductive charging.

      Calling it now, they'll be doing that for the iPhone 9.

      • Yeah, no connectors, bluetooth for any additional devices, inductive charging.

        Calling it now, they'll be doing that for the iPhone 9.

        I think you are late by one major revision (not including "s" revisions).

  • Perhaps it's time Apple finally went the whole hog (Score:5, Insightful)

    by gweilo8888 ( 921799 ) on Tuesday February 07, 2017 @05:30PM (#53821759)
    ...and just renamed itself to "Dongle". They clearly have a love affair with making you carry 12 other boxes so that your phone can be 0.1mm slimmer. Shame you need a bag for all the dongles to achieve it.
    • Shouldn't one or two dongles be enough for anybody?

      What if Monster Cable became Monster Dongle?

      • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

        by Opportunist ( 166417 )

        Don't give them ideas. Apple fanboys are far too used to buying overpriced low quality crap to notice.

        • So please enlighten us what is the high quality versions?
          Because they all seem to be the same and more or less copying what Apple did 9 years ago.

      • Shouldn't one or two dongles be enough for anybody?

        640k dongles ought to be enough for anybody. -- Bill Gates

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by amiga3D ( 567632 )

      I imagine there will be cases that have everything you need built in. A shell of functionality around the phone. What a shame they do this crap. I'm typing this on a Macbook Pro where the 2 (two) USB ports are so close that I often can only plug in one device unless I use a USB hub. I don't see me buying anything else from Apple.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by lgw ( 121541 )

      A slightly thinner phone, and a 6-pound bag with $3000 worth of adapters and connectors? I see dollar signs in the eyes of Apple management at the suggestion.

      What about a wireless charger that itself uses a proprietary charging cable, that ends in a 4-prong power plug, which then uses a set of other country-specific adapters? And how about headphones with a Bluetooth-to-lightning adapter, chained to a lightning-to-USB adapter, chained to a USB DAC, chained to headphones with an analog plug?

      Oh, yeah, it's

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by ( 4621901 )

      Introducing the iFlea
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v... [youtube.com]

    • ...and just renamed itself to "Dongle". They clearly have a love affair with making you carry 12 other boxes so that your phone can be 0.1mm slimmer. Shame you need a bag for all the dongles to achieve it.

      Mods? Insightful?

      How about Idiotic?

  • Debunked yesterday (Score:5, Informative)

    by ErikTheRed ( 162431 ) on Tuesday February 07, 2017 @05:33PM (#53821783) Homepage

    Geez, Slashdot is now so slow that they're posting rants that are already ancient news.

    No, Apple is not putting out a new connector. They've had requests from industry groups to allow Apple-certified cables using this unusual somewhat connector, most likely for attaching professional cameras to IOS-based devices. Apple complied with these groups. End of story.

    https://arstechnica.com/apple/... [arstechnica.com]

  • With this UAC, does it ask you for administrator permissions every time you plug something in?

    • No. Security is less of a concern when there is a very limited marketplace of items that can plug in. That's Apple's security philosophy. Security by constantly changing connectors and standards. Got to keep ahead of the bad guys.

  • One standard to rule them all (Score:5, Informative)

    by presidenteloco ( 659168 ) on Tuesday February 07, 2017 @05:41PM (#53821855)

    Obligatory https://xkcd.com/927/ [xkcd.com]

    Seriously though, is anyone else getting tired of these smaller and smaller fragile connectors that have about a one or two year lifespan before they become loose and wobbly and malfunction?

    First requirement of a connector is it should reliably stay connected even with little pulls on the cable,
    Second requirement is a decent lifespan, and non-self-destructive tendencies through normal use.

    • Comment removed based on user account deletion

      • By comparison, most 3.5mm audio jacks - which are often mentioned here as the gold standard of robust connectors - usually start to have problems making a reliable connection within anything between 3 months

        Strange. My G5 iPod Classic is still working fine(2005). I have an HTC HD2 phone from around 2010 (it doesn't see much use anymore) that has no issues either, nor my Samsung Galaxy S3 or S5. I have a pair of sound isolation ear buds that I bought from Radio Shack for $30 around the same time I got the iPod. They are still working too. Though I did have to replace the memory foam portion a couple of times. I did have to get the Galaxy S3 replaced on three occasions due to the USB connector going bad though.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by dgatwood ( 11270 )

          I use 1/8" plugs on an almost daily basis, and the last time I had a mini jack failure was on a PowerBook 145, back in the mid-1990s. By contrast, I've gone through three micro-USB-to-Lightning adapters (from different manufacturers) in less than a year. They get to the point where they only make proper contact if you shove them in at a certain exact angle, and the slightest touch causes them to disconnect.

          I've given up on micro-USB. The failure rate is just plain staggering compared with anything else I

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Khyber ( 864651 )

            " It is a terrible, horrible, flaky, unreliable nightmare connector suitable for use only in disposable products. If you haven't had problems with it, then you obviously aren't being nearly as hard on your charge connectors as you are on your headphones."

            I'm harder on my connectors and devices than 99% of the population here, almost guaranteed with my highly corrosive skin excretions. I haven't had a TRS plug die on me in ages, just the internal wiring going to the jack due to shitty strain relief designs.

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by dgatwood ( 11270 )

              Just to clarify, I've never had the jack fail. I've had plenty of wires fail. I mostly blame Apple for that. At some point, they decided to make headphones with really thin wires under the premise that more flexibility is somehow better. Unfortunately, that makes them more fragile. And then everybody copied their design, and now you almost can't buy headphones with wires that aren't thin and flimsy.

              • Just to clarify, I've never had the jack fail. I've had plenty of wires fail. I mostly blame Apple for that. At some point, they decided to make headphones with really thin wires under the premise that more flexibility is somehow better. Unfortunately, that makes them more fragile. And then everybody copied their design, and now you almost can't buy headphones with wires that aren't thin and flimsy.

                Believe me, there were PLENTY of headphones and earbuds with flimsy cables YEARS before Apple had any product offerings in that space.

                Everything isn't Apple's fault, ya know.

                • Re: (Score:2)

                  by dgatwood ( 11270 )

                  I'm sure they existed in the disposable products market (e.g. the crap that you get free with audio guide rental), but they certainly weren't the norm pre-iPod (2001). Either way, I have good reasons for blaming Apple for the reduction in quality:

                  • In 2001, Apple's iPods used an undersized 1/8" connector back that made it impossible to build headphones without moving to a smaller wire size.
                  • In 2007, the original iPhone's bad case design had an indentation for the headphone jack that was just big enough for

          • I use 1/8" plugs on an almost daily basis, and the last time I had a mini jack failure was on a PowerBook 145, back in the mid-1990s. By contrast, I've gone through three micro-USB-to-Lightning adapters (from different manufacturers) in less than a year. They get to the point where they only make proper contact if you shove them in at a certain exact angle, and the slightest touch causes them to disconnect.

            I've given up on micro-USB. The failure rate is just plain staggering compared with anything else I've worked with. It is a terrible, horrible, flaky, unreliable nightmare connector suitable for use only in disposable products. If you haven't had problems with it, then you obviously aren't being nearly as hard on your charge connectors as you are on your headphones.

            And that is one of the biggest reasons why Apple designed the Lightning connector. Because microUSB is hideous.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by Pascoea ( 968200 )
        That's interesting. I've never had a headphone jack or micro-USB jack "wear out". I've broken a few of each in my time, but can't really blame the format for that. I have worn out many micro USB cables. They just get floppy, loose, won't stay in, etc. I just toss it and buy a new one, problem solved. I have never worn out the actual headphone plug or jack, have never even heard of someone doing it. (Did about 3 years at an electronics repair shop, never replaced one) I have worn out many many sets o

        • Re: (Score:3)

          by phayes ( 202222 )

          I see your personal anecdote and raise with the results of a company that has a thousand cell phones.

          We have boxes full of broken phones at work and 25-33% are there due to micro-USB issues. The female Micro-USB isn't supposed to wear out easily and it's the cable that is supposed to wear out and be replaced. It's not true. The female connectors can wear out in under a year and the fragile center post often gets snapped, both with of which render the phone useless. After 3 years, over half the phones have l

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

            This is because of micro USB connectors that don't meet the specification. The designer tries to save 0.2mm by reducing the length of the metal shield part, or alternatively doesn't make it tight enough because the manufacturing tolerances are poor. That allows the cable to move around and damage the port.

            Lightning connectors are even worse because where the pins are on the top and bottom of the connector, wiggling it presses them against the contacts inside the receptacle.

            USB-C tried to improve the situati

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by phayes ( 202222 )

              So you think that Blackberry, Samsung & HTC have all been using out of spec connectors? Sorry, blaming poor implementation of connectors isn't the problem. The problem is that the Micro-USB specification itself is weak and doesn't meet the promises the USB forum promised it had. We clearly don't have as much professional experience with Apple products and thus with lightning than with Micro-USB but lightning doesn't suffer from the weak center post is reversible so no putting it in the "wrong" way and u

        • The jack may not exactly wear out, but it could be a little more cooperative in maintaining contact with the cable's connector.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by cdrudge ( 68377 )

          I have never worn out the actual headphone plug or jack, have never even heard of someone doing it.

          My kids have worn out headphone jacks on several cell phones (Galaxy S4) or portable electronic devices (NDS/3DS and Nexus 7 tablet). Usually the failure mode is intermittent static or complete loss of one channel of audio, the jack not detecting something was inserted, or not detecting when it was removed.

          Now you can't say you've never heard of someone wearing out a headphone jack.

      • Interesting, I have audio equipment dating back to the 40's and 50's with 1/4" plugs and as far back as the 60's with 3.5mm plugs and all of them work just fine. I do recall having to resolder one back in the mid 90's, on a late 80's portable CD player that had been dropped on concrete and landed on the headphone plug just right. This is a connector that was chosen by audio professionals as a standard specifically because it is so robust; we haven't had it for over a hundred years because we're afraid of ch

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by mspohr ( 589790 )

      Don't know why phones need any connectors.
      My old Nexus 5 phone has wireless charging and four different ways to communicate wirelessly (WiFi, mobile data, NFC, Bluetooth).
      I never plug anything into the phone. I don't use any plugs or connectors.
      Why are people still fiddling with plugs?

      • You obviously never go to hacker conferences. Let's put it that way: Using cables means you KNOW what's connected to your phone.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

        Because bluetooth headphones are still a pain in the arse for some use cases, and because USB is the lowest common denominator for charging and sometimes you want it.

        There isn't really much benefit to removing those ports. You still need holes for speakers (the piezo ones that work through the screen are not very good) and making the phone any thinner just means it will have terrible battery life. Headphone and USB-C ports are thin enough and easy enough to waterproof.

        I love wireless charging but I'd still

    • Now this is just silly, how do you want to make the phone thinner with that kind of requirements?

    • First requirement of a connector is it should reliably stay connected even with little pulls on the cable

      Lol... you should check out the proprietary power cable they used for the original PPC Mac Mini. It literally had zero friction and no retention mechanism whatsoever, so to keep my Mini from shutting off while just sitting on my desk, I had to duct tape the cable in place. Even better is the fact that it only had to slip out about 2mm before the connection was lost, so even taped in place sometimes the power still cut out. Worst fucking design in the world... hands down! I would have returned the thing

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by AmiMoJo ( 196126 )

      Part of the problem is that consumers keep demanding more durable cables, so the manufacturers make the cables more durable at the expense of transferring more of the force into the receptacle.

  • I guess the Apple haters really jumped on this right from the start which was surprising for me.

    Personally, I would think that in terms of USB-C, with all the problems that have been reported in the press regarding cheap cables, there is enough of a negative to want to avoid it.

    I (and, more importantly, my wife and kids) can get very cheap (two dollar range) lightning cables for our iPhones at "Dollarama" (this is a Canadian Store) and basically not worry about things burning up or not working. The same ca

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by geek ( 5680 )

      I guess the Apple haters really jumped on this right from the start which was surprising for me.

      Personally, I would think that in terms of USB-C, with all the problems that have been reported in the press regarding cheap cables, there is enough of a negative to want to avoid it.

      I (and, more importantly, my wife and kids) can get very cheap (two dollar range) lightning cables for our iPhones at "Dollarama" (this is a Canadian Store) and basically not worry about things burning up or not working. The same can't be said for USB-C.

      There have been just as many cheap lightning cables ruining phones and starting fire. What the fuck is your point?

    • Personally, I would think that in terms of USB-C, with all the problems that have been reported in the press regarding cheap cables, there is enough of a negative to want to avoid it.

      You're not likely to have those kind of problems with a cellphone, which isn't likely to draw enough charge current to burn up a cable. You're most likely to have those kind of problems with a tablet or notebook, which is.

      I (and, more importantly, my wife and kids) can get very cheap (two dollar range) lightning cables for our iPhones at "Dollarama" (this is a Canadian Store) and basically not worry about things burning up or not working. The same can't be said for USB-C.

      USB-C can deliver more power for higher charge rates. The same can't be said for USB 2, which your phone uses. If you want more functionality, there's going to be risk of more things going wrong. But, not really with your phone. Also, stop buying those shit cables. They will break, too. Bu

  • My Windows phone has USB-C, just saying.

  • Sensationalist story... (Score:5, Informative)

    by Lumpy ( 12016 ) on Tuesday February 07, 2017 @06:02PM (#53822019) Homepage

    No it's NOT new. it's a standard USB connection used on some devices already... NIKON uses it on cameras
    http://www.nikonusa.com/en/nik... [nikonusa.com]

    And apple is using it simply because the companies making accessories are asking for it. It's going to be on the accessory end NOT the phone.

  • iPhone 8, now with half the battery life!

  • Whatevs.

    Besides, that uses nearfield power to generate battery recharge, so it's way easier.

  • Apple should just give up on connectors for the iPhone completely. They've already removed the headphone jack in favor of wireless headphones. They should remove the lightning connector and go to wireless charging and WiFi/Wireless only for data. That would remove the last remaining open connector on the phone and make it much easier to make it really waterproof.

  • Okay, so they're replacing the perfectly good (and IMO far superior to USB-C) lightning connector with some moronic thing that isn't even reversible. Plenty of others have already vented their spleens about the change so I'll just leave it at that.

    But what about the other end? Will THAT at least be USB-C, or will people with USB-C only computers still be stuck daisy-chaining multiple dongles just to be able to connect the phone to the computer?

  • "...which, until not too long ago, all terminated in a 3.5mm connector (or 6.35mm on non-portable hi-fi models designed for at-home listening)."

    Until not too long ago my ass. It still is, and will be for a very long foreseeable future. The only idiots thinking that these standards will go away are delusional Apple fanboys who swallows all the crap Apple says on their cult gatherings.

    And if we're talking about not ALL headphones and speakers using 3.5mm connectors, should I remind that USB headphones have be

  • Nope, this is not a new port (Score:4, Informative)

    by stikves ( 127823 ) on Wednesday February 08, 2017 @01:18AM (#53824001) Homepage

    "Apple’s “new” UAC port wasn’t made by Apple, and it isn’t new"

    https://arstechnica.com/apple/... [arstechnica.com]

    This is a connector used in some digital cameras, and accessories. They are usually compatible with USB micro cables, but has additional pins for the original cable carrying video or other signals.

    Apple is just allowing manufacturers to use this port on one end of their cables. i.e.: it will now be possible to connect your Sony camera to a lightning port directly.

  • We are DOOMed !

  • How is this possible in the EU where it is mandatory to use USB for charging phones and tablets.

  • This article and summary are coming to conclusions that are completely false. This stupid little port is just a USB variant, and the only reason Apple has even acknowledged it is that only certain connectors can be used on the ends of "MFI" certified products such as cables and accessories. They in no way intend to put this connector on the iphone, but it is in wide enough use that they dont want to exclude someone already making a product that uses one from paying them that sweet MFI license fee.

    The MFI pr

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