Kill the Lightening Connector

March 11, 2015 by Colin Berkshire

Colin here.

It is time to kill the proprietary, incompatible do-nothing Lightning cable on Apple’s iPhones.

This non-standard cable provides no benefits to the user. It’s a pain in the butt. It’s expensive. And, replacements are finicky. I can see no argument of why the Lightning cable was anything other than a bad idea designed to harm Apple’s customers.

Now is the perfect time to replace Lightning cables.

USB-C has been standardized and Apple was a leading member of the USB-C development team. Reports are that new computers designed by Apple depend highly upon USB-C. The USB-C cable has the advantages of Lightning (reversible, small, good feel.) And, technically, USB-C is faster and supports video all the way up to 5K displays. In short, USB-C is the perfect connector.

The Lightning cable has been a disservice to Apple customers. Providing absolutely no benefits it has made things incompatible and expensive. Being proprietary the cable is hard to buy on the road when you lose yours. They are needlessly expensive. And, I have found that they fail in a variety of ways ranging from refusing to charge quickly to fraying.

The USB-C cable is brilliant. I expect it to be a big winner. Let’s hope Apple quickly adopts it.

By Colin Berkshire

Colin Berkshire is a highly technical HR executive in the Pulp and Paper Industry. Colin has an engineering and voice background, and is currently on assignment in Asia. NOTE: Colin does not respond to comments, and does not Tweet.

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Discussion

Scott Smith March 12, 2015

I certainly agree that open standards are better, but hyperbole much?
“This non-standard cable provides no benefits to the user. It’s a pain in the butt.”
I have enjoyed the lightning connector for my iPhone 5 the last couple years, while my son’s Nexus 7 has a standard microUSB that is backwards from most other microUSB powered devices.

Reply
August1ne March 13, 2015

First, it’s “Lightning”.

Second, “Lightning” was released well in advance of USB-C (3.x) being ratified. Ergo, there was not a viable standard in place. USB 3.0 was an absolute failure at every level — something *had* to be done.

Third. Lightning is fairly awesome to use on a daily basis. It’s reversible, it has a satisfying “click” when you plug it in, and doesn’t destroy itself [or the device port] like micro-USB cables.

Replacements are finicky? I wouldn’t know — my originals all work well. Aftermarket replacements tend to be garbage. Which brand are you referring to?

Bottom line, Lightning paved the way for USB-C. But carry on with your pointless rant.

Reply
Fredrik Hahn May 13, 2015

Good write up. Would never buy that Macbook with just one connector for everything.

Reply