[atirip]

Some years ago that “universal “ in EU was USB-A, Apple had Lightning. Now EU wants that “universal” to be USB-C, Apple has Lightning. And in few years EU adapts USB-X as “universal” and Apple still goes with Lightning.

[Dylan16807]

Some years ago "universal" in EU was USB micro B. At that time, Apple had 30 pin.

Some years later, Apple changed to lightning. Some years after that, "universal" changed to USB-C.

They've both changed once.

[zuminator]

Pretty sure I've had 4 different cable types with Apple devices over the years; they weren't always all Lightning and they're still not all Lightning.

[microtonal]

Yes, new iPad Air and Pro models have USB-C. iPhones, iPods, and iPads used to have the 30 pin dock connector:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dock_connector#30-pin_dock_con...

So, since the start of the iPad in 2010, Apple has used three different connectors.

What's even more embarrassing: for a long time you would not be able to connect a brand new iPhone to a brand new MacBook, since the MacBook would only have USB-C connectors and the iPhone would come with an USB-A to Lightning cable.

[zimpenfish]

> for a long time you would not be able to connect a brand new iPhone to a brand new MacBook

I dunno about "long time" - I got the first USB-C Macbook when it came out and I think it was less than 16 hours after that before Amazon delivered me a USB-C to USB dongle (could have been quicker if I was in London instead of Manchester, I think.)

[Tsiklon]

They were talking about the out of box experience. Until maybe 2019 iPhones came with a Lightning to USB-A cable and all MacBooks since 2016 had no USB-A ports, meaning that for years it was possible to go into the Apple shop and buy a new phone, and a new laptop, and have no way to connect the two without spending more money on top of the several thousand pounds you’ve already spent.