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0 pointsandyjohnson02y ago0 comments

Apple can easily afford this. The real reasons for their foot-dragging are their need to differentiate their products, and their need (driven by their organisational culture) to feel that they are in control.

0 comments

pipodeclown2y ago

What he means is, having a proprietary connector means they can milk accessory makers with licensing fees.

andyjohnson0OP2y ago

I get that.

But I've always struggled to believe that revenue from licencing or direct sales of Lightning connectors is that big a deal to Apple. I think their insistence on using their own connector is more about product differentiation and lock-in than about revenue and performance.

drexlspivey2y ago

Why do the new ipads have USB-C then?

bonzini2y ago

Because they want you to be able to use external USB docking stations. Lightning doesn't interoperate with external displays.

Gigachad2y ago

What accessory makers? The only thing lightning is used for these days is charging. I can’t imagine that charging cables is a huge money spinner for apple.

oxfordmale2y ago

It is not the charging cables, but the actual chargers itself. They are eye watering expensive if you buy them from Apple directly.

Amazon and eBay are flooded with fakes that can be life threateningly dangerous. I can see why some people prefer to buy from Apple rather than figuring out what brands are actually not going to burn your house down.

2 more replies

withinboredom2y ago

Here's a few accessories I can think of:

- headphones

- displays

- "gas station" chargers (for when you leave yours at home and just need something cheap)

- memory card readers

These are just the ones I own.

1 more reply

sschueller2y ago

I assume the large car makers are paying apple a huge amount to be able to install lightning cable adapters in the cars.

1 more reply

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pipodeclown2y ago

What he means is, having a proprietary connector means they can milk accessory makers with licensing fees.

andyjohnson0OP2y ago

I get that.

drexlspivey2y ago

Why do the new ipads have USB-C then?

bonzini2y ago

Because they want you to be able to use external USB docking stations. Lightning doesn't interoperate with external displays.

Gigachad2y ago

What accessory makers? The only thing lightning is used for these days is charging. I can’t imagine that charging cables is a huge money spinner for apple.

oxfordmale2y ago

It is not the charging cables, but the actual chargers itself. They are eye watering expensive if you buy them from Apple directly.

2 more replies

withinboredom2y ago

Here's a few accessories I can think of:

- headphones

- displays

- "gas station" chargers (for when you leave yours at home and just need something cheap)

- memory card readers

These are just the ones I own.

1 more reply

sschueller2y ago

I assume the large car makers are paying apple a huge amount to be able to install lightning cable adapters in the cars.

1 more reply

j / k navigate · click thread line to collapse