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Apple Reportedly Planning to Limit iPhone 15's USB-C Port in the Same Way as Lightning

It seems like having your cake and eating it.

Lower voltage - safe - USB-C charging will be supported from any USB-C cable, thus satisfying the EU.

Fast charging at higher voltages & fast data transfer will have to have the MFI badge of approval so Apple gets its $$$ but also so that Apple can say that it's protecting your phone from being fried and data loss etc. from incompatible cables etc. etc.
 
JCCL said:
I doubt it. The don’t do this in the iPads like the article points out.
Click to expand...
They do. Current Pads with Lightning or USB C are limited to connecting to a small number of types of devices (audio, MIDI, ethernet, storage, HID controllers, etc.). You can't directly connect a stock iPad to USB serial devices, such as Arduinos, routers, etc., without a cable that includes an MFi chip (from RedPark, et.al.) Nor to specialized USB devices, such as SDR radios.

To use an RTL-SDR radio USB device with an iPad, I first have to connect the RTL-SDR to a Raspberry Pi, then connect the Raspberry Pi over WiFi or via an ethernet-to-lightning or ethernet-to-USB-C dongle to the iPad to run SDR apps.
 
richard4339 said:
The EU will certainly love Apple basically skirting the requirements making the reasoning for them useless. I’m guessing Apple will get smacked over this if true.
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laptech said:
Come on people, did anyone honestly believe Apple would not do something like this? It is Apple's way of making sure that people still purchase a dedicated Apple cable to unlock the higher usb speeds. Use a commonly available usb-c cable and get lower usb-c speeds but purchase a special Apple usb-c cable to unlock the higher speeds. as others have pointed out, I do not think the EU is going to like it or even accept it.
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Bug-Creator said:
Limiting it to USB2 speeds? I wouldn't care.

Any nonsense beyond that and I will find out how long my XR last. If it gets unbearable I might even switch to Android before buying anything that isn't proper USB-C.

In reality it would be a pretty suicidal move by Apple, but one never knows....
Click to expand...

Greenmeenie said:
Makes no sense. The EU is forcing Apple to switch from lightning to USB-C for a reason. If Apple did this, it would be a switch in name only. The EU would not accept this.
Click to expand...

The EU never required anything beyond some minimal power specs and a USB-C connector. Apple could do this and be in full compliance.
WaxedJacket said:
Agreed, the entire point of the law was to use cables customers already have across devices. Having to buy new USB-C cables would make this mandate pointless.
Click to expand...
Customers will still be able to use a single cable for charging at the mandated spec; which is the whole point if the EU reg. It doesn’t even mandate having a port.
 
firewood said:
They do. Current Pads with Lightning or USB C are limited to connecting to a small number of types of devices (audio, MIDI, ethernet, storage, HID controllers, etc.). You can't directly connect a stock iPad to USB serial devices, such as Arduinos, routers, etc., without a cable that includes an MFi chip (from RedPark, et.al.) Nor to specialized USB devices, such as SDR radios.

To use an RTL-SDR radio USB device with an iPad, I first have to connect the RTL-SDR to a Raspberry Pi, then connect the Raspberry Pi over WiFi or via an ethernet-to-lightning or ethernet-to-USB-C dongle to the iPad to run SDR apps.
Click to expand...
Maybe you are confused about what they are talking about? There is a huge difference between my device has the software to connect to everything and my device warns you that the cables you bought are trash.
 
bluecoast said:
It seems like having your cake and eating it.

Lower voltage - safe - USB-C charging will be supported from any USB-C cable, thus satisfying the EU.

Fast charging at higher voltages & fast data transfer will have to have the MFI badge of approval so Apple gets its $$$ but also so that Apple can say that it's protecting your phone from being fried and data loss etc. from incompatible cables etc. etc.
Click to expand...
As I noted there was a time when people were being killed by charging iPhones with non Apple devices. Say what you want about Apple but they are not going to tolerate people losing their lives because they chose to use an Apple device with a non Apple charger if they can help it. So yes, safety is extremely high up on their list of priorities.
 
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Jumpthesnark said:
Love all the freaking out and teeth-gnashing here. Apple currently sells their own iPhone cables and they license other manufacturers' accessories that work with iPhones too. Go to Amazon, you can buy more non-Apple iPhone-ready cables than you can carry.

Sure, if you buy a cable for $1 at the 7-11 checkout while you get your lottery tickets, you're going to get the "unsupported device" warning. You get what you pay for.

This isn't going to change. Legit USB-C cables will be out there, and not all the money is going right into Apple's pocket. It's going to be exactly like it is today, with a different connector at the end of the cable.
Click to expand...
OK, but freaking out and teeth-gnashing is a lot more fun.
 
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This is crazy and stupid. If true, it means everyone has to buy new USB C cables in addition to all their existing USB C cables. It'll never happen.
 
MacRumors said:


The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro's USB-C port and accompanying charging cables will feature a Lightning-like authenticator chip, potentially limiting their functionality with Apple-unapproved accessories, a rumor shared on Weibo suggests.

iPhone-15-to-Switch-From-Lightning-to-USB-C-in-2023-feature-sans-arrow.jpg

The rumor declares that Apple has developed its own variant of USB-C for this year's iPhone 15 lineup and comes from a user who claims to be an integrated circuit expert with 25 years of experience working on Intel's Pentium processors.

Integrated circuit (IC) interfaces are semiconductor chips used to manage the sharing of information between devices. Since their introduction in 2012, first-party and MFi-certified Lightning ports and connectors contain a small IC that confirms the authenticity of the parts involved in the connection. Non-MFi-certified third-party charging cables, for example, do not feature this chip, often leading to "This accessory is not supported" warnings on connected Apple devices.

The authenticator chip allows Apple to encourage customers to buy genuine iPhone peripherals and receive a commission on MFi-certified accessories, but it also allows Apple to tackle counterfeit and potentially dangerous accessories.

The latest rumor seems to suggest that Apple has developed a similar custom IC for the USB-C ports on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, and presumably its charging cables. As well as the iPhone 15 lineup, the new IC is apparently destined for new MFi-certified peripherals.

It is worth noting that the USB-C interface currently used by Apple in the 10th-generation iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro, do not contain an IC chip for authentication, meaning that this would be a first for ports of this kind offered by the company.

It is unclear if this addition could have any major implications for the functionality of the new devices, but it is possible that Apple could limit features like fast charging and high-speed data transfer to Apple and MFi-certified cables.

According to Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the USB-C port on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will remain limited to USB 2.0 speeds – the same as Lightning. Only the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max models will apparently get faster charging speeds. As a result, the only major difference between Lightning and USB-C on the standard iPhone 15 models could simply be the physical shape of the connector.

The report is particularly believable since this would effectively mirror the split between the entry-level iPad and the iPad Pro. While both iPad models feature a USB-C port, the 10th-generation iPad is limited to USB 2.0 speeds of up to 480 Mbps, while the iPad Pro offers fully fledged Thunderbolt speeds up to 40 Gbps.

Article Link: Apple Reportedly Planning to Limit iPhone 15's USB-C Port in the Same Way as Lightning
Click to expand...
Sigh... Apple slowly sliding into the original dead end path they followed the first time Steve Jobs left the company.

  1. Redundant and confusing model lineup (Centris/Quadra/Performa = iPhone/iPad)
  2. Refusal to give up proprietary device connection standards (Apple Desktop Bus = IC Chip)
  3. Spending on high-profile marketing hype that doesn't deliver real value to the company (Apple's 1990s product placement campaign = Apple TV Plus)

FYI:

Brand Monitoring And Product Placement Tracking Services - Product Placement Blog

Welcome to the largest product placement database!
productplacementblog.com productplacementblog.com
 
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ChatGPT:

"A new iPhone from Apple is on its way,
But with a slow USB-C port, what more can I say?
We'll have to wait and see if it's just a fuss
Or if the new iPhone will fail to impress us.

An iPhone with a port so confined
Would cause frustration of a new kind
USB 2.0 speed, oh what a shame
Making transfers slow as molasses in Maine

And so a new iPhone may come as a treat,
But with a slow USB-C port, it may not be so neat.
We'll have to wait and see if the rumors are true,
And whether the new iPhone will live up to its due."
 
This is a “rumor” — it is unsubstantiated and doubtful. Unless you are an engineer on the iPhone team, how could you possibly know for sure? Also, how many different types of usb-c cables could one possibly need to connect to an iPhone? I would guess 99% of owners will probably use the one supplied with the phone.
 
The EU directive requires that charging powers higher than 15 W have to be compatible with USB Power Delivery, but additional protocols are allowed:
3.In so far as they are capable of being recharged by means of wired charging at voltages higher than 5 Volts, currents higher than 3 Amperes or powers higher than 15 Watts, the categories or classes of radio equipment referred to in point 1 of this Part shall:
3.1.incorporate the USB Power Delivery, as described in the standard EN IEC 62680-1-2:2021 “Universal serial bus interfaces for data and power – Part 1-2: Common components – USB Power Delivery specification”;
3.2.ensure that any additional charging protocol allows for the full functionality of the USB Power Delivery referred to in point 3.1, irrespective of the charging device used.
Click to expand...
 
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I love Apple but sometimes Apple just needs to frick off.

This is one of those times.

More legislation incoming…
 
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seek3r said:
That issue was likely a profile issue. Chargers dont support every combo of volts/amps, sometimes there’s a mismatch. I’ve used apple’s bricks to charge tons of non-Apple devices, they arent deliberately locking them, but it’s possible your samsung phone was attempting to use profiles the brick didn't support. I’ve into that a few times, both with apple and non-apple gear
Click to expand...
That would be true, but if you'd read again what I wrote this was a vanilla 5V-only charger and a phone accepting 5V only. This was pre-QC and pre-PD. This was deliberate.
 
If it happens it confirms my observations elsewhere on this forum. I’m not sure how much longer I feel like being a pawn in Tim’s game.
 
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Reason077 said:
ChatGPT:

"A new iPhone from Apple is on its way,
But with a slow USB-C port, what more can I say?
We'll have to wait and see if it's just a fuss
Or if the new iPhone will fail to impress us.

An iPhone with a port so confined
Would cause frustration of a new kind
USB 2.0 speed, oh what a shame
Making transfers slow as molasses in Maine

And so a new iPhone may come as a treat,
But with a slow USB-C port, it may not be so neat.
We'll have to wait and see if the rumors are true,
And whether the new iPhone will live up to its due."
Click to expand...
For once, that silly AI service has something going for it.
 
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The next iPhone is almost here
Bringing joy to those who hold it dear
But a problem has arisen, you see
A requirement for your phone to be
Connected with cables made especially.

No longer will any cable do
To keep your phone charged and performing true
Only MFI will suffice
To charge your device
And transfer data too.
 
Just give us full throated Thunderbolt 4 via USB-C connectors on all Apple devices. It seems absurd that iPhones can capture very high quality images and video, but you're still stuck with USB 2.0 speeds via a cable if you want to do a bulk download.
 
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