![]() There may well come a day when wireless charging and data are fully viable replacements for wired alternatives. My hope is that the company keeps improving its wireless power and data solutions, but follows the iPad Pro and pivots to USB-C, which has established itself as a solid connector standard with enough versatility, resilience, and security to be worth using across multiple devices for years to come. If European regulators keep pushing for a single connector solution, Apple will have two choices - switch to USB-C, or yank the plug and rely on Qi for power. iPhone users who rely heavily on Apple’s iCloud are accustomed to small, incremental data transfers, but those who back up and restore devices or frequently transfer videos to computers may have good reasons to prefer wired connections. Wired charging can be many times faster than wireless charging, a factor other companies have exploited more than Apple, and data transfers of large files (including videos) may still be faster over wired connections than over common Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. Each device is intended to operate wirelessly apart from the need for power, but Apple apparently didn’t feel that either could be left entirely without the option of a wired data port.įor iPhones, there are other obvious benefits of continuing to include wired charging and data. The rare but real need for some sort of wired data connector compelled Apple to include secret, non-user-accessible ports in both the Apple Watch and Apple TV for emergency purposes. Otherwise, users and technicians will need to wait for both an inductive charge to bring the device power level up and some visual affirmation from the device that it’s indeed making a wireless data connection. Since the Lightning connector handles both power and data, plugging a cable in enables a near-instant connection to even a completely discharged device, or one that might otherwise be non-responsive for reasons unknown. Closing the port could kill one of the iPhone’s biggest attack vectors.Īrguably the single biggest reason not to kill the port is that it’s the easiest way to connect to an iPhone in the event of a serious hardware- or firmware-level failure. Third-party iPhone hacking tools generally rely on Lightning connections to wiggle their way through the device’s defenses, using exploits to compromise users’ private data. Security might be another reason to remove the port. Wired data connections of all sorts continue to give way to wireless ones, including higher-bandwidth Wi-Fi, quicker Bluetooth, and 5G cellular standards. Killing the iPhone’s Lightning port would still leave users with these wireless alternatives, and possibly enable Apple to improve device waterproofing in the process. ![]() Wireless Qi chargers are at peak popularity. There’s a stronger case for going fully wireless now than ever before. After criticism, Apple backpedaled on the design, restoring the buttons in a more widely liked sequel, and perhaps learning some lesson about not getting rid of essential conveniences. The only way to control music playback was with a remote integrated into the cheap included headphones, which could (and did) easily break, requiring replacement. In what seemed at the time like a designers’ joke, Apple removed literally every button from the device, leaving it with nothing more than one port and a power switch. There was one situation where Apple went too far: nearly 11 years ago, when it released the third-generation iPod shuffle. Apple then applied the “make it simpler” philosophy to music players, phones, and tablets, trimming anything unnecessary from a given device category, each time (eventually) winning over initial skeptics. Jobs slashed entire product lines, redesigned Macs to focus on simplicity, and - with sharp marketing - turned the nearly bankrupt company into an industry leader. Apply or nominate today!Īfter blowing a decade releasing confusingly numerous Macintosh computers, Apple invited founder Steve Jobs back to his company, kicking off a historic period of growth through reduction. At the event, we will also announce 25 top game startups as the 2024 Game Changers. ![]() We're thrilled to announce the return of GamesBeat Next, hosted in San Francisco this October, where we will explore the theme of "Playing the Edge." Apply to speak here and learn more about sponsorship opportunities here. ![]()
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