10th anniversary of “Lightning” charger from “Apple” used until the latest “iPhone 14”, but may not go further. After the European Union passed a law to make USB-C the central standard for charging electronic devices.
10th anniversary of “Lightning” charger from “Apple” used until the latest “iPhone 14”, but may not go further. After the European Union passed a law to make USB-C the central standard for charging electronic devices.
Back in Sept. 2012 “Apple Inc.” The US tech giant has released the iPhone 5, which comes with the biggest, faster, and most powerful ever at the time. And another thing that is equally exciting is the charging cable.LightningSmaller than traditional charging cables, Phil Schiller, Apple’s head of marketing, announced onstage that Lightning will be “State-of-the-art connectivity for the next decade” And it is true because no other brand uses it, only Apple, which is still used with every iPhone until today.
Lightning Still doing a good charging function. can be plugged in any side Because they are the same on both sides and smaller compared to popular docking devices at the time such as the 30-pin dock and Micro USB that can be plugged in only one side and bigger and bigger. Even though it’s 10 years old,This charging cable continues to evolve. Until now, it can charge the iPhone battery from the battery completely drained up to 50% in just 30 minutes, and can also be connected like USB 3.0, and supports 1080p video signal as well.
Therefore, Lightning is not inferior in performance to other connected devices. But its big problem is lack of universality because of other devices Whether it’s all brands of Android smartphones, GoPro cameras, game consoles. All use USB-C charging cables, and even Apple’s new iPad and MacBook use USB-C as well.Only a few accessories use Lightning charging cables. such as Magic Mouse, Magic Keyboard, and AirPods, which are all Apple products.
Because the Lightning connector is an innovation invented by Apple, that means Technology manufacturers who want to implement Lightning in their products. License fee must be paid to Apple. In addition, you can also earn from selling Lightning cables that are available in various sizes. and multi-head connection with a fantastic starting price of 790 baht
that means If you use both Apple products and the Android side, for example, using an iPhone with a notebook running Windows operating system, youTwo types of charging cables are required. Or even if owners of all Apple products need to use 2 types of charging cables. Because the connection ports of these devices are different.
These factors makeMost iPhone users may not be happy with the Lightning cable. because it is difficult to carry The more time there are many charging cables together. the more tangled Not including the problem of fast aging cables. Even after using the Lightning cable for a long time, the charging head tends to break easily. Causing to pay money to buy a new charger again Many people encourage Apple to stop using this charger. And every year rumors that Apple will be retired. But every dream is shattered
in the work”Far Out“Apple’s annual product launch event on Sept. 7 was launched”iPhone 14” “iPhone 14 Pro” and “iPhone 14 Pro Max” comes with many advanced technologies Cameras take better pictures and videos. Processing faster, importantly, in the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max, there is no notch on the screen anymore. Which still uses the same Lightning charging cable, but after this Lightning may not go any further.
last june European Union (EU) The law enacts USB-C port as the central standard for charging all electronic devices. be it smartphones, tablets, headphones and game consoles. by the fall of 2024 with the said law This may lead Apple to turn to USB-C in all of its products. Including the iPhone 15, which will be launched in September 2023, before the EU deadline for enforcement of the said law. which is the right time Because it takes a period of steps to follow in order to meet the standards, the iPhone 16 that will be launched after EU law enforcement can continue to sell immediately.
Brazilian partAnnouncement to cancel the license to sell all iPhone models that do not come with a charger in the box. With an order to fine Apple for more than 12 million reais, or about 85 million baht because it’s incomplete sales And pushing the burden on consumers as Apple tries to appeal that not including the charger. Reduces the use of zinc and the plastic that makes up the charger Thus reducing the amount of carbon by more than 2 million tons per year.
But on the other hand, the fact that Apple uses Lightning is the only brand. While all other brands of smartphones use USB-C charging cables, can it really reduce the amount of electronic waste? Because that would increase the burden on consumers who have to find a charger to use.
for in Thailand There are some consumerssignCampaign on the Change.org website titled “Ask Apple devices to be sold in Thailand. A charger is included. As part of the campaign’s description, “Apple’s phones currently use Lightning charging cables, reflecting the fact that Apple wants to monopolize the trade and increase the burden on consumers.” Which has more than 4,200 people who have signed (information as of September 16 at 20.00)
As Bloomberg News reports Apple starts testing iPhones with USB-C charging cables Since May last year, even more reinforcing that the iPhone 15 may come with a USB-C charging cable, closing the legend of the Lightning cable after 10 years of existence.
However, it’s possible that Apple may sell USB-C products only in Europe and sell Lightning cables elsewhere around the world, but would it be worth the investment to make both?
Switching from Lightning to USB-C will benefit consumers who don’t have to carry a lot of charging cables, though. It can also be charged faster than Lightning.Importantly, data can also be transmitted quickly between devices.Between 5-10 Gbps, depending on the machine’s specs And it can transmit data at speeds of up to 40 Gbps if iPhone supports Thunderbolt 3, which is several times faster than Lightning, which only transfers 480 Mbps.
Although Apple is known as a technology leader and is always different from the rest. But sometimes doing the same thing as the rest of the tech companies on the market. for the convenience of users It’s not always a bad thing.
Source: Bloomberg, Mashable, Tech Radar, The Verge