Originally Posted by
Jim Koepke
Changing hardware seems to be a part of the corporate profit plan. Remember Parallel Printer Cables? Remember 25 pin serial connectors? Even USB sockets are changing. It looks like the European Union is working to get that standardized.
This is often referred to as "planned obsolescence" or "built in obsolescence."
jtk
USB C has been around for quite awhile now and has "yuge" advantages to the older USB format(s)...higher bandwidth, smaller connector that doesn't care which way you insert it, compatibility with Thunderbolt 3 and 4 for extremely high bandwidth connection of things like backup drives and multiple monitors, upgradability, etc. What the EU did was make it so that mobile device makers (IE phones for the most part) were setup to use the same connection so that buyers could get away from both proprietary and older connections across the board which reduces waste, too, from so many cables and power adapters going into landfills, etc. When Apple first brought out their Lightning connection, it had some advantages over the various USB connectors available at the time. That became moot when the industry developed USB C and it's good that they have finally moved over, even if it was forced by the EU action. They had already made the change to the iPad as well as the MacOS machines...so iPhone was the last to move.
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The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...