• @MrGeekman@lemmy.world
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    2222 years ago

    They didn’t switch to USB-C out of the goodness of their hearts. They switched because the EU passed a new law that requires that new smartphones have USB-C ports.

    • Chozo
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      1492 years ago

      And they actively fought against it for as long as they could, tooth and nail.

      • @dunestorm@lemmy.world
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        152 years ago

        It’s an uphill battle, why would Apple bother when just using USB-C makes sense and saves them their lawyers sanity?

        • @docmox@lemmy.world
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          542 years ago

          Money.

          Now that USB-C is the required cable, people can go out and buy any cheap cable they want. The law turned a proprietary cash cow into a low return commodity item.

          • @Redcedar@lemm.ee
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            82 years ago

            This argument always cracks me up. I have been able to buy cheap lightning cables effectively since they started making lightning cables lol. It’s not like Apple somehow locks the phone from charging, physics is still a real thing and electricity can still flow through them, even without the MFi aspects.

            If you wanna hate Apple for being a massively bloated and money-hungry corporate nightmare, that’s fine, I’m with it, but do we really all think they made it to $3 trillion valuation on… fucking cables??? 😂

            • @TheBlue22@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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              62 years ago

              No, they made it to 3 trillion with cables, overpriced PCs, overpriced notebooks, overpriced Phones, overpriced watches, and locking software of all these so the easiest way to use different devices together, is to use another apple product.

              Oh, and cultivating a fan base of people who uncritically buy anything they make with the notion that it’s “better than anything else” when in reality that could not be further from the truth.

              • @Redcedar@lemm.ee
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                22 years ago

                Ok, so you listed basically all of their business strategies, which is exactly my point. It’s not a business built SOLELY on proprietary ports and cables, yet that aspect is what gets the most attention and criticism.

                • @TheBlue22@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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                  22 years ago

                  I wouldn’t say that’s really accurate. It is true that it is the aspect that is getting the most attention now, but thats only because its recent, in the news and EU forced their hand upon it.

                  Apple among regular consumers has been criticised for years, if not decades for its overpriced hardware and among more technical crowd has always been criticised for its closed source and incompatible software.

                  Of course, people who say their entire empire is built upon a bunch of cables are wrong lol

                  • @Redcedar@lemm.ee
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                    12 years ago

                    Correct! For me, the closed source “walled garden” approach is the most frustrating.

                    But, dude, dude, dude… remember the 30-pin transition debacle? I’m having bad flashbacks lol

            • @jaybone@lemmy.world
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              12 years ago

              Yeah but there has to be some reason they were so opposed to this. I don’t get it either though.

              • kirklennon
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                52 years ago

                Yeah but there has to be some reason they were so opposed to this.

                Because Lightning came out years before USB-C was ready and is already an established de facto standard. There are well over a billion devices in use right now with Lightning ports on them, and billions of Lightning cables. You’re balancing the advantages of switching to a “standard” against the reality that their customers already have Lightning stuff. I went several years with my Switch as literally the only thing I owned that used USB-C. Even now it’s still common for gadgets to ship with micro-USB. USB-C has taken a long time to reach real ubiquity.

                Lightning is also physically smaller and easier to plug in than USB-C.

                Anyway, the point is that USB-C was not (and is not) this significantly, obviously superior experience for Apple’s existing customers. There are real, tangible downsides that make it more expensive and more environmentally wasteful for at least hundreds of millions of iPhone users who will be upgrading.

    • circuitfarmer
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      472 years ago

      Apple will never do anything for any other reasons besides: regulation and profit. They try and foster this image of humanitarianism and ethics, but meanwhile they build everything in sweatshops and make their own “standards” so that their loyal customers can only use the functions they need by purchasing additional dongles.

      I’m happy that they were forced into an actual standard, but I’ve already heard at least two apple users IRL claiming that USB-C is inferior for [insert random reasoning here]. Apple has cultivated the idea that they are above standards for a long time and it will take a long time to break.

      • @M500@lemmy.ml
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        162 years ago

        Apple fanboys are the most frustrating people to talk to.

        They find any illogical reason to justify what apple does.

        • HeartyBeast
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          62 years ago

          Go on. What does Apple do that is uniquely Apple that fanbois justify?

          • @M500@lemmy.ml
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            32 years ago

            You are my example. You see how defensive you got when I criticized apple?

            • HeartyBeast
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              82 years ago

              I asked for an example or two. If that’s your best example of frustrating irrationality-pfft. :)

              • @M500@lemmy.ml
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                22 years ago

                What about having the ability to sideload apps?

                So many people are hard against that even though they are not being forced to use it.

                • HeartyBeast
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                  2 years ago

                  I used to be a jailbreaker, so I’m not against sideloading apps. However, I can see how if its not properly designed, sideloading could make it easier to trick people into installing dodgy executables and malware on their phone. It’s not just about that sweet 30% cut.

      • @MrGeekman@lemmy.world
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        12 years ago

        I know. That’s my point. A great example of this is when they used to brag about how eco-friendly their product were. I remember them bragging about their displays being mercury-free, BFR free, etc and their laptops having totally recyclable aluminum and glass enclosures - only to later deliberately make their laptops nearly impossible to repair and upgrade.

      • @Kodemystic@lemmy.kodemystic.dev
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        12 years ago

        The only reason they pass on an image of ethical environmentaly friendly company is because its good for business. People like that shit the products are good people buy. Its that simple. Companies give no shit about people or the planet.