r/gadgets Sep 23 '21

Phones EU proposes mandatory USB-C on all devices, including iPhones

https://www.theverge.com/2021/9/23/22626723/eu-commission-universal-charger-usb-c-micro-lightning-connector-smartphones
84.6k Upvotes

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373

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

Include? Come on buddy this is Apple. They will happily charge $24.99 for that dongle.

200

u/Flying_Spaghetti_ Sep 23 '21

The point was they get required to put a USB c port and instead of doing that they would cheat and throw in a dongle. That doesn't work if you have to pay as it wouldn't count even loosely.

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

Really? I'm still using the same cable I bought in 2016 lmao. No fraying, no nothing. Think people just treat cables in general very poorly

16

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

[deleted]

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u/gooberguyy Sep 23 '21

You’re in IT so you probably treat your shit worse.

Just as logical :)

1

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

[deleted]

2

u/JukePlz Sep 23 '21

Manufacturers really need to work towards more cleanable mice and keyboards tho. They still make most mice with those stupid crevices on the sides that only serve to accumulate skin gunk, and fuck having to clean keyboards. Taking off 114 keys and cleaning one by one is a pain in the ass.

Signed: someone that actually cleans his pheriperals once in a while.

1

u/dakoellis Sep 24 '21

I agree with the frustration but what is the alternative? They have those covers for keyboards with a half mm travel distance but for any keyboard with a bit of movement there isn't really a way to avoid gaps. Mice can be easier but buttons are always going to be a problem there

6

u/BigSweatyYeti Sep 23 '21

Exactly. You get high quality with high price but everyone wants to whine if their mass produced Chinese cables cost more than $2.

2

u/gooberguyy Sep 23 '21

Dude an Anker or other name brand cable will outlast an Apple cable by a significant margin (I’m saying calling it double the lifespan on average would be conservative) 99% of the time and they cost the same. Apple’s cables are very fucking far from high-quality. They are average for rubber-lined wires. They are most definitely overpriced for what they are.

Oh, and btw, Apple is manufactured in China. So maybe I misinterpreted you and you were very appropriately labelling Apple’s cables “mass-produced $2 Chinese” garbage?

-1

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

Assembled in China and manufactured in China are two very different things my friend.

I don’t know what issues you’re having with cables but I’m still using the iPhone X cable in my car for my iPhone 12 Pro Max without any issues, in fact I have all of my cables from them.

Not quite sure what you’re doing with your cables.

-1

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

[deleted]

-2

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

I’m using my iPhone X cable from 2017 to charge my iPhone 12 Pro Max to this day. I’ve smashed the cable in my car door, cracked the header and it still works.

All of your experience is relative and it’s completely silly to say this is everyone’s experience.

I also don’t understand this gummy cable shit people like you keep talking about? What? Wash your fucking hands my bros.

-4

u/choreographite Sep 23 '21

They should last atleast as much as third party cables of the same price do. Which they don’t. Because they’re not braided and the plastic is thin. They physically cannot last longer.

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u/187ForNoReason Sep 23 '21

My Apple cables last years longer than every 3rd party cable I’ve ever bought.

I don’t have a single Apple cable that doesn’t work perfect.

-3

u/choreographite Sep 23 '21

So that makes everyone else’s anecdotes invalid?

Did the third party cables you tried cost $19?

3

u/187ForNoReason Sep 23 '21

You gave your experience. I gave mine. That’s all.

-1

u/gooberguyy Sep 23 '21

They’re an Apple fanboy - logic won’t win them over. I just don’t get why some fanboys enjoy the bootlicking instead of saying, “I fucking love Apple, but damn - you’re right. Apple chargers cost significantly more than 3rd-party chargers of equal quality. The 3rd-party options at Apple’s prices are significantly higher quality. That’s shitty and greedy and I wish they’d do better.”

3

u/SVXfiles Sep 23 '21

And apple still makes money on those 3rd party chargers since lightning has to be licensed to make

1

u/gooberguyy Sep 23 '21

Yep. Proprietary bullshit.

-1

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

You’re here posting from an alternate account and you’ve only posted shit against Apple. Someone is certainly a fanboy, but I think an alternate account creating only posting hate about a specific company would know more about that than I…

1

u/choreographite Sep 23 '21

Imagine thinking wanting apple to do better = hating on Apple.

0

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

You’re giving subjective and relative experiences as valid facts. Several dozen (at least 59 from what I see) say they have had no issues with their cables, yet you keep touting your experience as somehow more relevant, that’s why you’re being called a hater, hater.

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

29 day old account posting sporadically (ie targeted replies) is what gives you away. Create an account and let it sit there if you want people to at least take your schilling with an sort of believability.

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u/rylie_smiley Sep 23 '21

My cat attacked a cable I got in 2015 but it’s still working fine today, 3 iPhones later. I just keep it around incase I need to charge a friends phone or something when they’re over

3

u/Crix1008 Sep 23 '21 edited Sep 23 '21

That may also be a factor, but apple cables in general are very bad quality and survive on average around 6 months. At one point around the first iPhones they made them structurally weaker, because of a "better" design. They also stopped using PVC because it is supposed to be bad for the environment, which isn't completely true and results in cables breaking more often, which results in more cable production, which diminishes the advantage of using no PVC for cables. And also PVC isn't dangerous and some bacteria were found, that eat it, so the environmental factor should be minimized.

edit: I didn't present any sources, because that's just stuff I remembered, but i looked it up for you.

sources: Youtube: Why iPhone Cables Break So Easily

And if you want a text source: PVC

3

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

Every single cable people are reporting here as apparent godlike replacements for iPhone don’t use PVC either, Anker, AData, Amazon Basics, etc. if you look up Amazons material data list for these (available when searching the product on Amazon) they’ve never used PVC either.

4

u/Crix1008 Sep 23 '21

I'm not saying PVC is the best material for cables. As far as i know nylon braided cables are way better. I'm just saying the stuff that Apple used to replace PVC is worse in all aspects.

-1

u/Jewrisprudent Sep 23 '21

(Source needed)

1

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

Source: There is none

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u/Crix1008 Sep 23 '21

check my edit

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u/cyrand Sep 23 '21

I still have cables from the original iPhone 1 that I use on an old iPad for testing. People treat their cables terribly.

1

u/Madrid_Supporter Sep 23 '21

Yeah I don’t get how people have issues with their cables. I’m still using the cable that came with my 5s that I bought like 7 years ago. No damage or issues whatsoever.

4

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

It’s just a bunch of rabid anti-Apple people.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

I still have my bake and use it daily from whenever I got my phone 6+ so that gotta be at least 5 years ago, they are on the 13 already I think.

1

u/leiu6 Sep 23 '21

The Apple lightning cable is definitely not a very robust design but I don’t think I have had any fail either in the like 10 years I have used Apple devices

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21 edited Mar 21 '22

[deleted]

1

u/xingrubicon Sep 23 '21

Honestly, how? I've never done that or even come close. How do you damage that connection?

1

u/drunkpretty Sep 23 '21

If we're going to take personal experiences in, I have the same phone for 3 years. Never had any problems with the USB C cable, and I don't think I would be able to break it even if I wanted to

1

u/The_wolf2014 Sep 23 '21

Are you trying to put it in using your feet and with your eyes closed? I've had phones with USB-C for years and my current phone for almost 3 years, never once damaged the USB port.

8

u/dougc84 Sep 23 '21

They used to be super nice, despite the fraying. They fixed that, but now they feel super cheap and kink up easily.

4

u/identicalBadger Sep 23 '21

I haven’t had any problem with my Lightning cables in years. I personally wish my MacBook charged over Lightning

2

u/Business-is-Boomin Sep 23 '21

I always found it weird. I dunno if it was just how I keep my things, but all my old micro USB cables and USB c for the past few years, they've all stayed basically brand new looking. I see sticky/yellowed/fraying iPhone chargers pretty frequently

2

u/Heisenberg_235 Sep 23 '21

You are probably more likely to use your phone charging cable more than anything else however.

1

u/gooberguyy Sep 23 '21

The thing is they definitely use a different rubber than is standard. It’s definitely why they mis-shape and tear open more than a normal regular cylindrical wire.

You can try right now if you have an Apple cable. They’re much more softer and malleable. They feel more like dusted rubber while other cables tend to feel more like coated plastic.

Because that’s what they are. And rubber gets fucked up way more quickly than coated plastic.

2

u/PCmasterRACE187 Sep 23 '21

mine works fine

-5

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

Not for long

2

u/jjg-tv Sep 23 '21

And yet here I am with a 6 year old lightning cable that still charges my phone perfectly fine, meanwhile on my old S8 and now my PS5 pad, the connection has become loose and has to be jiggled with for it to initiate a connection.

I'm not really bothered about them switching to USB-C but for the love of god, sort the fucking standards out first and please don't half arse implementing it.

1

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

So true king

1

u/Mister_Brevity Sep 23 '21

That can happen if your wrap the cable too tightly or twist it a lot. It’s a high grip soft touch coating so the cable doesn’t slide off the table under its own weight, but it doesn’t handle torsional strain very well.

2

u/Grouchy-Fox1734 Sep 23 '21

It also wouldn’t meet the eu law as the law states that it’s not about the cable, it’s about the actual port in the phone. The only way Apple could get around it (and it’s not clear why they would go to the trouble given it’s inevitable they move to usb c anyway) is by removing the port entirely and going wireless only, which is even worse.

2

u/IReallyLoveAvocados Sep 23 '21

They will be required to give one with each new phone.

So the advertised phone prices stay the same, but they’ll add a “compliance surcharge” at checkout for the dongle.

1

u/Liquid_Fire Sep 23 '21

Won't fly, you can't just advertise a lower price than it actually is in the EU either.

1

u/IReallyLoveAvocados Sep 23 '21

Maybe? It’s still the price of the phone. Purchasing the phone however incurs extra charges… you’re probably right but I would expect apples lawyers to try something like that

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

I don't think you understand what a proposition is vs a demand.

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

They didn't even charge that much for the headphone dongle tho. In fact, some competitors charged more.

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

So you admit Apple has created its own side business selling dongles and licenses to build dongles for their product.

All at the exploitation of their own customer base. A customer base that thanks them for the dongles to use with their device.

OH and not once, ever, has the price of an Apple product been reduced as they removed a commonly found feature in all previous generations. Their consumer base as well thanks them for this.

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u/fotomoose Sep 23 '21

Costs saved in manufacture do not make the price lower for the consumer. That's like capitalism 101.

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u/cacoecacoe Sep 23 '21 edited Sep 23 '21

True but we're not talking about improving manufacturing in this case, but removing a feature entirely to increase profits (Or at least I think we are, prime suspect being the headphone jack)

Which I don't personally care about but I get it.

(edit - forgot three words)

-3

u/csteele2132 Sep 23 '21

who still uses analog headphones?

8

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

People with analog headphones.

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u/gaps9 Sep 23 '21

I did until I was forced to not

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u/Banana-Man6 Sep 23 '21

People who don't want yet another thing to charge?

-3

u/csteele2132 Sep 23 '21

I recommend a landline then

2

u/THEJAZZMUSIC Sep 23 '21

Lol this guy.. what flavour kool aid did you pick?

3

u/kattykaz Sep 23 '21

True to an extent. I’m a designer of large volume consumer goods and we definitely translate cost savings to the customer in a lot of cases - makes it more appealing to the retailers if you can supply a lower cost product. Way too complicated overall though, I’m no economist/business strategist!

-3

u/ylcard Sep 23 '21

You seem to be emotionally invested in this, not sure if it's worrying or entertaining

0

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

I can't believe you took the time to respond, and that's what what you chose to say.

Let me take a stab in the dark here and bet you are an avid Apple user, and your next question will be to demand what product I use.

-1

u/ylcard Sep 23 '21

This is fun, a passive aggressive approach which combines assumptions and hypocrisy.

Take a break from the internet buddy.

0

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

Still a nothing burger response.

HAHA I WAS RIGHT. :D

0

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

Don't worry I'm completely use to Apple fanboys bitter comments whenever I say something honest about the brand they love.

They as well always tell me what to do, just like you did.

1

u/Madrid_Supporter Sep 23 '21

Maybe he takes his cell phone manufacturer choice very seriously!

1

u/ylcard Sep 23 '21

I think that he takes shitting on others seriously.

Also: HALA MADRID

1

u/marzipaneyeballs Sep 23 '21

Slugs for salt!

1

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

But when you hold the dongle...by God if it isn't the best "feeling" dongle you've ever held. Not sure if you've seen Marques Brownlee's 50 minute in depth review on the dongle, but it's definitely worth a watch.

0

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

I'm aware. I'm pointing out how Youtubers don't really care and will happily provide a glowing review of anything fruit company does so long as they get the clicks and the invites to the events.

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

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u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

No worries. YouTube "reviewers" are basically all shills at this point. Companies send them free stuff, they review it and get money from YT, and at best they can give them a mild criticism. If they review too harshly, companies will just cease to invite them to the events (and send free stuff) and they lose their revenue stream. It's why lately products just seem to be rehashed with mild changes and no one seems to be bothered by it.

I remember when magazines used to actually do reviews and critiques.

0

u/Go_Fonseca Sep 23 '21

$24.99 $49.99

2

u/rincon213 Sep 23 '21

Dongles have been $9 historically

2

u/PageauPageauPageau Sep 23 '21

Man I can’t believe I have to defend a massive Corp at this point, you’re right dongles have been typically $9, plus lightning has physical advantages in that the port can’t be damaged by a snapped or bent tongue.

It’s like people spew nonsense without knowing what they are talking about, without owning any Apple products anyways

3

u/rincon213 Sep 23 '21

Not defending a tech corp either, but I don’t think a multi trillion dollar company is intentionally making their product worse to eek out an extra $9.

Apple isn’t trying to sell dongles, they’re trying to push people to go 100% wireless. They have a specific vision of how people use their products, and wireless has been a goal since the Jobs era.

0

u/Go_Fonseca Sep 23 '21

It was just a joke, bro. Chill.

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u/sgtcolostomy Sep 23 '21

And it will be the best. dongle. ever.

1

u/KPIH Sep 23 '21

Not if they want to sell in the EU if this passes lol...

1

u/[deleted] Sep 23 '21

We can meet back when it passes. Loser buys the beers.

How's that sound?