USB-C is inferior from the hardware/form standpoint. It's a larger, more fragile and flimsy connector (than lightning) which is very un-apple. It can be crimped shut if rolled on by a chair. Additionally the charging standards are a total mess, with PD and QC requiring compatible chargers and cables, which are often unlabeled.
I'm all for a great charging standard but USB-C ain't it.
Apple itself is using the USB-C connector on their Apple MacBooks and Apple iPads. Somehow it's "Apple" there?!
(Seriously, why am I constantly seeing these utterly ridiculous comments in Apple topics? Do you not think for half a second before writing something utterly misguided?)
Well maybe it's because you're also misguided. You missed the part where they use USB-C where appropriate. Think for just a second about how people use different devices, and you'll understand. Or if I have to explain: iPads are mostly used by responsible adults (such as parents). iPhones are used by a wide range of people who might be charging them while driving on the road, while sitting in a chair, in a public transit terminal, etc. iPhones need a much more rugged connector. So I suggest that you "think for half a second before writing".
It's certainly better than micro-USB, but agreed: Lightning is the superior design.
Who puts the weak point of the connector inside the more expensive of the two objects? That was a terrible design decision. Maybe Apple's patents prevented USB from doing a similar design, so they had to come up with one that was objectively slightly worse?
Lightning has the springs in the port, if the springs wear out you have to replace the device. USB-C has the springs in the cable, the cheap part to replace.
Then USB-C went and added that "tongue" in the port to break.
I thought it was the other way around? All the springs and movey bits are in the male usb c connector. With Lightning, those bits are in the phone. I’ll agree Lightning has the nicer “feel”, that’s for sure.
That's a fantastic point actually. I wonder why they choose to use USB-C at all for any device, when Lightning is objectively better from a physical engineering standpoint.
But worse from a data transfer standpoint - still USB 2.0 speeds.
The cynic in me would think it's to force people to pay for iCloud storage instead of having to plug their phone into their computer for several hours to backup locally.
Apple has never managed to make a lightning device that can output 4k video or transfers data faster than USB 2.0. They are either incapable of improving the lightning connectors or couldn't be bothered.
Then have the cord part removable and replaceable from the brick (which is already the case with most phone chargers). If the connector gets damaged, buying a replacement would be easy and cheap.
E.g. I hate it when the 3.5mm audio jack cord of expensive headphones is soldered stuck to the headphones. When it breaks, and it will, I have to replace the entire headphones (or do a lousy soldering job) rather then just the cord. Computer chargers are the same.
If they really cared about charger durability they wouldn't have removed the supports from the cable joints until their first party cables regularly frayed apart at the cable ends.
Apple better keep Lightning for Non-EU markets, it's is a vastly superior connector in every way. The most fragile part is at the cheap cable end instead of inside the device. There's no upside here for those of us with a half dozen lightning cables around the house and cars.
I'm all for a great charging standard but USB-C ain't it.