It's a mechanically sound connector. I always found it weird that with USB-C, you are inserting a plug with an open center in to a port with a small tab on the inside. It seems like inserting a thicker tab in to an open slot would be stronger. But then there could be some peculiarities of cable manufacturing that make USB-C smarter than it seems. That or it isn't better because it was designed by committee, and we only use it because that committee sets standards.
Well nothing is indestructible. My point is that it is a well-designed connector, and in some ways superior to USB-C. Lightning was introduced in 2012 before USB-C was commonplace. It makes sense that once Apple decided to use it, they would be hesitant to move away from it.
Granted, the pluggy-end of a battery is a pretty benign place to put it. Apple probably has warehouses full of these connectors that need somewhere to go now that OEMs won't pay to license it. Dropping it in a battery is sorta annoying and arguably obsolete but also not the end of the world.
Now, if they could axe Lightning on the Magic Keyboard/Trackpad, that'd be greaaaaaat.
It's actually different than the OG Lightning, it's quite wider. (the tweet has comparison pics)
There's actually another undocumented pin-hole ejection feature in apple hardware. ifixit found during their teardown of airpod Max that you can disconnect/remove the earcup in one go with a sim tool, allowing for theoretical easy mix and match (or headband replacement) [1]
Apple doesnt warehouse parts, and it doesnt care if Foxconn has too much connectors left over. Its not a $ issue, we are talking $0.06 USB C connector here on a $3500 product.
I'm guessing Apple really doesn't want third-party battery packs, because being able to reliably warn about low battery is an actual safety issue in a headset.
At least it's not hard wired like their awful pre-USB-C laptop power bricks where the cable would yellow and fray after a couple years of gentle use.
If the battery suddenly drops out, your vision is now completely blanked out. If you're walking or moving and become suddenly blind, you can see how that would be unsafe.
Guarding against people doing shit that goes against common sense -- as well as Apple's "very explicit" warnings -- while using a third party battery that maybe might somehow malfunction, is an annoying reason for them to make a decision that costs me extra money.
Wow that's actually terrifying! The best part is while watching their cool video showcasing how terrifying it was, the WSJ exemplified why in part by jamming an ad right in there when I tried to skip ahead. Hope a full screen ad never blocks the view of someone skiing, it might end badly.
The AVP is not AR though. Regardless of passthrough and their "Spatial Computing" marketing. It's a VR headset that will black out, and not stop "augmenting", the moment the battery get's disconnected. If you're skiing that might very well be the difference between hitting a tree (or worse, another person) and avoiding it.
So that people don’t connect the cable to a regular power bank and then break their neck when it disconnects unexpectedly while they are moving around with the AVP on.
There’s also a 30-second countdown before the AVP shuts down due to low battery, which might require data from the battery that a normal power bank doesn’t provide.
You'd be more likely to break your neck if the cable doesn't disconnect if the cable gets stuck on something while you're wearing your battery on your hip and moving around. Isn't the end that connect to the headset magnetic for precisely that reason?
All in all, brings back memories of walking around with my Walkman clipped to my belt and headphones on.
I agree. It seems like a really odd choice, unless there is some sort of remote compute happening down there in the battery, which, based on its size and reported capacity, actually makes sense.
