Apple

Yeah, it’s absolutely time for USB-C. Apple itself is switching since several years. More and more products switch to USB-C. Started with the iPad (I ignore the Macs as the never had lightning), and now even the AppleTV Remote has USB-C.

But on the other hand: I have a 14 Pro and I don’t really care about the connector. Charging only wireless (MagSafe), headphone also wireless (AirPods or Beats for cycling). I could live with no connector at all. ;)

Nevertheless I expect the 15 to come with USB-C.

I can't imagine anyone arguing against USB-C iPhones. I've been hoping they'd make the switch for years. Having said that, I'll still be stuck with Lightning on my AirPods case and my Magic Keyboards and Trackpads. Totally worth it in the long-run to have everything on one connector.

I think most of us here agree

The only pause I have with USB-C is that the connection ≠ function.

The world of USB-C is a clusterfuck of differing abilities and standards that all share one common plug. I remember listening to a podcast a while back, where one of the hosts was complaining that he bought a new USB-C headphone dongle for his Samsung that didn't have a mic input, or something along those lines. Or more to the point, it did, but not for his model of phone. Meanwhile, a Lightning headphone dongle does in and out, regardless of the device you're plugging it in to.

Add to that that USB and Thunderbolt now share a common plug, and it's kind of a mess. I was trying to explain to my dad the other day that the sockets on his M1 Mini are both USB and Thunderbolt, which can be just confusing.

At least with Lightning I know that the cable / dongle I plug in to my phone or iPad will do what I expect it to. Mostly.

(As an aside, I recently replaced my old XR with a 13 Mini, which has been a wonderful upgrade)

My iPad is USB-C, I am expecting it to come to the iPhone due to EU regulations, they need to have USB-C on iPhones by 28 Dec 2024.

This makes sense. My iPad uses usbc, my MacBook uses it. I’d love for my phone to use it too.

I mean, at this point, it’s hard to disagree with this. Before the C-type ecosystem was fully established, there was maybe still room to make arguments for and against… but in this day and age, the transition from Lightning to C is a no-brainer really.

I admit however that I’ll miss the haptic feel of Lightning. Yes, a well made USB-C / Thunderbolt connector come pretty close, but even the best C-type plug has that an inherent “wonkiness” due to to the hollow ending and the springs inside. Still no comparison to Lightning, where the plug is a solid chunk of metal.

It's a given that the next iPhone is USB C. Notice that the Vision Pro also uses USB C. And for extra evidence, take a look at this Unbox Therapy short where he shows us a mold of the new iPhone 14. You can clearly see a USB C Port.

Having said that, I may be in the minority on this, but I'll miss Lightning. It's just such a small, elegant connector. It doesn't have a "tongue" like USB C so it's easier to clean both the male and female ports. USB C is great and all, and I know it has more capabilities with more pins and everything, but man I've really liked Lightning.

I’ve long been a proponent for a USB-C iPhone. When I had an Android phone and an iPad, it was annoying to carry both ports. Now iPads are USB-C, but not mine (Air 3). I got a 14 Pro last year, jumping back to iPhone for the first time in 7 years.

While I’m glad to see the 15 series will likely be USB-C, it will make a kind of annoying situation again, since my wife will be upgrading this year (she’s on an Xr), and so we will be back to bringing two chargers when we travel. But that’s a short term issue.

I agree. By this point, I have more USB-C cables and accessories than Lightning stuff. Let’s hope the rumor mill is right in predicting that this is the year.

Usb C iPhone and sideloading is about all I need to consider switching from Android. Can only see this as a good move.

Lightning doesn't wiggle around, it can even hold the whole phone as a stand.

Usbc has some fundamental flaws that make it a bad choice for a phone charger port.

The main problem is how much more difficult it is to clean compared to a lightning port which is literally a hole you can wiggle a toothpick around in with impunity to make lint come out. Usbc ports are so narrow around the plastic tongue that you need a thinner than normal kind of straight pin to jostle the dust out. That’s not too bad but those tongues are more delicate than the rest of the thing which is made of metal, so it’s easy to bend em or break em entirely. The pin design on the tongue is also much thinner than those on the lightning port it’s replacing and they seem to be more exposed, because they’re very likely to be damaged during cleaning compared to contacts on the lightning port.

On the other side, the cord, usbc has an annular oval that may need to be cleaned from time to time, but it’s contacts can’t be directly reached because they’re on the inside of the oval. Everyone with an iPhone or iPad knows about the tarnished black pin on their lightning cord, second one from the right, that needs to be scuffed with a pocketknife so it’ll work. Man, maybe it’s time to replace that cord. Too bad you can’t reach the v+ pin on a usbc cable when it gets tarnished.

That’s not even the bad part though.

You know how it seems like lightning cables never last as long as other cables? They always break at that little circuit board behind the connector, need to be held a certain way to charge and eventually don’t work at all and you gotta go down to the gas station and spend $5 on a replacement.

Usbc will change all that! It’s got a much tougher connection to the little board that’s connected to the wires in the cable, and the annular ring connector makes a very strong connection to the port it’s plugged into. So strong that when you accidentally bend the cable end with it plugged into your phone, it breaks the tongue or pulls the port off it’s circuit board rather than just breaking internally like a lightning cord does. Now you don’t have to go to the 24 hour gas station and get anew cord, you’ve got to wait for a microsoldering shop to open up so you can pay them $150 to put a new port in your phone.

As a computer charging port, sure. A computer or headphone data port, sure. Something that’s gonna go in a pocket? No thanks.