Why People Are Getting Worked Up Over the iPhone 15 USB-C Port
Charlie Sorrel
11 hours ago

Mishaal Zahed / Unsplash
Apple is switching the iPhone from its proprietary Lightning port to USB-C, and people are going to be really, really angry.

Thanks to the EU, Apple has been forced to adopt the USB-C standard for charging and data transfer for the iPhone 15, replacing the Lightning connector that has been around since 2012. And in those 11 years, people have collected a lot of Lightning cables. They have them in their cars, hallway charging stations, and bedside tables. They might have a frayed, cracking cable in every purse. And this is why, despite the reality that Apple had minimal choice in the matter, people will be angry.

A lot of people were worried and annoyed that they had to buy all new cords and accessories when Apple made the changeover from the 30-pin dock connector to the Lightning port. Users eventually got used to the Lightning port's faster data transfer and greater flexibility in the ecosystem. Similarly, adapting to USB-C may cause some initial annoyance, but the widespread adoption of the new standard will ultimately benefit users.

"A lot of people were worried and annoyed that they had to buy all new cords and accessories when Apple made the changeover from the 30-pin dock connector to the Lightning port. Users eventually got used to the Lightning port's faster data transfer and greater flexibility in the ecosystem. Similarly, adapting to USB-C may cause some initial annoyance, but the widespread adoption of the new standard will ultimately benefit users," app developer Johan Alexander told Lifewire via email.

Flashback

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This has happened before, when Apple dropped the comically huge 30-pin dock connector and replaced it with the then-new Lightning. But as we shall see, this time is quite different. Back then, it was obvious that the Lightning connector was far superior to the dock connector it replaced. It was smaller, snapped into place better, and—unlike the then-alternative of micro USB—it could be inserted in any orientation.

And yet still people groused. It was a money grab from Apple, they said. A corporate cash grab orchestrated only to juice sales. And it was frustrating in another way, too: if you had a charging dock, a speaker dock, or other 30-pin dock connector-compatible accessory, it was useless (although Apple did sell an adapter to help). The dock connector had become universal and was even found installed in hotel-room alarm clocks.

This time around, the world is a very different place. For starters, USB-C is not a brand-new proprietary connector from Apple. It's a standard that is already widely known. Most people probably already have at least one USB-C cable around somewhere, and USB-C is already the standard charger for all non-iPhone phones.

"USB-C has had several years to slowly creep into people’s lives in a way the Apple-invented Lightning connector did not. It will be a jarring change, but USB-C is at least familiar and you might have a cable or two around somewhere that will work," long-time Apple journalist Jason Snell said on his Six Colors blog

On the other hand, it's harder to see why Apple is making the change, if you don't keep up to date on European Union tech law. USB-C is not really superior to the Lightning connector it's replacing—unlike the dock-connector-to-Lightning transition. It's hard to see how you benefit from the switch.

Waste

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Another huge difference is that this time around, there are many more iPhone users. Billions of them. That's a huge installed base of Lightning cables. Of course, none of those people will have to switch to USB-C. That's only for buyers of the new phones, and they will be getting a new USB-C cable in the box anyway. But over the next few years, as people replace their travel chargers, or buy new spare cables, that's billions of Lightning cables that will no longer be needed.

Yes, there's some irony that an EU measure intended to reduce e-waste will in fact lead to a massive increase in e-waste.

In reality, this is a great change for users. The USB-C port is a standard that will probably be around for a long time to come. It has already proved its flexibility by doing everything from charging electric fly-swatters (I have one) to hooking up massively data-intensive Thunderbolt peripherals.

And USB-C has one other big advantage. Manufacturers don't have to pay Apple to use it. Now, few of the makers of the cheapo Lightning cables on Amazon are paying Apple, but for legit accessory makers, Apple charges for access to its port.

It also means that you can use all those existing USB-C accessories out there, from SD card readers to audio interfaces, plugging them into your iPhone without an adapter.

You, as a reader of excellent technology news, already know the advantages of USB-C and are probably looking forward to the day when you can travel with one fewer cable in your bag. But not everybody is as savvy as you, and it's going to be interesting to see how loud the complaining, the clickbait stories, and the inevitable lawsuits get before things die down. I can't wait.