Gregory's Server@alyx i guess i just think that the reason lightning was introduced was not "the existing standard usb ports just aren't up to the job" so much as "usb-c will be out in a couple of years and if we're still using the dock connector by then, people are going to want us to switch. better invent a new connector *now* that's just arguably better than usb-c and then we can keep our monopoly on iphone-compatible accessories and pretend like we didn't have a choice". it's cynical, sure, but like, this is the company that disabled progressive web apps altogether rather than support using them with any other browser than safari, this is exactly the kind of thing they would do. they don't give a shit about e-waste or security or whatever, those are just the nice reasons they tell you when asked why they've done something that's obviously anti-competitive
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 @alyx I mean apple definitely knew something was on the horizon, though, right? They're in there usb forum and these bodies never do anything fast And anyway, what do you mean "nothing was available"? Every other smartphone on the market was using micro-usb, and it was working just great. For sure, lightning's physical connector is nicer than micro-usb, but nice enough to warrant 12 years of having two competing form factors for basically the same thing? Nah @andrewt Yeah probably, and it make sense they did not wanted to wait for them either. Nothing good enough was available, yes. Micro USB was garbage, it’s night and day with lightning. Anyway let’s leave the conversation here, I don’t really see the point, and I can feel the tone is not shifting to a pleasant conversation. Have a nice day, or night. @alyx just to check, what do you mean by "garbage"? my understanding is that on a technical level the two connectors were more or less equivalent, pretty much just usb2 with a different connector? And, like, I can go on holiday with my switch, my laptop, both of their controllers, an iPad and my phone and take literally one charger and honestly Nintendo could release a switch charger that literally gives me an orgasm every time I plug it in and I think I'd still rather just have the one same charger for everything |
@andrewt USB-C was not even designed when they release their lightning connector though. Wikipedia says that the design of USB-C started in 2012 and Lightning was introduced on September 2012.
They knew they had to switch, nothing was available, so they made their own. Agreed though that it’s not their kind to give away their design and open it to the world.