

Apple's smallest mistake - OmIsMyShield
http://www.alanknottcraig.co.za/apples-smallest-mistake/

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thedrbrian
Yes the thing that sunk Nokia was a different connector. Why didn't we see it
before? If you'd like some reading on the lightning connector start here
<http://brockerhoff.net/blog/2012/09/13/boom-2/>

And follow through the update pages.

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bradleyland
Of all the Apple conjecture on the internet, the writing about the new
connector is the worst.

So the author's premise is that the new connector is a profit grab. What
evidence supports this claim? Is there even one source from within Apple who
has disclosed this? I haven't seen it.

Let's look at what we do know. The connector previously used on iOS devices
was the 30-pin connector. This connector hasn't changed (on the device end)
since the first iPod was introduced in 2001. That's an eleven year run on a
single connector. To give some sense of perspective, the first iPods only had
Firewire connectors, because USB 2.0 wasn't ratified until late 2001. The
30-pin connector is old. In technology terms, it's ancient.

So I have to ask you, does a company who changes connectors once in eleven
years seem like the type of company that is motivated by short term profits? I
think that's a pretty stupid assertion.

Let's also have a look at the connector. The new lightning connector is small,
strong, omni-directional, and all digital (only important in contrast to the
old connector). All of these are dramatic improvements. I've seen a lot of
complaints that Apple didn't just use mini-USB. Guess what, mini-USB sucks.
The connector is fragile and is omni-directional. It's tiny, so many people
have a difficult time identifying which direction it should plug in. All USB
connectors suffer from this pain, because USB is designed to be dirt cheap.
Apple doesn't care about dirt cheap, they care about good design.

If you have read any background on the various connectors available on mobile
phones, you'd know that the Lightning connector is one of the best designs out
there.

If I had to guess (and my guess is as good as yours), I'd say that the biggest
motivation for the new connector was size. The old 30-pin connector is HUGE.
The female side of the plug is even larger than you're picturing in your mind.
Watch the iFixit iPhone 5 teardown, then watch the iPhone 4 teardown:

<http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone+5+Teardown/10525/1>

<http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone+4+Teardown/3130/1>

The internals of the Lightning connector are much, much smaller. Given Apple
obsession with small/thin, this seems like the blindingly obvious motivation.

The real truth will be the test of time. If they switch connectors again in
less than 5 years, I'll take apart my iPhone and eat the pieces.

------
calciphus
Interestingly, it's one of the reasons people love not-Apple. Every Android
phone (and most tablets), every Blackberry and every WM phone all use MicroUSB
now. Apple COULD have gone with the MicroUSB/DisplayPort combo port. But then
they couldn't have owned the entire experience, and gotten paid at every
level...

~~~
bradleyland
What about the fact that the Lightning connector is superior to MicroUSB in
the following ways?

* It's omni-directional

* It's much stronger

* Once inserted, the cable securely engages with a mechanical latch, rather than friction

The only way in which MicroUSB is superior is in cost. A USB cable need not
include any microchips, but the Lightning cable must have a chip to detect
when the cable is inserted so that the pins don't short when it's outside a
connector.

I have serious doubts that Apple's choice to use a proprietary connector is
about profits. If that were the case, they could have saved a boat load of
money developing the Lightning connector and made some slight alterations to a
standard USB connector.

Having used an iPhone 5 for a few weeks now, I _really_ appreciate the
Lightning connector. The only thing I'd appreciate more is wireless charging,
but that has its own set of drawbacks. Until I can have both -- wireless
charging, plus an auxiliary plug-in charging port -- I'll take Lightning.

